Sitting Bull Mountain, Bannock Mountain, and Plummer Mountain share the long, rugged Ptarmigan Crest atop Canyon Creek. The last of the three is the high point of Miners Ridge. Lyman Lakes via Spider Meadow is one of the many ways to these peaks.
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Sitting Bull Mountain at a Glance
Environs = Bannock Mountain + Plummer Mountain
周圍地區=班諾克山+普拉瑪山
Access: Phelps Creek Trailhead
Round Trip: 44.6 miles
Elevation Range: 3520′-7870′
Essential Gear: helmet
Route Info: Cascade Alpine Guide, Eric Eames
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: no
September 24-26
Day 1 – Saturday, September 24
Spider Meadow + Lyman Lakes + Sitting Bull Mountain
Night 1 – 6480′ meadow SE of Canyon Lake
Day 2 – Sunday, September 25
Bannock Mountain + Plummer Mountain
Night 2 – Lake 6800
Day 3 – Monday, September 26
Exit
Day 1
Spider Meadow + Lyman Lakes + Sitting Bull Mountain
Overview > Day 1 > Day 2 > Day 3
The Preface on Sitting Bull Mountain
Sitting Bull Mountain et al. wasn’t on my radar until more fires broke out earlier this month. The other goals were out for the season due to trail closures. So I figured I’d visit these high points before losing them to more wildfires.
I would’ve liked to start from Suiattle River Road for different scenery. But the area we visited seven years ago was still off-limits due to Downey Creek Fire. To top it off, Bolt Creek Fire had forced a reroute through Snoqualmie Pass.
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Phelps Creek Trail to Sitting Bull Mountain
After checking Cascade Alpine Guide for info, I stumbled upon Eric‘s report from July. Despite not wanting to go in via Phelps Creek, it was the closest approach. From Suiattle Pass, I’d climb the peaks going counterclockwise.
I left the trailhead at 5 AM, anticipating a long day ahead. I reached Spider Meadow at sunrise and walked past two campers with their dog. But the photo stops kept me from going through the field quickly.
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Spider Glacier to Spider Gap
I went back into the trees to Spider Gap Trail and up the rocky path. After a long rise over several switchbacks, I was at the bottom of the glacier. I waved at two folks camping on Larch Knob and then continued.
The glacier was a snowfield now that most snow had melted. I hugged east of the route to avoid the holes and reached Spider Gap shortly after. Then I spotted the double-peaked Sitting Bull Mountain still far away.
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Lyman Lakes to Cloudy Pass
We had missed the reroute through the lower lake four years ago. But we only found that out after seeing the washed-out bridge at Railroad Creek. I walked across the new bridge this time and soon went on Cloudy Pass Trail to the pass.
Glacier Peak slowly appeared as I dropped through the switchbacks. In hindsight, I could’ve skipped Suiattle Pass by taking Agnes Creek Trail at the next fork. But I only realized this after seeing the connector trail from the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT).
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Sitting Bull Mountain South Route via Suiattle Pass and PCT
Instead, I took the upper trail through a talus field to Suiattle Pass. I went a short way south from the pass before turning onto the PCT to go north. Then I went through the forest to the sharp turn after dropping 900′ in two miles.
I left the trail and walked straight into a basin full of giant boulders. It took time to go through the debris before walking up the grass slope below the headwall. Then I found ramps among the cliff bands through the sheer terrain.
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Final Stretch on Sitting Bull Mountain
I climbed in a straight line over heather and slabs. At one point, I walked inside what would be a waterfall gully in the early season. Since I was almost at the crest, I skipped the south notch and took the east ridge instead.
Apart from the usually exposed class 3 terrain, the ridge route was quite doable. Above the steep part was a walk-up as I scoped out the drop-offs on the north. Then I went up several tall steps before reaching the rocky summit.
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Sitting Bull Mountain Summit Views
I lay down the heavy pack and quickly checked out the views. It must’ve been the adrenaline that got me here because I was ready to crash at any moment. But glad that 15 of the 16 miles hiked today were on a trail.
Plummer Mountain was 1.5 miles south across the rugged crest. But Bannock Mountain was farther north, with the impressive Dome Peak and Sinister Peak in the backdrop. Then I saw what looked like the onset of some fire to the west. Uh oh.
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Leaving Sitting Bull Mountain
On the way to the south notch, I discovered I couldn’t go straight down on the crest. So I looked to the more feasible south face. Then I slowly weaved through class 4 terrain to the talus field below.
From the notch, I dropped west onto the typical scree and hard dirt. Soon, I was at the talus by the snow patches as the sun dipped to the horizon. What followed was perhaps the most beautiful green hills I’d ever traversed.
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6500′ Camp in Canyon Lake Basin
I haven’t had a drop of water since Railroad Creek. Of course, the seasonal streams had dried up when I needed some. As I eyed the buttress ahead, I saw a black figure moving in the same direction. Yikes, bear #1.
The animal fast left the scene when I started beating the trekking poles. Then I hurried past, dropped to Canyon Creek Trail at 6400′, and found water nearby. I put on the headlamp and walked to a flat area before settling in for the night.
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Day 2
Bannock Mountain + Plummer Mountain
Overview > Day 1 > Day 2 > Day 3
Bannock Mountain by Sitting Bull Mountain
Bannock Mountain is taller than Sitting Bull Mountain by a whopping one foot. It’s the farthest north of my three goals and the closest to Dome Peak. It also straddles three lake basins, including Sulphur Creek and Spruce Creek.
The reports I found had all gone around Canyon Lake to the southwest ridge. While the water looked refreshing, I didn’t feel like losing 1000′ and regaining it. So I got on the trail by the camp and went straight for the mountain.
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En Route to Bannock Mountain
I left the path at 6400′ as it started dipping toward the lake. Then I rounded a buttress and made a rising traverse into the slab basin at 6600′. It was much broader than I had pictured and would make a great camp spot.
Traversing the sloping slabs in the basin was my favorite part of the approach. But that was until I unexpectedly saw the talus midway through. As I neared the south gully, the giant rocks soon gave way to scree and hard dirt.
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Bannock Mountain South Gully
At first glance, I didn’t see a feasible way to go above the cliffs, so I tried out the gully. Though steep, the narrow passage was manageable with lots of solid holds. But I found water dripping down the slabs higher on the route.
The ledges along the west wall looked doable from below but sketchy at eye level. I thought I could exit at some point until the route dead-ended at an alcove. So I backtracked to the grass ramp I’d seen earlier from below.
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Final Stretch on Bannock Mountain
A sloping rock ramp past the short stretch of grass gave access to milder terrain. There were several decent holds to help go through the exposure. Soon, I was on the south face immediately west of the gully.
The graveled ledges made the going slow as I looked for decent holds. But once I went onto the heather slope, I moved faster and soon reached the talus. Then it was continuous rocks to the bouldered summit for the last 500′.
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Bannock Mountain Summit Views
The moment I had waited to view the north side was finally here. Seeing Spire Point, Dome Peak, and Agnes Mountain was incredibly surreal. Farther north were more peaks in the national park that I hadn’t expected to see.
I was in awe of the jagged ridgeline joining Sitting Bull Mountain. Meanwhile, the serene Canyon Lake was lying on the bottom. A sea of Washington State’s highest was between Bonanza Peak and Glacier Peak.
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Back to 6500′ Camp
I retraced my steps and soon reached the sloping ledge at the bottom. Going in reverse was more nerve-racking, but thanks for the holds! Before long, I traversed the talus and went through the slabs to the other side.
As I rounded the buttress above the trail, a bear nearby was busy looking for food. I waited until it slowly moved past my tent before dropping onto the path. Then I cautiously looked in all directions and walked back to camp.
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Bypassing Sitting Bull Mountain to Plummer Mountain
The area was in a thick haze after I packed up. The path slowly dipped and soon took me through the trees as I peeked at the upper basin. Then the same bear was back at the same spot where I first saw it the day before.
By crossing the stream west of Sitting Bull Mountain, I had lost 1100′. Then I slowly gain every foot through the talus in Plummer Mountain’s north basin. Soon, I was on Miners Gap above Image Lake.
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Traversing Miners Ridge
I went east on the ridge trail over the gentle terrain without stopping. Only after going above the wooded pass did I see Image Lake glistening under the hazy sun. The path soon took me through Point 6922.
By now, I was low on energy as I went over Point 6896. Then I heard someone shout from below as I rounded Point 7440; I ignored them. More talus and scree stretched across the ridge east of the high point.
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Final Stretch on Plummer Mountain
I thought I had more than enough daylight to climb both mountains. But all the photo stops had eaten up lots of time. Despite all the food I’d eaten throughout the day, I was moving slowly and ready to lie down anytime.
During this, I kept glancing back at Glacier Peak, which looked mesmerizing in the haze. Before I knew it, it was 10 minutes past sunset when I made the false summit. Then a 100′ ridge traverse put me on the sloping top.
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Plummer Mountain Summit Views
The golden hour lighting faded when I reached the summit. After 13 years of using a DSLR, I switched to a point-and-shoot camera in September. But I remember from my early hiking days that it doesn’t fair well in low light.
I could barely make out Sitting Bull Mountain in the haze. More smoke had moved in, as the nearby Fortress Mountain and Chiwawa Mountain were hard to discern. I left the top 10 minutes later as the sky fast dimmed.
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A Night at Lake 6800
I couldn’t tell the best way to drop to the lake in the east basin. But after checking the slope angle, I made a beeline for the pond. I dropped 100′ onto the southeast ridge from the false summit before plunging through the scree.
The steep places had hard dirt, making an exciting descent in the dark. Then I crossed a snowfield below the cliff bands to the outlet with remnants of an old structure. I set up camp by the stream and made dinner before bed.
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Day 3
Exit
Overview > Day 1 > Day 2 > Day 3
En Route to Suiattle Pass
I wanted to sleep in after a restless night but needed to leave early to pick up the dog. Rumor had it that Highway 2 would reopen on Saturday, so I wouldn’t need to reroute; woot! But first, let’s get through the 16 miles.
From the lake, I dropped 700′ to the narrow east basin. After going onto the lower ridge to the east, I stepped into the most idyllic spot of this trip. According to Richard’s Flickr comment, it was likely the same place this book depicted. Now I’m curious to read it.
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Spider Gap, Spider Meadow, and Out
A faint trail took me back to Suiattle Pass from the tucked-away meadows. Without wasting time, I continued through Cloudy Pass and Lyman Lakes. I startled a bear around the switchback down to the lower lake. Sorry!
A long lunch under the bridge before going uphill to Spider Gap around the upper lake. Smoke had long filled the basin, and Sitting Bull Mountain et al. was no longer visible. Then I enjoyed a quiet walk back to an empty lot via Spider Meadow.
See more trip photos here.