Humpback Mountain was once a less-visited place along the Interstate 90 corridor. Even as the popularity continues to rise, it still doesn’t see as much foot traffic as Granite Mountain and Silver Peak. But the views are comparable.
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Humpback Mountain at a Glance
Access: Asahel Curtis Road/Tinkham Road
Round Trip: 6.5 miles
Elevation Range: 1900′-5174′
Gear: ice ax, snowshoes
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Humpback Mountain
I first visited Humpback Mountain five years ago. But it was the pups’ first time here. Asahel Curtis Road was only drivable to the stop sign at the fork with Tinkham Road.
We first walked a short distance to Annette Lake Trailhead. Then we hiked up to the footbridge. From there, the pups and I scrambled southwest up toward the northeast ridge.
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Northeast Ridge
Excellent snow conditions in the forest. But later it turned icy as we went above the treeline. A couple of inches of snow over a sheet of semi-frozen ice made for an interesting approach.
But the one the crampons could’ve benefitted us, I decided to leave them back at the car. Though, snowshoes did a great job grabbing onto the ice on steep terrain. At the same time, the ice ax pick went into overdrive.
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Ridge Traverse
We moved more efficiently after reaching the north basin of Point 4883 with more snow. From there, we traversed south and went around the high point from the east at 4600′. Then we got our first kiss from the sun.
Later we arrived at the 4700′ saddle northeast of the summit. Then we stayed right below the crest on the east. It felt less strenuous that way. We en countered ice again in the final 200′.
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Humpback Mountain Summit
Temperatures rose to the mid-40s on top with virtually no wind. Granite Mountain stole the show with the three impressive avalanche chutes on the mountain’s south face. Then they merged right below the treeline.
Then we stayed on top for an hour to savor the heat and the views. Meanwhile, we celebrated the black pup’s special day. Afterward, we went back into the shady side of the mountain.
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Outro
Later the clouds rolled into the area. Then temperatures quickly dropped to the low 20s as we went back to the northeast ridge. The pups patiently waited for me to carve out steps on the ice with the snowshoes.
At one point, I downclimbed while facing in. So I could kick more steps useful for the dogs. As we neared the tree line, we moved faster on deep snow and then hiked out.
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