Beefhide Butte and Seance Peak perch on the vast Sawtooth Ridge and overlook Prince Creek Basin to the south. Meanwhile, these peaks stand alongside many of Washington States Top 100 highest in Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness.
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Prince Slam at a Glance
Prince Slam = Beefhide Butte + Seance Peak
王子滿貫=牛皮孤峯+降神會峯
Access: East Fork Buttermilk Trailhead
Round Trip: TBD
Elevation Range: 4760′-8067′
Gear: helmet
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: on the trail
The Preface
In contrast to West Fork Buttermilk, the East Fork Buttermilk Trail was a walk in the park. Down trees were at a minimum. But best of all, we were in the shade on the way to Hoodoo Pass.
Our primary goals for the trip were Beefhide Butte and Seance Peak. But given the short distance, I thought we’d add Spirit Mountain to the mix. But only if we had time on the way out.
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East Fork Buttermilk Trail
There were just a handful of down trees to bypass in the forest. Then by a small stream at 5240′, we met a family of four taking down camp by the creek. It was also our first time seeing pack goats.
Apart from the swarms of relentless mosquitoes, the heat was my main concern. Once we were out of the tree line, there was virtually no shade on the barren hills.
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En Route to Hoodoo Pass
We had spotty views through trees in the final mile to Hoodoo Pass. But at past, right above the treeline, we had glimpses of this weekend’s goals. Then we continued through the rocky trail.
Later we bypassed a receding snowfield via the rocks. Then we took a break in the shade on the pass with views on both sides. Afterward, we walked down the trail amd went into Hoodoo Basin.
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Beefhide Butte Climb
Shortly, we left the trail after dropping 300′. Then we went west and aimed for the 7700′ saddle south of Point 8010. From there, we moved northwest while keeping an elevation of 7800′.
Soon, we were on Beefhide Butte’s broad saddle southeast at 7850′. All the while, our last weekend’s goal, Finney Peak, loomed in the west. Then it was a short walk over dense shrubs to reach the top.
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Beefhide Butte Summit Views
I peeked into the broad east gully, and it even looked feasible to come up from the trail. Meanwhile, Sawtooth Ridge’s dramatic curvature went on as far as the eyes could see.
To the northwest, Star Peak stole the show with its stunning eastern feature. Bernice Lake, our camp for the night, sat right below Starlet. Then in the south basin was the lone Dry Lake.
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Bernice Lake Camp
Next, we needed to go into Prince Creek Basin. So from the summit, we walked down on the southwest ridge. Then we aimed for the 6800′ saddle on the west rib. But before we even got there, we came upon a trail. So we followed it down into the basin. Once the path dwindled, we continued to scramble through the open terrain. Then from there, we got back on the main trail to reach the meadow at 6600′.
From the meadow, we went straight up toward the lake basin. Afterward, we arrived at an empty Bernice Lake. The wind was blowing into the lake basin. So we set up our tent behind the trees by the outlet. Before the trip, I thought about a sunset hike up to Starlet. But then I scratched the idea after seeing a napping pup. It was a moonless night for star trail photography.
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Seance Peak of Prince Slam
The next morning, we packed up and started walking just past 7 AM. Up until now, I had been toying with the idea of including Spirit Mountain. But I wanted to see how we would feel after going up to Seance Peak. Then we hiked up to the northwest slopes at 7600′ after leaving camp.
From there, we rose 300′ through talus and heather slopes. So that put us right below the top. Then we just needed to scramble up a short distance through boulders. Soon, we were on the broad and elongated summit of Seance Peak.
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Seance Peak Summit Plus Views
Views from up here were quite similar to Beefhide Butte. Star Peak and Finney Peak to the west continued to steal the show. Meanwhile, the Spirit Slam held down the fort to the east. Then there was Spirit Mountain to the north. We enjoyed a breakfast on the summit.
After refueling, we both felt super pumped. So we made use of the cool morning weather and went for Spirit Mountain. The pup didn’t seem to mind the extra workout.
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Final Stop, Spirit Mountain
Accessing the connecting saddle to Spirit Mountain required us to descend Seance Peak on east talus slope to 7800′. Then we traversed the talus-filled north basin to 7500′ before arriving at the ridge. We climbed over Point 7135 since both sides ended up being steeper than shown on the map.
The ridgeline became increasingly woodsy beyond the point. The crest wasn’t conducive to traversing due to dense growth with boulders dispersed everywhere.
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Spirit Mountain Summit Plus Views
So we stayed east of the ridge most of the time. Finally, we broke out of the forest just below the summit block. Then a short and open scramble got us to the summit adorned with beautiful granite rocks. All the familiar high points, including the Prince Slam, now looked far as we moved farther north.
Since we’d been out of the treeline for some time, it’d become quite warm. But the wind helped fight off the heat as we savored the abounding views.
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Outro
Since the steep east slopes provided direct access down to the valley floor, we wanted to take advantage of it. By doing so, we also shaved off a good chunk of distance. Along the way, we bypassed two cliff bands from the south. Eventually, we got down onto a talus field above a wetland.
From there, we reconnected with the East Fork Buttermilk Trail at 5400′. Three miles of peaceful hiking and then we were back at the car in the early afternoon.
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