by Tags These are all the tags used in my gallery. Have fun exploring. Near the TopThe final traverse to the summit of Mt. Adams.Looking at Sloan Peak from Mt. PughSloan Peak is shaped a bit like Mt. Pugh, actually. But, it's higher and more difficult to ascend. The Monte Cristo range is seen to the right of Sloan Peak.Summit BenchmarkThe USGS places benchmark markers on summits like these to catalog the heights, and provide a reference point. But, I think the real reason is to give the USGS employees an excuse to spend a day climbing to views like this. Can you blame them?Misery HillMisery Hill is a gentle slope rising from 13,400ft to 13,800ft. It's called this because many of the climbers are just feeling the effects of the altitude at this point, and enduring a bit of misery.Summit BlockFrom the top of Misery Hill, the climbers get the first good view of the actual summit block of Mt. Shasta. The route continues to the left of this formation.The SummitThe actual summit of the mountain is this pile of rock. From here, it's all downhill...Bull of the WoodsBull of the Woods is the name of this 5523ft mountain top, and the surrounding designated wilderness area. It's a large area with dozens of miles of trails to explore over nice cascade foothill terrain.Atop Ruth MountainRuth Mountain is a 7,115ft mound of rock and snow. Here a couple climbers settle in for an evening as a storm clears. The view from Ruth Mountain is stunning - with the dramatic cliffs of Mt. Shuksan just across the valley.Mt. ShuksanAt 9,131 feet in elevation, the dramatic glaciated peak of Mt. Shuksan looms large over the surrounding landscape.Final ApproachThe final climb of Snowking isn't technical. Just a short scramble to the top of this 7,433ft mountain, and one of the best views in the North Cascades.Snowking SummitThe difficult part of climbing Snowking is the approach - a grueling slog on an improvised "climber route" straight up through a thick forest. The summit is relatively mild - gentle snowy slopes up to a fun rocky cap.The SummitOne short pitch of somewhat challenging rock brought us to the summit of Mt. Olympus. Although the summit isn't objectively very high - at ~7,965ft - the mountain gets so much snow, and the approach starts at such a low elevation, that it poses many of the challenges of much higher mountains.Humphrey's Peak SummitThe view from the highest point in Arizona - Humphrey's Peak. You can see the summit signpost just poking out of the snowpack at the left of this image.Summit FinThe summit of Eldorado Mountain is like a shark fin of snow, only a few feet wide at the top.Final PitchNearing the very top of Eldorado in the North Cascades. If a climber slips off one side of this fin, the best thing might be to jump to the other side.View From the TopLooking north from the summit of Mt. St. Helens. Spirit Lake is in the foreground, Mt. Rainier in the distance.Summit SnowThe summit of Mt. Adams is an expansive glacial-volcanic landscape.On TopThere was a summit register on top of the mountain. Only a handful of people had signed it since it was placed 2001. Not everyone who climbs a mountain signs the register, still I would estimate that Mt. Steel only gets a half-dozen visitors a year.ClimberAs the sun rose, this small Douglass Squirrel paid me a visit, right on the very summit of the mountain.Mt. Townsend SummitIt takes a lot of climbing to reach the summit of Mt. Townsend, but the trail is good, and the alpine meadow summit is fantastic.Summit of DeceptionAt the top fo Mt. Deception in the Olympic Mountains. Thanks Loren for the guest photo.On the Slopes of DesolationLooking out from Desolation Peak toward Ross Lake and waves of North Cascades peaks beyond. Thanks Loren for the guest photo!Mt. Rainier Summit PushThis flat area at 12,400ft elevation on the top of Cathedral Ridge is the last bit of gentle terrain before the final push to the summit. A few years later, a group of us camped right here.Clark SummitAtop the summit of Clark Mountain in the North Cascades of Washington.High Camp on Mt. RainierWe camped on this bench at 12,400ft above Cathedral Ridge, and were able to get a later start to the summit.Summit Crater of Mt. RainierThe summit of Mt. Rainier leaves no doubt it's a volcano. Most routes reach the rim on the opposite side of the summit, then it's a short walk across the crater and short climb up to this point. 14,410ft.Trail RegisterThe Mazamas added this trail register box. Inside is a big weatherproof pipe that houses a notebook. You can jot down your thoughts, or just a quick record that you were there. It's interesting to read what others have written - tiny stories only available to those who make the effort.Mt. Hood SummitNearing the top of Mt. Hood on a quiet day at the end of April. The route heads over the "schrund" - the crevasse below the two climbers - then through the Pearly Gates to the top.Diamond Peak SummitI climbed high on Diamond Peak this trip, but came to realize there was no navigable route to the very top from this side.Elk Mountain SummitThis season I've been trying to hike up Kings or Elk mountain at least once a week for some exercise. The mountains are nearby, and the trails are short but steep. Here is a view from the top of Elk Mountain, looking southwest down the Wilson River drainage. Beyond the horizon here is the town of Tillamook and the Pacific Ocean.Mt. Rainier SummitWe didn't linger too long on top. In this extreme environment, the weather can quickly turn to white-out conditions, and we were in a hurry to begin our descent. We finally made it back down to Camp Muir around 2PM, and caught-up with some sleep.
