Marble Peak perches over South Fork Stillaguamish River by Mountain Loop Highway. Hall Peak, the nearest taller peak east of Marble Pass, sits a mile away. Meanwhile, the northwest ridge is the most direct of various routes.
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Marble Peak at a Glance
Access: Marble Pass historical signage
Round Trip: 5 miles
Elevation Range: 1480′-5160′
Gear: helmet, microspikes, crampons, ice ax
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: no
The Preface
Marble Peak has been a long-term goal. Until now, the mighty South Fork Stillaguamish River stood between us and the obscure summit. It makes sense why visitors to this peak have been few and far between.
Last time we came with an inflatable raft and planned to cross the river in one try. But I’d forgotten to factor in my weight and realized it when I stepped inside the boat. Since the water was trickling in fast, I decided to return later.
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Fording the Stillaguamish River
So today, the pup and I returned with a raft twice the size. But this time, the main concern was the higher level of the spring snowmelt. After checking, we forded the waist-high water at its shallowest with the least rapids.
Once on the south side, I wrung water from my long johns and changed into boots. Since it rained the day before, I wore a shell jacket to keep dry from the wet brush. Then we dove into the light brush behind the rocky shore.
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Northwest Ridge
Before going on the ridge, we went through some down trees in the wetland. Soon, we contended with dead logs up to 2500′. Devils Club and slide alder had overtaken the hillside, where we followed animal tracks until they faded.
Above 3500′, we bypassed two places of steep steps from the east. The terrain later eased around 3800′, where blueberry bushes replaced the brush to 4000′. At 4100′, we dropped 50′ on the east to avoid a massive outcrop before returning to the ridge at 4150′.
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Final Stretch on Marble Peak
The ridge soon narrowed with the unnerving view of Marble Gulch to the east. We bypassed krummholz from the west and ascended 100′ steep snow in crampons at 5000′. From the north saddle, the summit block looked vertical.
Things looked promising after we crossed the snow arête to the south. I stashed gear in the trees and finished the final bit using ledges and holds over some loose rocks. Then a few more steps put us on the broad top of Marble Peak.
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Marble Peak Summit Views
Like Hall Peak, the type 2 grunt work had rewarding views with not as much brush. I took a few seconds to catch my breath and checked out the dramatic landscape. The cirque above Copper Lake was quite stunning!
What a hidden gem! Besides seeing it from Vesper Peak, the sight of the lake basin couldn’t have been any more direct. What a gorgeous day seeing all the familiar peaks–Morning Star Peak, Del Campo Peak, Devils Peak.
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Outro
We enjoyed a long time on top before leaving, as it’d likely be our only visit to Marble Peak. Going back through the brush and krummholz on the crest was just as slow. But the blueberry bushes were more tolerable going in reverse.
Now, about that river crossing…
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