[cartman]

Kristy really wanted to get out for her first mountaineering trip this year, so I suggested Saul as a fine alpine setting. I've been wanting to see this area for several years and the weather was set up ideally for a multiday trip. Saul shares a long ridgeline from Indian Head Peak, but the access for scrambling from the east is via the White River Road. I've been in the Boulder Pass area a couple of times but never up the Indian Creek Trail. As we started up the trail over the great bridge,

Trailhead

we noticed that large deadfall had been recently cleared. We found out later that trail crews had come through just a day before and had crosscut by hand trees up to 2 feet thick. The trail was in excellent condition through nice forest all the way to the turnoff for Airplane Lake. Perfect timing! Just before the turnoff in the long grass meadows are the first views of Saul.

First view of Saul

We passed through a series of meadows, then once in forest we immediately encountered the campsite with the side trail on the right.

Beginning of fisherman's trail

The fisherman's path is distinct to start, but is quickly buried in the brush and deadfall. There are two places where the "trail" actually walks atop big tree trunks for 20-30' going left. If you lose the path and start heading up, work left, as it goes west in the first few hundred feet when it's not going up.

Up the path

After the first 300' the path exits the brush, becomes very distinct and enters nice forest nearly all the way to the lake, mostly just going up.

Decent travel

A few hundred feet before the path reaches the elevation of the lake it begins traversing left and up, then exits the forest above and just north of the lake outlet at the same elevation of the lake. Interestingly, the outlet stream goes east from the lake for a quarter of a mile before turning downhill. The path stays 20-50' above the stream for this last quarter mile directly to the lake and first campsite. We made camp here, but there's a better one if continuing right on the side trail to the N side of the lake, just behind the peninsula. The morning dawned blue and clear.

Morning moon

Kristy and I debated pros and cons going up the SE or the NE ridge; finally we decided on the SE ridge. It starts out on a path through woods and the green hillside, but soon enters more alpine terrain.

Airplane Lake peninsula

Up we go

Kristy checking out the route

We gained the ridge and took it up a few hundred feet,

SE Ridge in sight

Buttress moon

until it started to get more serious, then we dropped into the basin proper. Here we encountered what makes Saul special: white granite.

In the basin

Saul's basins are filled with the wonderful, grippy white granite that is relatively rare in the Cascades. This is one of the reasons to wait until the snow melts to do this peak. The basin also has wide open views of the routes, and of the Dakobed Range across the way.

Dakobeds

Clark

Airplane Peak and Lake

Not being quite certain where the summit access was, we scrambled up to the first notch left of the buttress.

Southern notch

Confirming that the summit was not accessible directly up from here, we dropped around the buttress on loose rock and gained elevation by skirting next to it.

This is the way up

Ready to go

Kristy scoping the route

Airplane again

Gaining the uppermost slopes the route became apparent, with multiple choices:

Last gully

This way would work too

The final summit rocks were the more standard lichen-covered dark rock,

Summit ahead

Kristy near the top

with the last 20' an exposed moderately downsloping traverse on super solid rock with handholds to Saul's spiky summit, 7280'.

Summit blocks

Summit fin

The summit is a great viewpoint of the Central Cascades.

Indian Head High Route

Indian Head

Glacier Peak

Dakobed Range

West Tenpeak and Tenpeak

Chalangin and Luahna

Monte Cristos

Airplane from the top

Wasn't able to sign in as the register is soaking wet; since it's about 2/3 full, a new waterproof register is in order if someone wants to bring one up and take the soaked one down to dry to submit to the UW archive. Kristy and I were both curious about the NE Ridge after reading Dave's report so we decided to complete the traverse by looping back down to camp. The upper Northeast Ridge is absolutely spectacular; definitely the best part of the entire climb. Mostly solid white granite interspersed with strips of meadow, the angle and scrambling are moderate, and unlike the Southeast Ridge, the route stays directly on the spacious ridge.

Kristy descending from the summit area

Kristy heading down

Looking down the NE Ridge

Every time the route appears it might cliff out below, the terrain gives a way to work down nothing more than easy class 3 rock.

Kristy and white granite

Pinnacles

Kristy and Saul

Looking up the NE Ridge

We even had a little wildlife interlude:

Hawk

Hawk viewing

Lower the route becomes a bit choked with krummholz here and there, but still gives a route all the way to the bump in the middle of the ridge just north of the lake.

Working the ridge

We traversed below the bump in junky woods and meadows and passed on Airplane Pk as unappealing and anticlimatic after the fantastic terrain on Saul. From the east end of the bump we dropped directly down and decided to explore the peninsula and lakeshore. This is where we discovered the other campsite. The peninsula area was ablaze with green light in the afternoon sun.

Airplane Lake meadow

Peninsula meadows

Kristy investigating the lakeshore

Airplane Lake and peninsula

Just for fun we decided to traverse around the far side of the lake back to camp, mostly off-trail. We could have made it out and headed home this day, but decided to relax and walk out at a more leisurely pace in the morning, which dawned brilliant and warm.

Saul morning

We had almost no problem staying on the fisherman's trail on the descent, a little searching down low but were able to stay on it all the way. Pros and Cons of the two routes: Southeast Ridge Pros: better terrain at lower elevations--fine basin walk at mid elevations; no brush; more accessible from the first campsite Cons: more choss to cross at higher elevations; less direct Northeast Ridge Pros: better terrain at higher elevations--beautiful ridge walk up high; less choss; seems more direct; more accessible from the second campsite Cons: brush at lower elevations, and on the lower ridge (but not that much); a bit more route finding and scrambling thru the minor cliffs on the lower ridge If I had it to do over again, I'd make the same choices. The SE Ridge is easier to go up, but the NE Ridge is not to be missed--its upper reaches are truly spectacular. Thanks Kristy for driving and a great trip--need to get you out more often! 15 miles, 5400' gain Eric J. Johnson

[RichP]

The Indian Head High Route looks mighty appealing.

[Jetlag]

Stunning granite . . . and lots of it! Thanks for providing the specific details of approach. I've often looked across at Saul from the Glacier Peak area and wondered what the uplands around Saul were like.

[Magellan]

Gorgeous! Ditto on the HR.