Nasikelt Peak and Lumiere Ridge sit atop the source of Icicle Creek–Josephine Lake. Like Lux Peak, both places are far enough from the hustle and bustle of Stevens Pass to avoid the crowd. Best of all, the peaks are close together to climb in one trip.
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Nasikelt Peak and Lumiere Ridge at a Glance
Access: Stevens Pass Ski Resort
Round Trip: 12 miles
Elevation Range: 4040′-5863′
Gear: microspikes, snowshoes, ice ax, helmet
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: no
Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)
Stevens Pass marked the northern end of section J of the PCT. So this trip allowed us to hike southbound on the trail. Then we would leave the path above Josephine Lake and head to our first goal.
Despite a cloudy sky, the forecast was better than last weekend. We had missed the trailhead at first. But we later found the path on the hill behind the entrance. Then we went south into the trees.
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Mill Creek Valley
Eventually, we came out of the trees and went up the ski slopes. It was odd that I only saw one pink diamond marking this part of the PCT. Soon, we reached the 5080′ saddle between Cowboy Mountain and Big Chief Mountain. But the clouds persisted.
Through the mist, we went down the ski hills over the powerline clear-cut. At the same time, we avoided the open terrain by staying close to the trees. Soon, we crossed the steep slopes at the head of the Mill Creek Valley.
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Nasikelt Peak South Ridge
Later, we went through Lake Susan Jane above the southern shore. Then we worked our way up to the meadow above Josephine Lake. From there, we traversed east and uphill to reach the west saddle of Nasikelt Peak.
The steep ridgeline went from 5200′ to 5400′. But we could still stay on the icy crest up to 5600′. Then the tree-covered outcrops stopped us at our tracks. The northern slopes looked inconducive to sidestepping.
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Nasikelt Peak Summit
The south side was also steep. But we only had to go through a short section of snow before a gully. Then we climbed on rocks and mud back up to the crest safely. Later we weaved through deep snow over krummholz to reach the top.
The snow had covered the northern half of the narrow ridgeline. So we stayed on dry rocks to be safe. The valley floors were visible despite the low clouds. There also could have been the views of Jim Hill Mountain and the Chiwaukums. Alas. Another time!
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Next Stop, Lumiere Ridge
Later, we got ourselves down the sketchy gully. The sun then came out at last. Back at the meadow, we then headed southwest toward the Lumiere Ridge a mile away. The distant yelling we heard must have come from Sue. She was also in the area today with two friends.
Soon, we found their snowshoe trails in the meadow. So we used them to go up the steep terrain. Then from the southeast saddle, it was another short stretch of steepness to reach the summit ridge. Voila. There sat the three ladies patiently waiting for us to scope out the sketchy ridgeline.
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Lumiere Ridge Summit
Lumiere Ridge also boasted a narrow ridgeline with snow over the northern slopes. So Sue followed us up to the false summit but then turned around to meet up with Nina and Randy. Then the pups and I continued in the mist and reached the top at another 300′ away.
It was difficult to see how much snow was on top of the rocks. So we stayed close to the dry ground. Views would have been impressive on a clear day also. Later the sky cleared up some just as we made our way down. At last, I was able to see Nasikelt Peak and Lux Peak.
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Outro
By the time we went back down the ridge, the clouds had lifted. But the mist continued to obscure the taller peaks. The pups caught up to the ladies in the meadow, but they came back to join me shortly. Then we took a shortcut north to bypass Lake Susan Jane.
Later we waited for the ladies to come around the lake before continuing. Then together, the six of us made our way back over to the Steven Pass side. It was great catching up with Mountaineers friends. We had several exciting chats, including one about the paleo diet.
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