Norse Peak by Castle Mountain looks out to Crystal Mountain Ski Resort. Below the east is the famous Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Moreover, the most direct route in the winter comes from the west by Silver Creek.
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Norse Peak by Castle Mountain at a Glance
Access: Norse Peak Trailhead
Round Trip: 7.4 miles
Elevation Range: 3960′-6856′
Essential Gear: microspikes
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Playlist: Hopeful
Return to Norse Peak Wilderness
Connor and I returned for the yearly pilgrimage on this freezing Thanksgiving Day. It was my 10th visit since 2010. We started walking at 5:30, hoping to make it to dinner on time with the long drive. It’s funny that the later the sunrise, the better on time we usually were.
There had been little info about the recent snow conditions. So, who better to check it out first-hand than ourselves? The forecast also showed mostly cloudy, primarily in the late morning. That’s also why I wanted a head start before things went south.
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A Frigid Thanksgiving Day Excursion
Apart from having less snow this year, things were similar to last time. I didn’t need to put on snowshoes despite postholing in the upper basin before attaining the ridge. Before that, we followed days-old boot tracks until it faded past the summer trail fork.
More snow appeared before the northwest saddle below the top. But it was semi-firm that we didn’t sink in much. The bivy site, often under the snow, was dry, as was the entire upper southwest slope. It turned out warmer than the forecast, full-on sunny!
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Taking in Views From Norse Peak by Castle Mountain
Taking last year’s route, we hugged the ridgeline through the top of Big Crow Basin. We postholed through the fresh powder, but I was too lazy to put on snowshoes by then. Soon, we took a break on Kahuna Peak’s west peak after going over the main summit.
The sight of Castle Mountain’s sheer wall across Goat Creek Basin continued to impress me. Despite being near it all these years, it beckoned us to climb it soon. Before long, we dropped onto the south ridge over dry rocks before meeting the trail above 5600′ to walk out.
See more trip photos here.