Duchess of Kent and Duke of Kent share a rocky ridgeline by Mount Kent. Though short in height, the obscure peak harbors expansive views of South Fork Snoqualmie River Valley to the north. Meanwhile, McClellan Butte lends itself to the dramatic landscape above Alice Creek Basin.
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Duchess of Kent at a Glance
Access: NF-9020 end of the drivable road
Round Trip: TBD
Elevation Range: 2200′-4703′
Gear: helmet
GPS Track: not available
Dog-Friendly: on the road
The Preface
Alas! Fall has bestowed upon us earlier than we expected. In three months, it was our first Friday night not to sleep at the trailhead. Glad to be close to home after many weeks in distant places.
I’m still going through summer trips and forever catching up on blog posts. But hopefully, posting our most recent outing would motivate me to speed up the process.
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Late Start on Duchess of Kent
As a last-minute decision, we went back to Alice Creek Basin. I had banked on the late morning rain, so the pup and I set off early this morning. I wanted to visit the second and last loyalty of the dukedom of Kent.
But our early start ended up being late by the Cascades standard. I drove to the end of the drivable road, and we started walking. Soon, at 500′ past the Alice Creek bridge washout, we went uphill at the fork.
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Road Walk
Having snow would have helped walking on the rocky and brushy roadbed. But the path conditions seemed to have worsened since our previous visit. Or it could be the lack of foot traffic.
We both became damp very soon. But it wasn’t because of the rain but the wet vegetation in the previous night’s drizzles. We couldn’t avoid it but continue up into the 3080’ clearing.
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Duchess of Kent West Slopes
Later, we came to the bottom of the northwest ridge as the road faded into a large alder swatch. So we moved onto the rocks on the northwest slope to bypass most of the dense brushes.
We went up on the ridge, and meanwhile, through the steep and broken ridgeline. But we always bypassed the outcrops from the south. Shortly after, we went onto the west slopes at 4200′.
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The Final Stretch
At 4400′, we came up to the cliffs and moved south along the rock wall. Then we aimed at the main northwest-facing gully. One report implied that the party had gone into a steep ravine to the notch between the summits.
We must’ve overshot the gully and went up on the south peak first. Then from the 4520′ saddle, we reached the north summit shortly. The pass separated the Duchess of Kent from the three pinnacles on the south.
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Duchess of Kent Summit
The high point had unobstructed views of the Snoqualmie River Valley. In turn, it had a more open landscape than the Duke of Kent, which sat 150′ higher to the southwest. But it’s equally beautiful nonetheless.
Other visible high points were McClellan Butte, Mount Defiance, Granite Mountain, Hibox Mountain, Kaleetan Peak, and Mount Roosevelt. But Bandera Mountain and distant peaks stayed in the clouds.
Outro
The pup and I enjoyed an extended and rain-free visit before leaving. Glad the 11 AM rain didn’t show up until a few hours later.
See more trip photos here.