West Twin Needle rises west of Mount Terror in the Picket Range. It’s the third-tallest point above Crescent Creek Basin after Mount Degenhardt. Often included in the Picket Traverse, the peak is also accessible via the south.
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West Twin Needle at a Glance
Access: Goodell Creek Cross-Country Zone Access Trailhead
Round Trip: 19.5 miles
Elevation Range: 600′-7936′
Essential Gear: helmet, rock & rope (60m x 2), multi-night
Route Info: Cascade Alpine Guide, Jeff Wright
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: no pets
Playlist: Epic, Ethereal
Friday, August 26
Overview > Day 1 > Day 2 > Day 3
The Barrier + Crescent Creek Camp @ 6440′
The Preface
I put off returning to the Picket Range until this year as I slowly chipped away at the list. Once again, I enlisted Anne on the rock climb. We’ve traversed the Northern Pickets and climbed Lincoln Peak on the WA Top 200 peaks.
After Patrick canceled his plan to Chilliwacks due to fire closures, I invited him on our trip. He and I met while climbing Dome Peak and Bonanza Peak in 2014. Our last outing was on Gunsight Peak near Stehekin, Washington, in 2020.
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Instagram: West Twin Needle Tidbits
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West Twin Needle South Route
West Twin Needle is relatively benign as part of the Southern Picket Traverse. The class 3 east flank and the class 2 west slope provide a significant reprieve from the sustained technical terrain. But that’s if coming straight from either notch.
In contrast, climbing from the basin on the south puts one on much more challenging ground. Not only route info via the south is scarce, but it can be disorienting. Plus, the approach over the narrow gullies makes it much less straightforward.
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Goodell Creek Trail
On Friday, I picked up our climbing permit in Marblemount and slept in the car. The morning after, I met Anne and Patrick, who were carpooling from Seattle to the trailhead after a minor fiasco. We reorganized our group gear before walking at 8 AM.
The trail was in the same shape as the last time but arid, with dried-up streams en route. It could be the result of the nearby Sourdough Fire. We strolled through the open forest and continued past the trail fork at mile 3.5.
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En Route to Terror Creek
As usual, the lower trail beyond the junction was still easy to follow. Before the talus field, we began the joy of piecing together parts of the path amid the debris. All but one cairn and most flagging had disappeared. Okay, gatekeepers, beat it.
Soon, an enormous tree pile took us off route, and we ended up lower. It took some scanning through the foliage to relocate the path before reaching Terror Creek. Thankfully, the water was much lower this time, and we could cross nearby to the cairn.
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The Barrier in the Picket Range
Anne forded the water at a shallow spot while Patrick and I crossed using wet rocks. After a break, we continued through the typical steep incline. Being that it was Patrick’s first time, he thought the trail was the worst as it shot straight up.
It became increasingly brushy on the crest as we pieced together various sections. Apart from new tree debris, the trail hadn’t changed much. But with the growing number of climbers, I thought there’d be a beaten path by now.
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Crescent Creek Basin to West Twin Needle
The ridge was incredibly dry. As the path faded above the trees around 5400′, we started looking for water but found only dry stream beds. Luckily, we got some from an itsy-bitsy puddle and enviously eyed the small pools west of the basin.
We took a break at the 6400′ camp before dropping 200′ into Crescent Creek Basin. Anne and Patrick stayed together through scree to minimize rockfalls as I hugged the cliffs. Soon, we began the one-mile-long traverse north.
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Crescent Camp Below Mount Terror
Some parties had mentioned a “Crescent Camp,” which we never found. But we went as far as possible to a flat area below Mount Terror at 6050′ before the slope dipped. Two streams were nearby from the overhead slabs.
The colorful evening sky dimmed as we enjoyed dinner through several chats. Unexpectedly, rats started poking their heads out amid the rocks under the last light. It quickly reminded me of Crooked Thumb Peak as I prayed for a better night’s rest this time.
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Saturday, August 27
Overview > Day 1 > Day 2 > Day 3
West Twin Needle + Crescent Creek Camp @ 6440′
En Route to West Twin Needle
In the morning, we headed west, dropping 300′ below the moraine to the head of Crescent Creek. Beyond the water, a rising traverse below the Eye Col gully took us past the adjacent buttress. We were now directly beneath West Twin Needle and Himmelhorn.
After surveying, we approached the buttress that divided the two rightmost gullies. Patrick and Anne scoped out the left one but didn’t like the sheer boulders. We then decided to start with one on the right and see about rerouting later.
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Instagram: Visit The Pickets
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Traversing the Lower Buttress
We knew our chosen route would soon be a dead-end by a closed chimney. While it was still doable, I climbed, rounded the buttress, and looked into the left gully. I called the other two to see their feelings about continuing on the minor rib; they were game.
The steepness of the rib was only apparent when we saw it on the way down. Since we couldn’t go into the gully without rappelling, we continued to the notch at 7400′. Soon, the East Twin Needle’s impressive sight appeared atop the Eye Col.
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A Change in Plans
By then, we were too far east of the Himmelhorn-West Twin notch, 1932’s original route. Anne and I thought it’d be good to go that way despite having little info from other parties. But Patrick suggested the Eye Col since we were already below it.
However, the only info we had was John Roper and Russ Kroeker’s 1981 ascent. The rest of the 600′ looked short from the notch, but that was our perspective from below. But we all knew reaching the col would take a while.
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Aiming for the Eye Col
Besides constantly kicking down rocks, we had no issue climbing over the smaller lower chockstones. Patrick and Anne went from the right as the loose choss kept coming. Instead, I took the boulders on the left to avoid the debris entirely.
Higher up, the larger chockstones soon put us in the class 5 terrain, where we needed to start pitching. After anchoring below the big rocks, Patrick tested the adjacent walls, which lacked features. Meanwhile, Anne spotted a narrow crack farther down the climber’s right.
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Pitching Through the Chockstones
Patrick felt confident and volunteered to lead while I belayed despite possible rope drag. He soon angled inward and created tension in the rope, which was still manageable. After passing the crux, he anchored on a ledge 10′ above the gully.
I followed while pulling out several loose rocks and stepped around Patrick into the gully. He tossed the rope down for his pack before bringing Anne up. Then we briefly walked up in scree to the Eye Col and caught the first glimpse of Northern Pickets.
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The Final Stretch on the West Twin Needle
We scrambled up from the notch while looking for the class 3 scramble from Jeff’s photo. But we somehow ignored the line he had drawn and ended up higher. After poking around, Patrick decided to go up the white slabs overhead.
While it wasn’t ideal, we wanted to save time on route-finding. It took me a while to climb without good holds, and I wonder how Patrick even led the pitch! Cracks that looked decent from below were shallow and too tight to jam in my boots.
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East Face 5.7 Direct
I finally made it, with Patrick taking me several times to rest my arms. Woot! Holy isht, that was quite the workout. The 5.7 rating he estimated was way above my pay grade. But I now had a newfound appreciation for the ridge traverse because it’s a lot of work!
Thanks to Patrick for leading us through the cruxes. Despite spending much time in the gully, we were still okay time-wise. As a consolation prize, we spent an hour marveling at the stunning landscape and chit-chatted the afternoon away.
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West Twin Needle Summit Views
We first caught the remarkably sheer view of Himmelhorn from the top. It made West Twin Needle look like a walk in the park. The remarkable sights to the east included Mount Terror and The Rake. Anything beyond Mount Degenhart had melded into the backdrop.
Despite smoke from the east, visibility was way better than expected. Places like Mount Prophet and Elephant Butte in the nearby valleys were still identifiable. Meanwhile, the ghostly Mount Baker made a cameo from what looked like heavier haze.
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Exiting via Himmelhorn-West Twin Col
Earlier, we agreed to exit via the Himmelhorn-West Twin notch instead of the east face. Again, we had very little info on the original route but thought it’d be more direct. Besides, we needed to retrieve our gear from the buttress by the snow.
After downclimbing the class 2-3 west face, we rappelled twice below the notch. The two 60-meter ropes we brought let us bypass many vertical slabs. After scrambling through grass and sloping rocks to 6800′, we realized we were off by one gully.
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Two Rappels Through the Left Gully
To reach the gully we scoped out in the morning, we went east and up 200′. Soon, at the top of the grassy slope, we anchored over a decent-sized protruding rock. It angled upward enough so we wouldn’t accidentally pull the sling off on the way down.
The initial concern was that the ropes wouldn’t reach the bottom. As it turned out, the cliffs were much shorter, which put us at the base in no time. Patrick later found a picket as we scrambled down the gully, possibly from last year.
The ropes somehow became stuck as I tried reeling them in. Climbing back up and freeing up the knot was getting more likely as they wouldn’t budge. Then I tried one more firm tug, and they finally moved again. Hurray!
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Leaving West Twin Needle
We built our final anchor above the boulders the two folks scoped out this morning. Alas, the rappel took us over more vertical rocks above the snowfield. Then we rounded the buttress to the gear and retraced our steps to the talus.
We were glad to have ample daylight to return to camp before dark. Meanwhile, I chuckled, thinking about our talks about including The Chopping Block today. But that was before we realized the West Twin Needle would be a day’s work.
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Sunday, August 28
Overview > Day 1 > Day 2 > Day 3
Exit
Leaving Crescent Creek Basin
Patrick and Anne talked about climbing The Chopping Block this morning. Since I needed to pick up the dogs, I couldn’t join them. But I thought Mount Terror above camp would be more interesting, so I gave them the info. Then they decided to do it.
I continued to pack as I watched them walk up the slabs toward the gully. As their figures slowly blended into the background, it was time for my one-mile traverse back to the 6400′ bench. I took a long break before plunging down the south basin.
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En Route Back to Terror Creek
I wanted to check out Terror Creek Basin and the snow conditions from The Barrier. But as soon as I realized I was out of water, I glanced around the vast basin and saw none. The tiny puddle from two days ago was completely dry.
As I meandered west, the glistening pool 600′ below soon caught my eye. Despite not wanting to make the extra length, I knew I’d need water at some point. Otherwise, it’d be a long, dry exit over the 3200′ drop to Terror Creek.
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