Clark Mountain + Luahna Peak South Route via White River / 克拉克山

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Clark Mountain and Luahna Peak perch over White River Valley by Buck Mountain. Together, they share a long ridgeline spanning west to Tenpeak Mountain. Merely a mile apart, the two peaks are often doable to climb in one trip.

Kodak moment on Clark Mountain
Kodak moment on Clark Mountain

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Clark Mountain and Luahna Peak at a Glance

Dakobed Slam = Clark Mountain + Luahna Peak
達寇貝德滿貫=克拉克山+露阿娜峯

Access: White River Trailhead
Round Trip: 25.7 miles
Elevation Range: 2280′-8602′
Gear: helmet
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: with guidance

White River Trail

I had planned on taking the pups with me on this trip. So we went with the scramble route via the south side of Clark Mountain. Other than traversing the ridge to Luahna Peak, I didn’t foresee any significant issues.

I wanted to front-load some mileage for the dogs and keep Sunday open for a relaxing exit. So we hiked into camp late Friday night for an early start on Saturday. In turn, that gave us a whole day to climb both peaks.

White River Trailhead
White River Trailhead

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Clark Mountain Climb

The sheepherder’s trail was visible from our campsite. The incline from camp to Point 8373’s south ridge was steady. Later the steep slope below the access notch was full of scree, sliding backward with every step.

Soon, the reported access ramp guided us down and onto the mountain’s south side. Glad that the pups didn’t have any issues going through here. Once we started the traverse, the rest of the climb was straightforward.

Clark Mountain south route
Clark Mountain south route

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Clark Mountain Summit Views

I thought we’d spend a long time in the snow. But we only needed to be on it for a short while. Soon, we reached the summit block. Then, it was an easy class 3 scramble up to the top.

Even with two dogs, the climb was quite manageable. We enjoyed an extended visit on top to soak in the views, including Glacier Peak. It felt surreal to see it since I was just there over Labor Day weekend!

Northwest panorama from Clark Mountain
Northwest panorama from Clark Mountain

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En Route to Luahna Peak

We left the top after a quiet viewing party and took many photos. Soon, we proceeded to go down the west side via a steep gully. There was lots of choss on this climb, and the pups weren’t too happy about that part.

But it took me some coaching to navigate them through the steep terrain. But we all went down ok. Then from the west slope, we moved northwest and kept our altitude between 7400′ and 7600′.

This way to Luahna Peak
This way to Luahna Peak

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Bypassing Point 7970

Going around the high point was more direct than I had anticipated. Then that put us on a steady incline in the final 800′ to the obscure summit. As with the rest of the ridgeline, there were more choss and loose rocks en route.

The west gully leading to the top was perhaps the climb’s crux for the dogs. But I only needed to guide them through the big rocks so they wouldn’t follow my steps. So glad that they could go past that point.

Final scramble on Luahna Peak
Final scramble on Luahna Peak

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Luahna Peak Summit Views

We enjoyed another extended visit by spending an hour on top. With the weekend’s perfect weather, leaving this place and the views behind was hard. Once again, Glacier Peak continued to steal the show throughout the trip.

From here, I got a clear look at Clark Glacier and Richardson Glacier. The views were immense, but I wish I could name the nearby peaks. I couldn’t wait to discover them as I slowly worked through the Bulger List.

Eastern panorama from Luahna Peak
Eastern panorama from Luahna Peak

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Back to Boulder Creek Camp Plus Outro

We later retraced our steps from the top. Since we didn’t need to return to Clark Mountain, we bypassed the peak from its southwest ridge. Then we slowly made our way up the access ramp to the east side.

We reached camp just short of sunset, and what a long day it was! Even after an exhausting climb, we all woke up early the following day. After a relaxing breakfast, we packed and soon left the beautiful meadow.

Back at White River Trailhead
Back at White River Trailhead

See more trip photos here.

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