[Gimpilator]

We hiked in to Marmot Lake on Saturday, hemmed-in under clouds. The brush was wet and so were our feet. We found an isolated camp spot and left our overnight gear there. Then we back-tracked to near the outlet of the lake and left the trail. We crossed over two short hills and then made an ascending traverse due north to the crest of the southeast ridge of Terrace Mountain. There's a goat trail along most of the ridge crest. When we came to the second highest terrace and followed that north to where it joins the other route on the northeast ridge.

Marmot

terraces on Terrace

Marmot below

Mountlake Terrace

nice slabs

north ridge

chimney above the notch

Terrace summit

This upper terrace has nice granite slabs. We scrambled up the northeast ridge, descended a class 3 chimney to a notch, and then traversed ledges around to exposed heather slopes on the upper north face. It was raining slightly and we were in a white-out. We couldn't find a register on the summit. From the summit of Terrace we followed the ridge south, hoping to traverse over to Shroud. The rocks were slightly wet from the misty rain and we couldn't see where to drop off the ridge in the white-out. Shroud was a no-go. We went back to camp for a leisurely evening.

Terrace above Marmot

Jade

glacier

mini crevasse

The next morning we started up towards Jade Lake. The brush was wet again and we soaked our feet and pants. Along the way, Redwic puked 3 times. WTF? It had to be food poisoning or the flu. He decided to stay at Jade Lake while Josh and I went for Dip Top and Lynch. Major bummer. We crossed talus and scree and came to the toe of the glacier. It was not steep, but there were some small crevasses and it was very icy and slick. We ascended the left side where plentiful rock made for good traction. We did not bring axes or crampons on this trip, but we did have micro-spikes. We didn't need those until the very top where less rock debris covered the surface of the glacier. At the col we took in the view of Pea Soup Lake and Daniel. Wow! Definitely one of the best sights in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.

Daniel

Pea Soup

slab ramps

Lynch

Hinman

Rainier and Bears Breast

Josh near Dip Top summit

Pea Soup outlet

narrow section

slab ramps

We scrambled up slabby ledges on the south side of the east ridge of Dip Top and then ended on the crest. There was a narrow section right before the summit. No register present. We could see a lot of smoke to the east and north. And there was Hinman! Lynch looked very intimidating with unavoidable cliffs 300 feet high . Thankfully I had a route photo from Matt's report and we were able to determine exactly where the ledge route starts. We descended back to the col and started up the ledge route. Josh suggested the route should be named Lynch-mob. The ledges were very exposed in places and I made a few moves over piles of loose rock that didn't inspire much confidence. Josh said he did some class 4 to bypass the loose sections, but I was able to avoid the 4th class by sticking to the loose sections.

unavoidable cliffs on Lynch

access gully to ramps

traverse above cliffs

heather slopes on south face of Lynch

looking good

Lynch summit

Truth be told, I was scared here. But the route went beautifully and we came out on the upper slopes where we were able to traverse steep heather above cliffs to reach the upper south face. Again, there was no register on the summit. The summit marked a milestone for me in 2,000,000 feet of vertical gain over my peakbagging career. Despite having no beta for it, we decided to descend the north ridge (I don't yet own the brown Beckey guide). It looked a lot more appealing than the way we came up. It was loose, but less exposed than the west ledges route. We followed it down to a saddle and then descended scree and slabs back to the glacier. There was some steep loose scree between the slabs and the glacier. Back at camp at 5pm, Craig was already packed up and rearing to go. He took off and we didn't see him until we got back to the car.

5 lakes and Lynch north peak

descending the north ridge

north ridge below

back at the glacier

loose crap

[AndyP]

Wow - colors in Pea Soup and Jade are stunning right now. Can't believe how bare Hinman is (well, I can, but...). Some really cool shots, love the perspective on this one.

[Josh Journey]

Hyas Lake

Terrace Mountain

Marmot Lake

Terrace Mountain North Ridge

Looking Down our Route

Deep Gully

Scrambling near the Summit

Gimpilator near the Top

Exploring the South Ridge

Down Climbing from the Summit

Heading up the Gully

Hiking with Lake Clarice

Marmot Lake in the Morning

Bouldery Trail

The Trail to Jade Lake

Morning Mist from the Woods

Mist over Jade Lake

Redwic with Jade Lake

Jade Lake Reflection

Heading Towards the Glacier

The Glacier

Terrace Mountain

Lynch Glacier Terminus

Mount Daniel with Pea Soup Lake

Walking the Terrace

Looking Back

Gimpilator with Mount Daniel

Bears Breast Mountain

Hinman's East Side

Looking Down Diptop

Summit Ridge of Diptop

Looking down on Peasoup Lake

Heading Down the Ridge

Scrambling Lynch

Gimpilator with the Glacier

Traversing with Mount Daniel

Mount Daniel from Lynch's Summit

Diptop Mountain

Marmot Lake, Noname, and Jade

East Ridge of Lynch

Down Climbing the North Ridge

Jumar Mountain with Baring

Looking Down the North Slope

Interesting Peak to the North

Looking Back up our Route

Shadows on the Ridge

Steep Tower Above

Jade Lake like a Gem

Mount Daniel from way Below

Hyas Lake

[olderthanIusedtobe]

Pea Soup Lake is looking amazing. I ascended that glacier above Jade Lake last year in mid July and wasn't sure if it really is a glacier. Turns out it is. Totally different condition than when I was on it.

[Distel32]

Ha! So close to meeting you guys; hope Redwic is better and looks like an exciting trip.

[Roly Poly]

Where are the other crew members, Anish and Michael Lewis?

[Josh Journey]

[MackAttack]

Nice report! I was one of the two girls you passed just below Marmot. Your views around diptop gap make me very jealous. All we saw were clouds and rain. Glad the weather didn't foil your trip.

[Gimpilator]

It was nice to meet you, even if briefly. Sorry the weather didn't cooperate for your trip. I recognize your avatar pic now too.

[Redwic]

Due to not feeling well, I slept more within 24 hours than I normally do within 48 hours. But although I was not feeling well during the day of Dip Top and Lynch, I still had fun. I got to visit Terrace Mountain, which has interested me for a while, and I got to visit Marmot, No Name, and Jade Lakes. Jade Lake is one of the prettiest-colored lakes in the ALW. Skipping out on the last two peaks gave me time to rest and recover a bit, socialize a little with local hikers and campers, and soak in the views.

[puzzlr]

Nice report and I'm looking forward to Josh's photos too. Are you guys all working on the Home Court?

[Gimpilator]

[Redwic]

Mike Collins and Fay Pullen have each completed the list, I believe.

[puzzlr]

Given up the Home Court for three reasons 1) Middle Index 2) Middle Index 3) Middle Index. And I'm topping out on peakbagger because 59 of the Middle Fork peaks are in the Home Court.

[Gimpilator]