Forum Index > Trip Reports > Pelton Peak - May 25-26, 2018
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danlauren
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danlauren
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PostMon May 28, 2018 5:48 pm 
Finally climbed Pelton Peak, which has been on my radar for the last several years. Why Pelton? Because it is on the Olympia Mountaineers Scramble list, and I wanted to complete this list. Scott Rice joined me, and we had two days of good weather. Where is Pelton Peak? Here's our GPS route, to the SW of Olympus:
GPS Pelton Peak
GPS Pelton Peak
To approach this peak, we drove in from the west on a very good dirt/graded road to reach the edge of the park, then dove into the trees and brush! We dropped down 2,000' to Harlow Creek and followed the left side for a couple of miles, pretty good elk paths in here, but a lot of log hopping, then headed up through steep brush to the lake at 4,207' and set up a bivy camp.
Next morning we headed out for Pelton on snow with crampons, good conditions. A lot of traversing, a false start up the west ridge/face, we finally headed out and around the north face and made the steep snow climb to the summit.
Was about 20 miles of off trail hiking, with nearly 8,000' of gain, the last 2,000' having to come back out of Harlow creek to the car at the end of a long day, ugh! This was the final peak for me to complete the whole list of 48 peaks, and becoming the first person to do so!
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awilsondc
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awilsondc
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PostMon May 28, 2018 6:20 pm 
There are lots of lists, and lots of list completers. But to be the first to complete a particular list?! That's pretty dang cool if you ask me. Well done! up.gif up.gif

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RichP
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RichP
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PostMon May 28, 2018 8:54 pm 
I thought this would be the Pelton by Cascade Pass but there is another one in our state. That must be one of the most remote places in Wa. Cool list. I'll have to tick off a few here and there.

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RodF
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PostMon May 28, 2018 9:31 pm 
Congratulations! up.gif A very little-visited corner of the Park. Thanks for sharing!

"of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt" - John Muir "the wild is not the opposite of cultivated. It is the opposite of the captivated” - Vandana Shiva
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Ski
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PostMon May 28, 2018 11:12 pm 
Outstanding. up.gif Another member here years ago spoke of venturing up there. Not sure if he went all the way to the peak - he did go up to the larger of the two lakes. Just out of curiosity (since I'm not seeing numbers on the 7.5 topos), which lake did you stay at? #1, #2, or #3 ?
usgs 7.5
usgs 7.5
The 3000 line was open all the way up to Yahoo Lake? Any shots from the top looking down over the south side of the ridge or upstream toward the burn area?

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
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Stefan
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Stefan
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PostTue May 29, 2018 10:45 am 
That that is some real determination in there. My hats off to you. I am impressed with your gumption to take that road and then do the cross country stuff you did. Wow. Can I ask, why did you not take the Queets river trail and then go up east of Paradise Creek? Is the Queets river trail too faint at some point?

Art is an adventure.
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danlauren
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danlauren
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PostTue May 29, 2018 11:39 am 
Lake #3. Sad to say, but we tried this trip as a one day last year! We camped at the trailhead/end of road, and got an early start. Mileage and elevation would have been ok, but the brush.... See Peakbagger for the GPS route from last year (under Scott), we left the valley too early and climbed by lake #1 and lake #2 (which is the way I thought we should go). Heavy brush to and around those lakes, then steep cliffs above. We finally turned around early afternoon before we even got to lake #3. This time we took 2 days and bypassed those lakes (see Peakbagger for GPS). The road we took turns left from the road to Yahoo Lakes, but we didn't run into snow, so I assume Yahoo Lakes is open. Did not get a picture of the burn, but did see it down low.

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danlauren
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danlauren
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PostTue May 29, 2018 11:44 am 
I took a day last year to scout the roads and found this one that went to the edge of the park. I also scouted the Queets option. The Queets road is washed out a few miles before the river, and the trail is discontinued, last report was overgrown. We were unsure if the fire fighting might have improved it, but with the road washed out and river crossing and unknown trail, we decided this other route would get us closest.

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PostTue May 29, 2018 1:44 pm 
Stefan wrote:
"...why did you not take the Queets river trail and then go up east of Paradise Creek?"
^ Awfully steep and cliffy on the south side of that ridge. Easier approach is from the north side. (see nwhikers member javman's TR on Harlow Lake from several years back.) That said, nwhikers member Larry went pretty much straight up the south side of the ridge just opposite the mouth of Pelton Creek a few years ago and up to a tiny lake at the top of the ridge and over to the Valhallas, so it's do-able, but daunting.
danlauren wrote:
The Queets road is washed out a few miles before the river, and the trail is discontinued, last report was overgrown
Washout on lower road is at 7.0 miles just above Matheny Creek. Upper Road (according to news letter from ONP last week) is open to the campground. Reports on the upper half of the trail (between Tshletshy and Pelton) are a mixed bag of "couldn't find it" and "don't know where it is". Ernie didn't have any problem at all finding it, but (like me) has been hiking it for decades and knows where it is. Sam had a hell of a time trying to follow it last fall once he got above Harlow (see my last Queets TR.) Consensus seems to be that the fire played hell with what remained of the trail at the top end - might be easier to just ford somewhere above Bob and slog through the alder flats on the south bank up to Alta. (I haven't been that far up the trail myself since before the fire.) javman had a route plotted up to Pelton Peak (via the two lower lakes) on "Google Earth" images several years ago. Don't know what became of those plans. I entertained fantasies of going along but got tangled up doing something else. I have those images somewhere in another computer. As I recall it was pretty close to the way you guys went in. He ended up going up to the two lakes (that I numbered #1 and #2 above) and reported that it was quite challenging. I'm quite impressed with your venture - that's not easily travelled terrain up there even in ideal conditions. I've stood down below the peak on the south bank of the river and many times wondered what it would look like from up there. BK

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
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