[Redwic]

Nearly four years ago, Greg Slayden, Adam Walker ("Gimpilator"), Adam Helman, and I climbed Big Horn together in the Goat Rocks area. During that same day, Greg, Gimpilator, and I also tried to reach Gilbert Peak (a.k.a. Mount Curtis Gilbert), the highpoint of Goat Rocks, via a ridge traverse. Although it was possible to do, we timed-out due to Big Horn taking up much of the day and because Greg & I each had to work the next morning. As a "thank you" for Greg inviting me on the Big Horn trip, I had promised to return to Gilbert Peak with at a later time. I do not think either of us guessed that would be four years later but we each have very busy schedules. Ken Russell gets credit for organizing this trip together. Him and a buddy of his (Ken O.) decided they preferred to make this an overnight camping trip. Considering the roundtrip 23-25 miles w/ 4500'-5000' cumulative gain, doing this trip as an overnighter is probably the smartest decision for most people. However, Greg and I (especially) are no strangers to long one-day jaunts in wilderness, and we were not able to do a full weekend trip due to other commitments. In fact, the only other time we did a summit trip together as just the two of us was a one-day, roundtrip 17-mile w/ nearly 6000' cumulative gain trip for Big Chiwaukum three years ago. We knew Gilbert Peak would require similar stamina and determination. Greg and I each slept in our cars at the trailhead, got up shortly after 4:00 AM, and were hiking shortly after 4:30 AM. The first 2.5 miles or so was relatively mellow, passing through valley meadows and sparse forests. Eventually, we reached the upper loop junction where the trail steepened, and later a cairned trail junction where the trail steepened even moreso leading up to a saddle.

Many campers & equestrians

First view of Goat Rocks

Looking up at Klickton Divide

From the saddle, we left the official trail and followed a bootpath which was soon covered over by snowpack. We used our GPS devices and sense of direction to reach Warm Lake, a tiny alpine lake that was still frozen over. We never saw any campsites setup and we began to wonder if the two Kens even did the trip the previous day as expected. From the lake, we had a great view of our ascent approach up Klickton Divide. Soon after passing the lake we could see recent bootprints in the snow leading up the ridge, which we figured were from the two Kens.

(Not-so-) Warm Lake

Gilbert Massif from Warm Lake

Steep snow ascent to ridge

Once atop Klickton Divide, we followed the ridgeline NNW towards Gilbert Peak. The ridge traverse required some snow travel, some dusty rock travel, some Class 2+ scrambling, and occasional snow-moat travel. Along the way, Greg accidentally stumbled upon a geocache; we both shook our heads in disbelief. This ridge traverse continued for approximately 1.5-2 miles, until we reached the summit hill. The final 400' was the most fun in relation to mountaineering skills; we had to do some steep snow climbing and exposed scrambling along the final ascent. Just beyond one of the upper steep snowfields we encountered the two Kens heading down from the summit.

Heading north along ridge

Gilbert Peak in full view

Soaking in the views

After only a few minutes of chatting, our two teams went our separate ways. Greg and I continued traversing and scrambling up to the summit. We each had a great feeling of accomplishment and really enjoyed the 360-degree views of a very interesting region. We were finally atop Gilbert Peak, the highest point of the Goat Rocks area and second-highest peak of Yakima County. This was my 100th Washington peak with at least 2000' of clean prominence, and Greg's 80th. We only stayed at the summit for 20 minutes or so before heading down. The midday heat was becoming more intense and we knew that would only add to the grind of the long descent. During our return, we took a more direct way down from the summit pyramid; the snow conditions were mostly perfect for plunge-stepping (although there were a few iced-over areas).

The two Kens of Gilbert

Scrambling near summit

Benchmark

Satisfied summit team

Summit w/ Saint Helens in back

Lakeview, Adams

Greg at summit

Rainier, Tieton

Me at summit

Looking north from summit

Looking west from summit

On the high perch

We eventually encountered the two Kens further south on the ridgeline, where the four of us took a well-deserved water break. Shortly thereafter, our two teams took different paths and never encountered each other again on the trip. Greg and I avoided the last major hill by taking a more direct plunge-step descent from Klickton Divide to Warm Lake, while the two Kens continued along the ridgetop further along the original approach. Soon after descending slopes below Warm Lake, we found a snow-fed stream with some of the coldest water I had drank in quite a long time; it was very refreshing and we wasted no time filling our water containers. We continued on the slog, eventually finding sections of a bootpath that we missed during our ascent. We reached the saddle with an official trail, where we took a short break before continuing the descent. Although we were now mostly protected by surrounding trees and forests from direct sun, the heat was amazingly intense for early June. In my opinion, the intensifying heat was the worst part of the entire day. The combination of the heat and long hiking day made the trail seem even longer than it had on the ascent. Once on the main trail, we encountered a solo hiker and later a group of four people; we were amazed how few people were seen hiking in this area with so many vehicles near the trailhead. The final 2.5 miles in the valley meadows was a real grind, mostly exposed to the hottest time of the day. We each persevered and were soon back at our cars. We were both very proud of what we had accomplished in that single day. The ride home was uneventful and, although I cannot speak for Greg, I slept very well that night. A long day in intense heat will do that to a person.

[Paul M]

Nice job Craig with the long daytrip and congrats on 100 Wash P2Ks! I know what you mean about hiking in the long hot sun. Thank goodness for early starts!

[wildernessed]

Good one we camped at Warm Lake last year and came in that way. Nice route / scramble.

[Bryan K]

Hell yeah guys!!! What a killer trip!!!

[wildernessed]

Gilbert is interesting in that it was much like Adams at over 10,000' and erupted blowing 2,000' of it off the top.

[dundeel]

Good job on doing the trip in one day. The Kens were pretty much wiped out after our two day trip. That heat was hard to handle. I was drinking lots of water but nothing was coming out the other end. We glissaded part of the way down from the ridge.