The weather predictions were for a clearing trend that would last through the weekend, at last summer arrived. Since going into the East Fork of Buttermilk Creek last year to climb Bigelow Peak, I wanted to return and climb Hoodoo and Raven Peaks. The holiday fell on a Sunday and it was difficult to find someone on short notice to leave on the climb. At last, Will returned his voice message on Thursday evening and we made plans to leave Friday right after work. Why does it seem that work always encroaches on the weekend? I found myself scrambling to get everything accomplished so that the weekend could be free from worry.
At last, around 5 o’clock, we were in the Jeep heading east. The trailhead for Hoodoo Peak is further south and east of most climbs and it took an additional hour to reach the turnoff south of Twisp. Finding Libby Creek Road and Gold Creek Road turned into even more of a challenge in the dark. We soon realized that the road signs were going in the wrong direction and we were on the wrong road after visiting several drive ways and driving down roads that just didn’t seem right we found the trailhead. It wasn’t crowed as we had expected for a holiday weekend with only one car parked there. Our late arrival prompted us to get the tent and bags out for the night with the promise of an early start.
View of Hoodoo Peak from the trail
Leaving a little before nine, we started walking the 5 miles upward to 7200 feet and the cabin site shown on the map. In a little over 4 hours we arrived having gained just over 2800 feet. A nice walk with a reasonable start time made the uphill travel go quickly. The cabin appeared to be an abandoned trapper’s cabin that had a moss roof and was tucked against the hill side. The roof and door are low, but the cabin would have made a reasonably good place to stay in cold conditions. It was an interesting sight since most of the cabins that once existed in the North Cascades and Sawtooth Mountains have been burnt down by the forest service or have rotted into disrepair.
Old cabin near Hoodoo Peak
We choose a site slightly up hill from the cabin with some nice flat rocks to camp Hoodoo Peakfor the night and stashed our extra gear. The winter and late spring snow continued to keep its grip on the landscape and there was a deep covering of wet snow on most of the North and West aspect faces and shaded valleys. The south face of Hoodoo Peak appeared snow free, so we headed directly for the face. The guide book recommended climbing to the notch just north of Point 8071 but, we took a look at the face and decided that a mostly direct route was an easy scramble to the summit. It felt good to be climbing the large rough blocks of granite making our way upward the last 1264 feet to the summit. Hoodoo Peak is not a difficult objective being ranked as the 59th highest summit in Washington and after an hour and half we were on the summit.
Scrambling Hoodoo Peak
Craig on Hoodoo Peak, 1st summit of the year
As usual, the views of the Cascades folded out before us and were wonderful. It was good to be reacquainted with many of the mountains we had climbed in previous years. Star & Courtney were the next valley over with a great view of Oval PeaKwhich allowed us to look at the map and scope out a shorter route to reach the summit than going over Fish Creek Pass. We lounged for over an hour on the summit exploring and napping in the warm afternoon sun. Hoodoo’s summit block is an exposed balance rock that called out for a classic shot. Will and I both took advantage of the opportunity and got a couple of classic photos for the book. The summit register was full. I remembered that I carried a small version of Moleskine journal in my pack (just in case I was inspired) that was empty. It fit nicely into the summit register tube and we signed our names.
Signing Hoodoo Peak summit register
Will on the summit of Hoodoo Peak
It was getting late and it appeared that clouds were forming on the horizon; reluctantly we decided to go down. The climbing was so enjoyable that we decided to hop boulders toward Point 8071 to prolong the fun. In less than an hour we were back in the snow skirting a large pond on the way back to camp. The wind started to pick up as we pitched the Nemo Meta 2P under a few trees.
Looking across to Raven Ridge with cornices and snow
Scrambling the large granite blocks on Hoodoo Peak
The “Meta” has been a yeoman of a companion keeping us dry and warm over the spring attempts to climb summits. Tonight would prove no different as the wind piped up over 20+ mph and the tent barely flapped. All my climbing buddies who have seen the tent have had the same reaction “gotta have one.” Weighing a scant 3 pounds in the stuff sack combined with my lightweight carbon Komperdell trekking poles the whole thing weighs a little more than 4 pounds – hardly an excuse not to take a tent. When you think of a tarp shelter, most people think of a small shelter with barely enough protection to keep out the elements, much less some place to put your pack – not so with the Meta. There is plenty of room for two big guys, especially with the two vestibules for boots and packs. The tent has dual mesh entry doors and vents that keep condensation to an absolute minimum. In the few cold nights that we have used the Meta we have had very little condensation and always had a comfortable sleep. Nemo pays close attention to every detail and as a result, the tent is exceptionally easy to set up and use. It has now become the automatic one to toss in the bag at the start of a trip.
Nemo Meta 2P after a very windy night - our favorite tent
The wind lasted through the early morning as first light peeked on to the tent. Hearing the gusts, we both rolled over for a bit more sleep awaking a about 9:00 to look out at the weather. Our plan was to climb Raven Ridge, but the large amount of soft snow in the gullies rimed with cornices did not invite us upward and we choose to walk out. Two hours later we were back at the Jeep heading down the hill only to discover that someone had in fact twisted the road signs around to point in the wrong direction. Soon we were at the ice cream stand in Winthrop planning our return trip the weekend of the 16th for a 3 day peak bagging session.
Hello – I like the looks of the Nemo Meta 2P tent — but do you have (or have you tried) pitching the tent on a rocky surface?