Clark Mountain is the highest point in Dakobed Range before Luahna Peak. Together, they share an extended ridgeline that spans west to Tenpeak Mountain. Merely a mile apart, the two peaks are often feasible to climb in one single trip.
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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: TBD
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.
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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.
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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 had reached the summit block. Then from there, 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!
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En Route to Luahna Peak
After a quiet viewing party, we proceeded to make our way 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′.
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Bypassing Point 7970
Going around the high point turned out to be more direct than I had expected. Then we were on a steady incline in the final 800′ up to the top. There contained to be more choss and loose rocks en route.
The west gully that led up to the top was perhaps the climb’s crux for the dogs. But I just needed to guide them through the big rocks instead of following my steps. Glad we didn’t have any issues.
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Luahna Peak Summit Views
We enjoyed another extended visit with an hour on top. It was so hard to leave this place and the gorgeous views behind. Glacier Peak continued to steal the show on this trip.
From here, I also got a clear look at Clark Glacier. The views were immense, but I wish I knew the names of the peaks around here. Though, I couldn’t wait to discover them as I slowly worked my way through the Bulger List.
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Back to Boulder Creek Camp Plus Outro
Later we retraced our steps down the peak. Since we didn’t need to go back up to Clark Mountain, we bypassed it from the southwest ridge. Then we slowly made our way up the access ramp back 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.
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