Humility Hill by Blag Mountain sits above Derby Canyon in the Entiat Mountains. To the south lies the small town of Peshastin off Highway 2. Meanwhile, the vast Icicle Ridge spans the west above Leavenworth.
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Humility Hill at a Glance
Access: Derby Canyon Road
Round trip: 5.1 miles
Elevation Range: 1960′-4358′
Gear: none
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Return to Peshastin, Washington
After scoping out Philadelphia Mountain from the valley, the cloudy weather brought us to Humility Hill. Just last month, the road still under slush kept us from going farther. So we went to Chopper Peak by Wenatchee instead.
The warmer weather in recent weeks has made an enormous difference. So, as of today, the road was completely free of snow. I later parked at the base of the southwest ridge, half a mile before the NF-7403 fork.
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Humility Hill Southwest Ridge
The initial 500′ of the scramble was steep and calf-burning. But once we went beyond it and onto the crest, the incline slowly reduced. During this, we crossed NF-7403 three times, with the last crossing at 3400′.
In hindsight, we could’ve continued on the roadway below west of the crest. But that would’ve added more distance to the trip and couldn’t’ve been too exciting. Scrambling was more enjoyable than walking the road.
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Viewing From Humility Hill
The incline lessened from 3600′ to 4000′, with the final 400′ steepening slightly. Despite a breezy summit, the sun had kept it warm. It was mainly cloudy by Icicle Ridge, The Enchantments, and the west skyline.
As clouds in the northwest faded later, Fortress Mountain, Chiwawa Mountain, and Buck Mountain emerged. So we stayed longer to enjoy the vistas, including the impressive sight of Blag Mountain next door.
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Exiting Derby Canyon
On the way out, we dropped onto the north slope to traverse the northwest ridge. Below Point 3617, we dropped south to join NF-7403 at the 2950′ bend. After strolling the road, we dropped through the steep slope to the car.
I hadn’t seen so many balsamroots as I did on this trip. Perhaps because I didn’t pay enough attention to flowers, they were everywhere at this peak. It was hard not to stop and photograph them every few steps.
See more trip photos here.