Napeequa Peak and Mount Berge above High Pass by Buck Mountain overlook Napeequa River’s headwaters. But the peaks aren’t always visible among Washington State’s highest peaks. Buck Creek or Napeequa River are good options to reach these obscure high points.
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Napeequa Peak and Mount Berge at a Glance
Napeequa Slam = Napeequa Peak + Mount Berge
納比夸滿貫=納比夸峯+貝奇山
Access: Trinity Trailhead
Round Trip: 23.3 miles
Elevation Range: 2800′-8073′
Gear: helmet, ice ax, crampons
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: on the trail
The Preface
The pup and I spent last weekend in Pasayten Wilderness. Then this week, we went tackling the Napeequa Peak and Mount Berge in Glacier Peak Wilderness. It’s been four years since we last set foot (and paw) on Buck Creek Trail.
The drive from the pavement’s end to Trinity felt rougher than usual. The Forest Service had fixed washouts for access to the campgrounds and trailheads. The road wasn’t in the best shape but still manageable in a compact car.
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Buck Creek Trail to Mount Cleator East Ridge
Mosquitoes at Trinity were relentless, but all had vanished once we left the car. Buck Creek Trail was clear of tree debris except for a few places. After the old burn with down trees, we crossed Buck Creek at 4300′ on a log jam.
Soon, we went up Mount Cleator’s east ridge using the same route for Buck Mountain. Lower down was the burn after our last trip, which made the area unrecognizable. But scrambling was much more comfortable sans the brush.
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High Pass
I couldn’t find the trail to the southeast drainage. So we stayed on the open east ridge to 7100′ and went into the snowy basin. Then I put crampons on and went southwest to Berge-Cleator saddle into the High Pass basin.
After dropping 100′, we contoured Mount Cleator’s south ridge toward High Pass. Soon, Clark Mountain came into view as we went up to the Pass. Our campsite above the frozen Triad Lake offered excellent views.
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Napeequa Peak Climb
We still had much daylight to climb Napeequa Peak today. So we would go up Mount Berge the following morning while it’s still cool. So after putting up the tent, we walked southwest to Point 7529’s east ridge.
To my surprise, the ridgeline was snow-free. So we sidestepped on rocks for a short while. But we were back on snow on Cirque Mountain’s east slopes.
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Route-Finding on Southeast Ridge
With two reports in hand, we first tried out the southeast ridge route. So we crossed the ridgeline at 7600′ onto the steep south side. Quickly, I realized that the giant boulders and downward slabs were unsuitable for the pup.
Later we backtracked to the east slopes. Then we used the second report’s descriptions and went up to a notch on the northeast ridge. Soon, things began to look more hopeful.
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Final Stretch on Napeequa Peak
Soon, we moved south on the east face with exposure. Then I started seeing some carefully placed cairns. They were a sign that we were on track at last!
Before long, the cairns took us through the steep ground below the summit. Shortly, we were making our way up to the south ridge. From there, we went north for a short way and reached the top.
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Napeequa Peak Summit Views
Views into the Napeequa River Valley and the places we had visited were excellent. Clark Mountain, Luahna Peak, Glacier Peak, Fortress Mountain were a few notable high points.
It’s been four years since we last set foot in the area. So glad that the bucket list had given us the chance to return to the area. But it was exciting, to say the least.
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Napeequa Peak Back to High Pass
We retraced our steps back to camp in the early evening. Then we enjoyed more mountain views at dinnertime, including our two goals. The evening breeze has kept most mosquitoes at bay.
I expected to see people make High Pass their stopover. But to my surprise, no one came through here during our trip. It was a moonless night, and so I got some decent shots of star trails.
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En Route to Mount Berge
After breakfast, we went south into Mount Berge’s west basin. Then at the southern end of the snowfield at 7000′, we climbed up a steep snow finger. Then we left the snow 100′ up and went into a shallow moat.
From there, we climbed through rocks and steep heather slopes. Then we worked our way up to the 7650′ saddle. We were now directly south of Mount Berge’s main peak.
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The Two Mount Berge Summits
There seemed to be discrepancies as to which of the two high points were on the list. But I had read somewhere that the north summit was higher than the main high point.
But to clear the confusion for ourselves, the pup and I visited both. So from the saddle, we traveled northeast toward the north summit. Soon, we were on the south face.
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Final Stretch on Mount Berge
At first, we went into the wrong gully. So the cliffs below the east ridge stopped us at our tracks. Then we went back down and moved into the one to the left. And it worked for the pup!
The slanted slabs at the top of the gully had a fair amount of exposure. But thank goodness for all the ledges and solid holds. In turn, the pup was able to climb to the top without issues.
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Mount Berge Summit Views
Views were just as great as they were on Napeequa Peak. The only difference was that Buck Mountain was now in our face. We enjoyed an extended visit on top before going down.
Later from the east slopes at 7800′, we went up to the north ridge via steep snow. From there, we then moved south a short way and reached the main peak.
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Mount Berge Back to High Pass
We had spent much time on the other summit. So we were only on this one for a few minutes before leaving. After taking a few photos, we then went down to the south saddle.
On the way to High Pass Basin, I didn’t want to go down the steep snow ramp we used earlier. So at the bottom of the heather, we moved south into a steep gully. My goal was to bypass the buttress, and it worked!
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Exiting
We went around the buttress at 6800′. Then we reached the snowfield and joined with our up tracks. The afternoon heat had long melted the snow in the basin. So we stayed west to avoid breaking through the ice.
We took a long break back at camp as the pup napped while I took photos. Back on Berge-Cleator saddle, we beelined into the basin. Then I found the trail I couldn’t find the day before. It even looked more hidden than the last time.
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