The last time I was here, I attempted Cashmere Mountain. It was cloudy, with no visibility at the top. But this morning, the weather was excellent. So I looked forward to seeing magnificent views on Eightmile Mountain.
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Eightmile Mountain at a Glance
Access: Eightmile Creek Trailhead
Round Trip: TBD
Elevation Range: 3280′-7996′
Gear: helmet
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: no pets
Eightmile Lake Trail
I arrived at the Eightmile Lake trailhead past 9 AM. I greeted two other hikers and then went on my merry way. Later, I met several groups camping by Eightmile Lake. They had come in the day before.
It took a while to get through to the northern end of the lake. Then I left the trail and went straight uphill. I tried following this detailed trip report. But I went too high too soon. So I ended up fighting my way through dense thickets below the snow chute for a while.
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Going up to the Snow
Just past the brush, it took more time to go through the massive down trees. Above the logs was a rock field. But there wasn’t enough snow cover. Plus, I didn’t want to fall in between the boulders. So I went up through the smaller rocks mostly.
Later, I got onto the snow at 6400′. I was now right below the meadow. The snow there was slightly slushy. But it was firm enough to go directly up the gully without any issues.
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The Final Stretch on Eightmile Mountain
The group from the day before left their tracks. But the path was hard to follow because the wind had covered it up with snow. So I ended up kicking steps and making my way toward the southwest ridgeline.
By the time I got up on the ridge, Stuart Range behind Axis Peak had fully emerged. The timing couldn’t have been better. Just as I made my way up to the summit, clouds had moved in from the north.
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Eightmile Mountain Summit Plus Outro
Once I was the top, views to the east and the north were spotty. It wasn’t any better to the south or the south. So I stayed an extra half hour and hoped for the clouds to disperse. But that never happened. It wasn’t until I started going back down the gully when the mist dissipated.
It’s another beautiful day on a new climb.
See more trip photos here.