View of Copter and Snoqualmie Peaks from the Middle Fork valley
Copter Peak from near the summit of Snoqualmie Peak
Copter Peak from near Avalanche Peak
This is the route we used coming up and it's an easy trip
Google Earth view of the route down to the base of the climb
Bright colors of fall heather and blueberry
Traversing east below the summit ridge
A silver tree snag is the same color as these rocks. We went up left of them.
Jack descending the moderate slopes below the ridge
View back at Snoqualmie Peak summit area
First full view of Copter Peak, about one third of the way down the ridge (on right)
Copter Peak closer up. The notch at the base is obscured by the trees on the ridge.
A couple of heather gullies allow dropping down the final steep section to the pass
At Copter Peak pass. We still need to get on the other side of the big rock that Jack is standing on to be at the base of the rock climb.
Jack went over the top while Leland and I skirted around right on these heather slopes. I didn't like the big exposure to the right.
Leland traversing right and now about to head straight up to the grassy area above him.
Leland in the grassy corner. He belayed us from a spot beyond the dead white snag above him.
Jack belaying
After the second pitch I unclipped and scrambled up to the shoulder and looked up at the final 20' of rock to the summit. It looked really hard from this angle and I wondered if we'd make it.
Jack and Leland saying "no problem" about getting up the final 20' to the top. They were right -- it's a lot easier than it looks.
He discovers it's a ramp along the edge with good handholds too
Leland on Copter Peak. He said there was already a cairn, which is not suprising.
Climbing topo by Leland, made after the climb
View from Copter Peak into the Middle Fork valley. Garfield at left, Price in the middle, Big Snow and others to the right.
Leland and me on top
The cairn we found on top
From the summit we spotted a better route up. We went back up through the heather gullies, but then stayed on the talus to avoid the bushwhacking on the middle part of the ridge.
Jack being belayed down off the top
First rappel
Second rappel, all the way to notch
Coming up out of the heather gully
After reclimbing the heather gully from the pass we veered right and went up this talus drainage to avoid the bushwhacking on the ridge. We got back onto the ridge where the taller trees stop.
Colorful heather, Guye Peak, and the Snoqualmie Pass area
