Hock Mountain, Twisp Mountain, and Lincoln Butte by Switchblade Peak loom above Twisp River and McAlester Creek. Meanwhile, these neighboring peaks border Lake-Chelan Sawtooth Wilderness and North Cascades National Park.
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Hock Mountain + Twisp Mountain + Lincoln Butte at a Glance
Environs = Twisp Mountain + Lincoln Butte
周圍地區=特威斯普山+林肯孤峯
Access: NF-4440 by Gilbert Trailhead
Round Trip: 16 miles
Elevation Range: 3560′-7750′
Gear: helmet, crampons, snowshoes, ice ax
Route Info: Brian Hill
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: with guidance
The Preface
Happy year 13 and week 1 of “one hike a week” to me! I’ve kept my hikes pretty mild during the first 14 weeks this year to let my left foot heal. In turn, my cardio workout has taken a backseat.
The season’s first backpacking trip is often the slowest. This year was even more so as my lungs needed to catch up from the low-key outings. But it was great to return to the deep Cascades since our final outing last October.
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Twisp Pass Trail
Twisp Pass Trail runs a little over eight miles. The west ends in the national park and is easily accessible via North Cascades Highway. Then Gilbert Trailhead marks the east end one mile before the wilderness boundary.
Climbing Hock Mountain while keeping the dogs out of the national park, we started from the east. In turn, it’s a 25-mile drive from the turnoff in Twisp to the end. But with all three goals plus our camp in mind, it was the shorter route.
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Hock Mountain East Route
We walked half a mile on Road 4440 from the barricade by Gilbert Trailhead to Roads End Campground. A few down trees at mile .25 were impassable in cars. From the camp, we scrambled a short way to Twisp Pass Trail.
The decent trail had about a dozen knee-to-waist high, skinny down trees. Many glacier lilies lined the path, perhaps the most I had ever seen on a trip. Then we started seeing snow at two miles just past 4400′.
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5400′ Camp Below Twisp Pass
The single-rail bridge took us over the South Fork Twisp River. Before the switchback, a Pacific marten on a tree had caught my eye. It was our first time seeing one, so we checked out the shy animal before moving again.
The moderate incline went for another mile as we battled groups of down logs en route. Then, the striking Lincoln Butte appeared in the basin, where I put on snowshoes. Soon, we found a spot at 5400′ and stashed the overnight gear.
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Hock Mountain Climb
I had planned to camp on Twisp Pass for the views. But logistically, it was more sound to camp below Twisp Mountain’s east ridge at the east foothills. Thanks to Brian‘s track, I knew it was doable for all of us.
Soon, we rouned Twisp Mountain’s east ridge while staying between 5400′ and 5600′. There was some mix-climbing because of the exposed rocks. Then we rose slowly in slush toward Twisp Lake from the south basin.
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The Final Stretch on Hock Mountain
The snow worsened, so it took a while from the lake to Hock Mountain’s south saddle. Around this time, clouds rolled in, and we soon found ourselves in a whiteout. But the mists dissipated a bit when we reached the pass.
The steep south slope plus knee-high slush made a terrible combo. But after 400′ of an excruciating climb, we reached the southwest ridge and found some relief. Soon, clouds lifted as we made the rest of the way through shallow snow to the top.
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Hock Mountain Summit Views
I didn’t think we’d see anything on this trip since the forecast looked to have worsened. But the clouds had lifted just high enough to see nearby valleys. Heavily corniced ridge had us steer clear of the sheer dropoff on the east.
The most stunning view was of the Granite Creek corridor toward Rainy Pass. Frisco Mountain sat among the peak clusters south of there. To the east were Crescent Mountain and Mother Load Peak, which we visited last year.
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Sunset Climb on Twisp Mountain
I kept our summit visit short, hoping to have enough daylight to visit Twisp Mountain. But the unanticipated slush had us moving at snail’s speed. Soon, we retraced our steps to below Hock Mountain’s east ridge.
At 6000′, we rounded the ridge into Twisp Mountain’s south basin. The improved snow quality had us moving at a faster pace. Then, from the south, we went straight up the steep south face before reaching the broad summit.
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Exiting Twisp Mountain
It was late in the day, and I wasn’t in the mood to exit in the dark. So, we only stayed long enough to snap a photo of Hock Mountain and the dogs’ summit shot. Soon, we made our way down the east ridge and stayed south of the crest.
Two-thirds down the ridge at 6500′ was the top of the broad gully I saw earlier. After scoping out the slope, we made a beeline to our camp at 1100′ below. Then I quickly pitched the tent, and we ate before turning in after a long day.
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A Rainy Morning
The forecast had heavy overnight rain, but it never came until the morning. It was a great excuse not to get up at the first light to climb. We were in no hurry, and it felt good not having to rush due to time constraints.
It continued to rain after ten as we started to prepare. Even though the weather sucked, I wanted to go up Lincoln Butte and save us another trip. Then it began to snow when we walked 20 minutes to noon.
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En Route to Linclon Butte
Soon, we went north through the trees into the open and straight to Lincoln Butte’s west saddle. I couldn’t believe I had talked myself into climbing in this condition. The snowfall plus the mists weren’t my ideas for an enjoyable outing.
From the pass, the west ridge looked incredibly steep. But we stayed below the crest and mix-climbed en route. I kept the dogs close by to keep them away from the cornices. The .25-mile traverse from the saddle to the top took a while in a whiteout.
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Lincoln Butte Sumit
It’s been windy since the saddle but much worse on top; the dogs’ ears flapped everywhere. It was too bad we couldn’t see Gilbert Mountain in the clouds. Like on Twisp Mountain, we stayed for a few minutes before leaving.
Soon, we carefully retraced our steps below the ridge. There was a section of steep snow I didn’t want to go back through. So before the snow ramp, we headed straight for the basin shy of the saddle.
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Outro
June is notorious for erratic weather in the Pacific Northwest, but I didn’t anticipate the all-day snow. The four-hour roundtrip climb would’ve taken us half the time in dry months. Oh well, we made it out in one piece, at least!
After returning to camp, I dreaded packing the wet gear to start moving. The snow persisted as we walked out of the basin for the four miles back to the car. Soon, it turned into rain on the lower trail for the rest of the walk.
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