[tNguyen]

Hard to tell which one was the summit from our position.

View of Storm King from below the ridge.

I climbed Goode on Labor Day weekend via SW ridge but could not climb Storm King due to running into some problems. It bugged me as time was running out. Another dilemma for me was I could not find a partner. Everyone I knew of seemed to have a legit reason not to try it again, at least not this year. Well, all that changed...I found a partner...Heck, I will do it! Thanks for this year unusual Oct weather. Smoke was still an issue, but I am a former smoker so I thought I would be ok with moderate level. I agreed to all the terms set by my partner, and one of those terms was to approach via Cascade Pass. We stopped by Marblemount Ranger station before it was open at 7am. There were three parties before us, but all of of them were going to Sahale. We had no competition at all. Ms. Ranger simply reminded us "We are short of staff so please be careful". We started at 8:35am. It took us 12 hrs. leisurely to reach Five Mile Camp. By all standards we were very slow. Plus, there was no reason to rush. The trail was well maintained. I was a little bored at first because of its familiarity. But it was more enjoyable when we started heading down the valley. I particularly enjoyed the water falls spot where we took a long break. We saw only one person taking a break at Cotton Wood Camp. I did not see he had a backpack. He probably was doing a day hike. Everything remained the same as five weeks ago except the small creek near camp was dry. Five weeks ago the water was still running strong. I checked out the toilet this time. It was fairly new, well built, and barely being used. Climbing Day We started at 5:30am. The route was straight forward. We summited at 1:00pm. We probably set a record of being the slowest party ever. I think the level of difficulty of Storm King at the summit block is similar to of Goode. In fact, I was more cautious traversing the north side of Storm King. But after that narrow and exposed spot, the rest was fairly easy, mostly class 3 and low 4 (subjectively). There was a rappel station at the summit. The slings were torn, but one was still ok. Maybe animals chewed them. We brought a 30m rope. It was a little short, but the final few feet were easy to climb down.

View of Goode NE Buttress

Approaching summit block

Interesting rock formation

[JeremyJ]

Nice job neighbor!

[tNguyen]

Thanks! Haven't had a chance to watch your video yet, but might be heading there this Sat if a partner pops up. My yard is overgrown-.