[Matt]

Dates: September 24-27, 2016 Peaks: Haystack 7303, Pasayten 7850, Buckskin 7815, Devils Backbone 7056, Jim 7062, Tamarack 7290, Windy Buffalo 6980, Slate 7440 (USGS Slate Peak & Pasayten Peak) Party: Matt, Dicey (Carla) Summary Three ridges formed the skeleton of our trip, starting from a base point at Slate Peak: Gold Ridge took us north over Haystack Mtn and Pasayten Peak to a camp at Lake 6945. Buckskin Ridge ran from Silver Pass further north out toward Buckskin Point. Tamarack Ridge took us south from Jim Peak across Tamarack and Windy Buffalo peaks. (Tamarack Ridge isn't an official name, but seemed fitting since it's centered on Tamarack Peak and abundantly decorated with its namesake trees.) Our pace was governed by weather, occasionally paused or slowed by rain and clouds, then speeding up in sunshine. Our course was governed by larches, veering off and on the main route to wherever we could see golden autumn treasure filling the basins and topping the ridges. The planned itinerary would have fit nicely into 4 days: Day 1: From Slate Peak, follow Gold Ridge over Pasayten Peak and camp at Lake 6945. Day 2: Make a side trip to Buckskin Ridge & Buckskin Point. Day 3: Cross the West Fork Methow and go up Devils Backbone. Day 4: Follow Tamarack Ridge over several summits back to Slate Peak. But the weather changed that.

Pasayten-Buckskin-Tamarack GPS Track (low detail)

Pasayten-Buckskin-Tamarack GPS Track (high detail). Yellow lines are travel with packs, red lines are side trips.

Day 1: Slate Peak to Haystack Mtn to Pasayten Peak to Lake 6945

Day 1 Elevation Profile, 2600 feet of elevation gain for a 200 foot net loss

Highlights of Day 1:

• Frosty trees and very colorful meadows at the start
• Slippery wet black lichen on Pasayten Peak
• A beautiful unmapped tarn & larch basin west of Pasayten Peak
• A larger beautiful larch basin under cloudy skies at Lake 6945

Slate Peak to Haystack Mtn (10:30am – 11:30am) Our trip started from Slate Peak, whose distinctive shaved-off summit and lookout tower would remain a landmark anchor throughout the trip, retreating far away as we progressed northward and then approaching closer again as we returned southward. From the Slate Peak gate, we took the West Fork Pasayten trail a short distance onto Slate's northeast ridge, and then followed the ridge north to Haystack Mtn. Last night's freeze had left a thin coat of frost on the trees, but it melted fast as the day progressed.

A bit of frost at the start

The bright meadow east of Slate Peak

Beautiful colors in the meadows

Looking back at Slate Peak from the Haystack

Haystack Mtn to Pasayten Peak (11:30am – 3:00pm) After Haystack, it was a more up-and-down ridge run to Pasayten, going over five intermediate points, ranging from easy ridge running to a bit of rocky side-hilling, mostly with some bits of boot track. Mostly it just took a while to get to south end of Pasayten Peak. But along the way, each basin provided happy views of larch basins below our ridge and across the valley on Tamarack Ridge.

Further along the ridge, looking back at Haystack & Slate

The final three points on the way to Pasayten (with Buckskin off to the right)

Passing above Silver Lake

Looking back along some of the points we walked over

At the south end of Pasayten, we made a discovery – there was a pretty unmarked tarn and larch basin below the west face of the peak. We also faced a decision – should we try to carry over Pasayten Peak? Pasayten's south ridge looked okay, but its north ridge was steeper and coated in black lichen. So far, every lichen-covered rock had been like a sponge – soaking wet and very slippery even though the lighter rock was dry. I guess that water-holding quality on steep rock is good for lichen survival, but not good for hiker survival. So, we decided to leave our packs at the col, make a quick run up and down Pasayten's south ridge, and then drop down to traverse around its west side. Even without packs, the south ridge had big blocky steps, so we were glad not to have carried over it.

Looking up Pasayten's south ridge

Blocky rocks

Near Pasayten's summit, with most of the rest of our loop in view

The view ahead to Lake 6945, out destination for tonight

The view ahead to Silver Pass & Buckskin Ridge, out destination for tomorrow

One final note – there was poop everywhere along this route. Not big piles, but just many petit little deposits. Here's a sweet little heart-shaped one:

Poop Heart

Pasayten Peak to Lake 6945 (3:15-6:45pm) Going around Pasayten's west side was our best decision of the day, because the larch basin on that side ended up being a wonderful place to travel through! From the col south of Pasayten, we dropped into the basin west of the peak, finding some soft dirt paths that made good plunge-stepping downward. Our only mistake is that we wasted time trying save elevation and traverse too soon. After annoying side-hilling on rocks, we looked at the soft almost-flat meadows a couple hundred feet lower, and dropped down to the meadows circa 6850 feet. That made a 500-foot drop, but it was well worth it, providing travel both easy and beautiful. Our only regret was that we'd delayed just long enough for the sun to fall behind the rock wall above and drop the meadow into shadow.

The tarn west of Pasayten

a closer view, but with shadows outracing us to the edge of the tarn

Descending west of Pasayten

The kind of terrain we came here for

Hiking across the edge of the woods

Larches below the wall

Crossing to the north edge of the basin – we'll follow the line of trees in upper center up to the crest

Meadows provided easy walking northward just below the rocks, and then we followed the heathery verge of a line of trees upward between talus fields back up to the 7300-foot saddle north of Pasayten. There was a brief bit of brush to avoid a rock band, but the bypass west of Pasayten was all second class terrain. At the crest we angled down to Lake 6945. The top 80 feet was a bit steep and loose, but then it transitioned to easier talus and then meadows. The lake itself stood between steep bare talus walls on the west and wide meadow larch forest on the east.

Descending from the saddle

Approaching Lake 6945

We found fine soft campsites under tall larches a few hundred feet back from the lake. Cloudy skies reigned overhead tonight, but we looked forward to seeing the basin lit up in sunshine tomorrow. Day 1 stats: 7.2 miles, 2630 gain, 2820 loss, 8:15 hours

[Matt]

Day 2: Rain Delay and Gold Point Day 2 Highlights: Rain! Clouds! Sunshine! Ptarmigans!

Cloudy Lake 6945

Sunny Lake 6945

Rain at Lake 6945 The forecast for today was mostly sunny. Around midnight, I sleepily thought maybe I heard soft drizzle hitting the tent. Then around 1am I awoke to the louder melody of more serious raindrops drumming on the tent. The rain moderated back to a soft drizzle, but continued all morning. The good news: my Copper Spur 2 tent works well in the rain. The wide curve of its fly keeps water off the body, and its two wide vestibules provide plenty of spare room for gear, or even for cooking if you open the downwind half of the vestibule door.

The view from inside the tent

Lunchtime

Camping in the drizzle

The bad news: The clouds were thin but low enough to cover all the crests, and our goal was to enjoy the views, not just tag wet summits. So we decided to truncate our trip and visit Buckskin Ridge tomorrow, return via the Buckskin Ridge trail, and leave Tamarack Ridge for another visit in some future larch season. For today, we'd wait out the weather, and visit nearby Gold Point if the afternoon cleared up. Around noon, the rain had declined to an occasional drizzle, and a steady breeze dried the ground cover quickly, so we wandered around exploring the basin. Even under overcast, the meadows were a visual potpourri of shapes and colors – trees of all sizes, and interesting mixes of orange and red and white grasses.

Small tarn downhill from our camp

A bit of cloud still on Pasayten Peak

Gardens of little trees

Wandering up above the lake

Green going gold

Needles

Colors in the grass

Carla waiting for the weather

A nursery for tiny trees

Sunshine at Lake 6945 Around 3pm, the clouds broke up. Look, shadows on the meadow. Look, blue skies behind the gold trees. Look, the lake turning to a bright opal. I took the opportunity for a swim in the lake, but only briefly between cloud shadows and wind gusts.

The view from our tent as sunlight finally touches the lake

Tall larches in the sun

Campsite in the sun

The lake lights up

Pasayten Peak finally in sunlight

A swim in Lake 6945

Gold Point 7605 With skies continuing to clear, we hiked up to the 7605-foot high point on Gold Ridge north of the lake, where we found a Fay Pullen register form 2012.

A wall of larches in front of Rolo Peak and Wildcat Ridge

The rather brief summit register

Me on Gold Point

The view back down to Lake 6945

A view up the West Fork Methow to Slate Peak & Tamarack Ridge. Peaks on the horizon are The Needles, Tower, Golden Horn, Azurite, & Ballard

A wider pan from Buckskin Ridge eastward to Tamarack ridge westward

The Ptarmigans of Lake 6945 Carla had ascended to Gold Point on a line farther east than I had, near wide shallow dried up tarn. She told me that she saw a whole group of Ptarmigans along the way, so I descended farther over to see if I'd find them. No luck, but then I paused to try a photo of the last light on some trees, heard clucking noises, and realized that five ptarmigans were walking across the rocks right in front of me. As much as the larches, the ptarmigans evoked the changing season of the year, their colors mottled from mostly summer brown to almost winter white.

Ptarmigans in the meadow

Feathered legs

Ptarmigans sharing my view of Pasayten Peak

Changing of the seasons

Gold Point Round Trip: 1.2 miles, 660 gain & loss.

[Matt]

Day 3: Buckskin Ridge & Devils Backbone Day 3 Highlights: The Golden Road! Going to Buckskin Ridge for the day. No, going to Devils Backbone by nightfall. A surprise in the night sky!

Day 3 Map & Elevation Profile

Buckskin Ridge via Golden Road & Silver Pass (7:40am – 12:00pm) Our plan was to cross Silver Pass to the 7815-foot high point of Buckskin Ridge, then continue north on the ridge to another prominence point at 7606, and maybe even Buckskin Point 7361 at the far end.

Early morning light on Buckskin Ridge

The Golden Road Between Lake 6945 and Silver pass we discovered one of the outstanding treats of this trip, a pathway among the larches and meadows that felt like a gift just to walk along. I called it the Golden Road - a broad lane curving down between the trees like a road designed by some heavenly architect of nature - sweeping downhill in wide curves, paved with soft meadows of red and green, lined with rows of bright golden larches, and surrounded by high peaks.

Starting down the Golden Road

More Golden Road

Lower on the Golden Road

Final section down to Silver Pass

Silver Pass itself was a wide saddle covered with a mix of firs and larches. We found a way trail along the pass crest, intersecting the Buckskin Ridge trail that crosses the pass. At the far end, we ascended the southwest corner of Buckskin, staying a bit right of the crest so we could hike mostly in meadows instead of brushy trees.

Hiking across Silver Pass, still mostly in shadow

Silver pass (photographed later in the day), Buckskin summit is at upper left

Colorful meadows going up Buckskin

Looking back across Silver Pass to the Lake 6945 basin

Higher up, we crossed Point 7632 and turned north toward the summit. As with all the ridges in this area, the basins on the east side featured bright lines of larches sketched across talus and meadows.

Carla crossing between Point 7632 and the summit

Bright basin eastward, looking out toward the Rolo-Osceola saddle

Me approaching Buckskin summit

Now our plan changed again. It was a beautiful sunny day. On ridges around us, we could see basins full of larches. North of us on Buckskin were two more possible high points to visit, but it was all barren rock on the crest and would take all day to finish, without time tomorrow for anything except hiking back down the valley. On the other hand, if we pushed our pace, we could probably still make the big drop and gain over to Tamarack Ridge, and spend all day tomorrow hiking through larches. We chose the beauty of fall color over the glory of more summits. But now we had to cross two valleys before daylight ran out, down and up to Gold Ridge, then down and up to Devils Backbone. Here on Buckskin, we continued to the fiercely windy summit, signed the register as quickly as we could without it blowing away, dropped down for a bite of food, then headed back to our camp.

Buckskin Ridge running north toward Buckskin Point

Buckskin summit register

Carla having a snack in the wind

The Golden Road was just as delightful going up as down. Even with time short for our ambitious change of plans, I had to stop repeatedly just to admire it.

Carla at the base of the Golden Road

White rock shoulder at the base of the road

Going up

Higher up

Looking back down

Red carpet

Curving farther upward

Tall larches and blue skies back at camp

Larches thru the tent roof reflected in Carla's glasses

Buckskin Ridge Round Trip: 4.4 miles, 2090 gain & loss. Lake 6945 Camp to West Fork Methow to Devils Backbone Camp (12:40-6:20pm) We packed up quickly, but now we still had a lot of ground to cover. We still had to ascend 400 feet back to Gold Ridge's crest, drop 2500 feet down to the West Fork Methow, hike north a couple miles, and ascend 1300 feet back up Devils Backbone. That should all be doable, but we didn't know what kind of terrain we might find along the way. We chose a route back down the basin west of Pasayten Peak, because we had already seen the top part of it, and the map contours looked good the rest of the way.

Pasayten Peak exit route

First we hiked back up and down over the ridge where we'd crossed north of Pasayten Peak before. We considered going a bit further south to visit the larches and tarn, but were concerned about time, so we missed it again. Instead we just continued straight down the middle of the bowl, which had a surprisingly helpful series of meadowy openings in the woods. Farther down it became solid forest with occasional brush or downed trees, but still open enough for us to make steady progress. At the very bottom, we made one error and veered into one of the flat swampy areas just before finding the trail, just upstream from Lid Kay Camp. I sunk one foot into a mud hole, but at least I had dry socks to change into.

Going back up to the crest on Gold Ridge

Farther up above Lake 6945

The basin we went down on the west side

Descending through meadows and forests

The West Fork Pasayten trail was an easy wide horse path. Good, since we needed to move three miles north to reach the lower end of Devils Backbone. Lots of mushrooms along the trail, in all kinds of sizes, shapes, and colors.

Chocolate mushroom? Don't think I'll taste it find out.

Thanks to beta from Cartman, we knew there were campsites on Devils Backbone near the PCT, and water available a half miles farther north at Shaw Creek. This would put us in good position to run the whole ridge from Jim Peak to Slate Peak tomorrow. We left the trail at 4850 feet and cut straight westward toward the lower crest of the Backbone. At 5000 feet, we found an unmapped trail going up the ridge. It was an oddly inconsistent trail – sometimes an obviously constructed trail with a wide bed and cut logs; other times disappearing in mossy slabs and brush. Where the trail disappeared, we followed the obvious narrowing crest of the backbone. (I think maybe the trail ran more off to the side for a while.) Higher up, where the backbone became a rocky spine, there was a more obvious track again. In the last waning light, we found several campsites, including a very comfy large site at 6120 feet.

Going up the spine of Devils Backbone

Devils Backbone Camp, photographed the next morning

Lake 6945 Camp to Devils Backbone Camp: 7.2 miles, 1640 gain, 2490 loss Evening at Devils Backbone Camp The first order of business was water. Tomorrow's route would be mostly on the ridge crest, with no guarantee of any water along the way, so we needed enough for overnight plus all day tomorrow. From our camp, we could actually see the PCT running across a basin below us, but, since it's the PCT, of course it didn't go down directly. No instead, I had to hike up to the trail, then make long switchbacks downward, requiring 3/4 of a mile to descend 300 feet. In the basin, I found a small stream running fresh from the rock fields above, so I didn't have to hike farther to Shaw Creek. On my return, I cut the distance in half by just going directly up from one of the switchbacks where it ran only a hundred feet below the crest. Round Trip for Water: 1.1 miles, 320 gain & loss

PCT making pretty but excessively long switchbacks downward

More than enough water

Overhead, the sky had taken an ominous turn. Clouds were thickening north of us, in billowing undulous waves that threatened more rain. The forecast had predicted only a weak push of marine air that would clear up again tomorrow, but would it? After dark, I walked out onto the open crest for a photo of the clouds scudding across the northern sky. My eyes saw only dark clouds occluding bright stars in a black sky, but the camera saw something more – intense shades of green and red low in the sky. Wow.

Ominous clouds, 6:35pm

Colors in the northern sky, 8:45pm

Day 3 Total: 12.7 miles, 4050 gain, 4900 loss

[Matt]

Day 4: Jim, Tamarack, Windy Buffalo, & Slate Peaks Day 4 Highlights: Meadows! Larches! Meadows & larches together! Beautiful trail hiking Beautiful ridge hiking! Cloudy morning light! Bright midday light! Warm afternoon light! Meadow-harvesting marmots! Jaw-dropping, stop-you-in-your tracks intense colors! Seriously, some places were so fine that we literally end up standing still and gazing wide-eyed at the stunning scenes, overwhelmed by the beauty surrounding us.

Day 4 GPS Track

Day 4 Elevation Profile

Devils Backbone to Jim Peak First up for today were three closely grouped high points almost identical in elevation, the top of Devils Backbone at 7056 feet, the named summit of Jim Peak at 7033 feet, and the true summit sometimes called "Tall Jim," towering higher at 7062 feet. We hiked the PCT southward till we reached wide meadows at 6300 feet about a third of a mile before Jim Pass. There we dropped our packs for a side trip to the high points. It was wide grassy meadows uphill to the Devils Backbone high point. As we ascended views were gradually clearing, but still cloudy on crest southward. Through the thinning clouds, however, we could see increasingly enticing views of larches stretching across Tamarack peak.

Meadows going up toward Devils Backbone "summit"

Tamarack Peak through thinning clouds

Looking back to cloud-shadowed Jim Pass

Devils Backbone summit had a cairn but no register, and revealed a pretty tarn down below at the head of Shaw Creek.

Devils Backbone summit, looking across to Jim & Tall Jim

Tarn at the head of Shaw Creek

Looking down the spine of the backbone (our camp was on the bulge in the middle)

panoramic view northward from Devils Backbone 7033

We curved back along the crest a quarter mile to the flat top of Jim Peak and then another quarter mile north to Tall Jim. Through thinning clouds southward, we could see increasingly enticing views of larch-capped ribs on larches on Tamarack Peak. Tall Jim had a briefly steeper scramble below its summit, and a taller cairn on top. Down below, Shaw Creek formed an oddly cleared line through the forest; maybe avalanches run that straight down it. The clouds continued clearing, and morning light limned larch-topped ridges in a bright gold edge above the shadowy valleys, outlining the terrain all the way south to Slate Peak.

Carla waiting for me between the Jims, while clouds thin around Tamarack farther onward

Tall summit cairn on Tall Jim

Longer view of Devils Backbone and the West Fork Methow running north

Another view of the Shaw Creek tarn

Gold-edged ridges all the way to Slate Peak

Jim Peak to Tamarack Peak (11:00am – 2:45pm) Back at our packs, we hiked the PCT south through Jim Pass and Foggy Pass, which happily was not foggy any more. The trail became increasingly colorful as we proceeded.

Hiking toward Jim Pass

Colors on the back side of Point 6565

Me on the trail

The marmots were also gathering the tasty autumn meadow grasses.

Why is there one clump of grass in the middle of this rock field?

Now it has eyes?

Snack on the move.

Food safely stored inside, hanging out by the den entrance with your brother or sister

With growing anticipation we approached Tamarack's northeast basin, where even a distance we could see the PCT making heavenly switchbacks upward through ranks of larches. This prettiest part of the trip made it also the slowest pace. Sometimes the meadows were so fine that the beauty of it literally stopped us in our tracks to just stand there and admire it, taking a few extra moments just to absorb how wonderful it was.

Entering the wonderful basin

Backlit colors above us

Hiking up the switchbacks

Among the larches

Stopped by the beauty

Looking back down the switchbacks and north to Jim Peak

Some bigger larches nearing the saddle

Line of larches on the crest between basins

The trail led up to the 6750-foot saddle connecting Tamarack to Point 6940. There we mistakenly followed a track up the rib toward Tamarack, but then realized this would put us on steep rock at the wrong end of the summit. So instead we followed the PCT's long switchbacks down into the east basin, near what looked like a good campsite. The trail into the east basin had some of the brightest colors of the day.

Especially intense colors coming into Tamarack's east basin

Further into the basin, aiming for the rib that angles up leftward from the center

I aimed to go up a rib that angled through the center of the basin. Carla decided to remain on the trail traversing to Windy Pass, because her feet were hurting a lot from plantar fasciitis, and she had previously been at Tamarack's summit on a ski trip from the Barron yurt. The rib took me up to 6850 feet, and then I made a steep scree traverse to intersect Tamarack's easy southeast ridge at 7000 feet.

Scattered larches higher on the rib

Color coming off the top end of the rib

Traversing scree up to the ridge crest.

I dropped my pack on the ridge crest, and walked up easy meadows to the summit. It provided a fine view of our entire loop trip running ridges up and down both sides of the West Fork Methow valley. Since Carla would be waiting below, I paused for less time than this spot probably deserved, but there were also still several more miles of fine ridges and basins beckoning out ahead.

Looking north to Jim Peak and Devils Backbone

Looking east to Pasayten Peak (and Buckskin Ridge at upper left)

Looking south to Windy Buffalo and Slate Peak

selfie taken too quickly on Tamarack

Panoramic view of our trip from Tamarack's summit, from Jim Peak at left to Gold Ridge in the center to Slate Peak at right.

Tamarack to Windy Buffalo (2:45-4:15pm) Tamarack's southeast ridge was easy meadows and occasional larches down to Buffalo Pass, the same route that Carla had skied during her winter trip. Approaching the pass, I was a bit concerned because I didn't see her anywhere, but then there she was reclining against her pack in the warm sun.

Pretty basins west of Windy Pass

Dropping down meadows to Windy Pass

I'm always a sucker for big gnarled larches

Carla awaiting me at Windy Pass

"Windy Buffalo" is a somewhat silly name for the 6980-foot peak between Windy Pass and Buffalo Pass. Its north ridge was another delightful crest of meadowy paths among larches.

Carla hiking up the lower nose of Windy Buffalo, with Methow valley behind

Delightful hiking upward

My shadow looking across to Gold Ridge & Pasayten Peak

Carla hiking up toward Windy Buffalo's summit, with Slate visible in the distance

This tree looked like it had a red fire around its base

Looking west at the Barron Mine workings

Windy Buffalo to Slate Peak (4:15-6:25pm) We departing Windy Buffalo by dropping down easy meadows to Buffalo Pass, then got back on the PCT for softer travel toward Slate Peak. It seemed like every few minutes we met more through-hikers heading north, mostly looking very happy to be nearing the end of their long journey in good weather.

Dropping down to Buffalo Pass

Sunlight and shadows streaming sideways across the meadows as we round another corner (you can see the PCT traversing through the dirt patch in the center of this photo)

Beautiful traversing southward

A last break in the meadows

About half a mile before Slate Peak, where the PCT runs closest to the ridge crest, we made a short steep scramble back up onto the crest for our finish. (We could have also stayed on the PCT another mile, where it runs near the highway a bit below the parking lot.) Then the ridge made an easy run up to Slate Peak, finally arriving back at the lookout that had been hovering in sight near or far throughout the trip.

Shadows of Tamarack Ridge stretching across to Gold Ridge

The last section up to Slate Peak

End of the day on Slate Peak

Back where we started, at the trailhead that lead us to Haystack

Day 4 Total: 11.8 miles, 4370 gain, 3330 loss, 9:30 hours Cumulative Trip Total: 32.9 miles, 11710 gain

[Backpacker Joe]

Thanks to Matt and Miss. Dicey for yet another great adventure. Looking forward to reading it.

[Sculpin]

[Pyrites]

Ptarmigan and Pasayten Peak. Yummy photo.

[olderthanIusedtobe]

Great ptarmigan pictures from day 2. Some of them seem to be predicting earlier snowfall than the others.

[Backpacker Joe]

HEY, somebody carries a McHale pack there. Nice.

[D. Inscho]

Fine cross-country travel Matt, and lovely camera documentation.

[Matt]

I finally finished this report and added Day 4 above.

[RichP]

Awesome trip. Love those long, ambling ridgelines the Pasayten is famous for.

[PorcupinePhobia]

So, so so good

[D. Inscho]

Thanks for the installment Matt; the larchy photos warmed my little house-bound heart. Your TR was worth a complete re-read.

[KarlK]

First rate; I so love the Pasayten. So much wild stuff there.