Buck Mountain by Clark Mountain and Napeequa Peak + Buck Creek / 巴克山

  • Reading time:6 mins read

Buck Mountain by Clark Mountain and Napeequa Peak towers over Buck Creek in Chiwawa River Valley. It’s also the second tallest peak on Chiwawa Ridge after Fortress Mountain. Meanwhile, the notable Glacier Peak is only a stone’s throw away.

The gorgeous Buck Mountain
The gorgeous Buck Mountain

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Buck Mountain at a Glance

Access: Trinity Trailhead 
Round Trip: 24 miles
Elevation Range: 2800′-8528′
Gear: helmet
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: with guidance

Buck Creek Trail

The yellow pup and I came to the mosquito-infested Trinity late afternoon and started walking soon after. I had been on this trail once before to Fortress Mountain. But this time, we continued on the Buck Creek Trail.

We started in the shade, so it wasn’t as warm. But the minute we stepped out into the open, we felt the heat right away. Later, back in the trees, I chatted with two friendly forest rangers as they worked on the trail. Then I took a photo of them before continuing.

Forest rangers
Forest rangers

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En Route to Buck Creek Meadow Camp

At 4000′, we left the trail and crossed Buck Creek on a log. The goal was to reach the bottom of Mount Cleator’s timbered east ridge for the brushy part of the climb. Later I found the climber’s trail at 5800′ in a meadow with a blue tarp. From there, we contoured the broad basin to Mount Berge’s east buttress.

It took some time to find the ramp to bypass the buttress. At first, we went up too high. Then I saw the faint trail and went around the headwall onto a large talus field. It took a while to go up through the rocks to reach the upper basin at 6800′. Daylight dwindled just as we found a decent campsite.

Our campsite on the ridge
Our campsite on the ridge

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Buck Mountain Climb

The following day, we moved east from camp toward Buck Mountain. Though, the summit wasn’t visible until we reached the flat area at 8000′. Soon, the broad snowfield to the south of the west ridge appeared. Although I didn’t bring any snow gear, we had no problem going through this section.

Later we moved onto the rocks from the snowfield’s east end. Without moats, it was a smooth transition. Soon, we climbed up to the cozy summit adorned with a small cairn. There was just enough room to seat the two of us.

Buck Mountain summit in another 300'
Buck Mountain summit in another 300′

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Buck Mountian Summit Views Plus Outro

We enjoyed a long time on top as I read through entries from the summit register. Meanwhile, the pup took a much-needed nap. Later we retraced our steps back to the campsite and took a power nap in the shade. Then we packed up and went down to Buck Creek Trail.

The afternoon hike out to the car went by in the blink of an eye. Meanwhile, the pup and I had great chats about our lives ahead.

Fortress Slam
Fortress Slam

See more trip photos here.

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