[iron]

not many mountains in WA allow you to take a veritable trail all the way to the top of a mountain this tall with views like this. at EL 8128', it sits at no. 153 on the top 200 list. hollywood and i took off from the canyon creek trailhead under clear blue skies and a most perfect temperature. everything was uber straightforward the whole day. by the time we reached crater lake, ripe blueberries could be found practically anywhere you look. while some might not find the appearance of crater lake to their liking, i took particular delight in seeing it. random dead trees, live bushes, and other mountain debris were spread randomly throughout the lake. it felt like a helpless little lake that was set in a grand cirque surrounding, and for some odd reason, reminded me of my dad who enjoyed seeing tiny, old towns along the road on our bike trip across the country two years ago.

views emerge and hollywood soaks them in

crater lake

sitting while hollywood gets water

hwy 20 and the smokey valley

the lake is the last source of water on the south side of crater. we followed the very obvious trail southwest from the lake and eventually found ourselves on another series of switchbacks following up the ridge. the grade was quite gentle, though stats say it's close to 900'/mile. views of the north cascades and pickets emerged with each step. wonderful.

on the broad ridge with the summit in view

ruby fire

soon we were at the base of the summit block where large yellow painted arrows and circles with 'X' in the middle guided us most of the remainder of the trip. it was mostly 2nd class, with an occasional 3rd class move tossed in there for fun. a series of ramps takes you up most of the way along with a tiny gully or two.

heading up the class 2/3 rock

X marks the spot

spying the route

walking along one of many ramps

hollywood and ridge

bright yellow plants

the summit was large and flat and sprinkled with glass and debris from the former lookout. peering north, we saw jerry lakes, which looked blissfully clear and inviting, along with the large lake that's formed at the foot of jerry glacier. that lake is easily the most stunning sight i've yet to see in nature. it's brightness didn't even seem possible - like someone was lighting it from beneath.

jerry glacier lake!

crater col and jerry glacier lake

hozemen and jerry lakes

jerry lakes

bright orange lichen

after an hour or so on the summit, and talking with a couple and their 18 month old, we sadly headed down. walking downhill is still quite challenging for my atrophied muscles and knees that haven't seen much compression for the past ten weeks, so i was certainly happy to see the car.

downclimbing

heading down

i'm sure hollywood will post some of his pics and topo route. his gps said: 14.5 miles 6350'

[Tom]

Holy cow. We all figured you'd recover quick but it's pretty impressive that you're climbing Crater a mere 9 weeks after leaving the hospital?!?

[b00]

iron broke his femur 9 weeks ago. his recovery must be historic. the day prior to this trip he did a 120 mile bike ride. i of course boosted his ego as he effortlessly ascended the 6300' of elevation gain while i pretended to be all sweaty and winded. i am sure he never suspected that i was just acting. he on the other hand, was never out of breath. i had heard the scramble route was a little difficult. after doing the route, all i can say is we were followed up to the summit by a young couple with a one year old baby in a backup! 5:00 trailhead to summit (iron had to go slow for my sake) 1:09 summit 4:07 summit to trailhead (iron had to go slow for safety sake) 14.43mi 6349' gain thanks for another great trip!

gang on the summit of crater mt

iron on the summit of crater mt posing in front of a lake that used to be part of the jerry glacier

most of the scramble portion up crater mt was easy class 2 like this

a nearby fire caused a haze for our hike up crater mt

this high step was the hardest "move" on the scramble. notice the spray painted rocks marking the route. obviously routefinding was difficult :>)

crater_mt_summit

[RichP]

Dang! You really are iron!

[seawallrunner]

wow guys, well done. sorry to see all the smoke from the fires. sure is a lot of haze in the air these days. my thoughts to the communities near the fires.

[goats gone wild]

Great job, iron. Very happy to see you feeling well enough to tackle such an outing.

[EastKing]

Great to see you back, Iron!! Excellent TR and Photos!!

[Dayhike Mike]

[Magellan]

What I wanna know is why your atrophied muscles work better than my regular muscles? Never mind, don't answer. Great trip guys!

[Sultan Guy]

Wow, cool color contrast between the lake and the stark surroundings.

[Layback]

Nice job guys. "Iron" pretty much sums it up. Love the "M".

[cartman]

Crater is a cool peak, but nine weeks after having a plate inserted into your femur is crazy healing factor. Well done!