South Mirror Image recently earned its spot on Washington’s highest 200 peaks list. LIDAR data showed it taller than Shelokum Mountain, its southern neighbor, by a whopping TWO feet. This trip marked eight years since our last adventure on this trail, when we climbed Silver Moon. Thus, a return felt both nostalgic and fresh.
See more trip photos here.
South Mirror Image at a Glance
Access: Cedar Creek Trailhead
Round Trip: 17.5 miles
Elevation Range: 3200′-8075′
Essential Gear: helmet, microspikes, snowshoes
Route Info: Brian Hill
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: with guidance
Playlists: Reels, Urban
A Return to Cedar Creek and the Long Trek In
Our trip began on the familiar Cedar Creek Trail. It offered a long but fairly straightforward approach, including a scenic stop by Cedar Falls at mile 1.75. Snow appeared past mile four, where I put on microspikes for better traction on the firm snow in the shade. Additionally, the small cut trees assisted navigation where continuous snow obscured parts of the trail.
The approach to the Cedar Creek crossing stretched for a lengthy seven miles, gained about 1800 feet in elevation, making for a gradual but long walk. Mister Connor trotted alongside patiently as we pushed through the valley. After making it over the raging west branch of the creek on downed trees, we crossed Cedar Creek to the south using snow bridges and logs.
Ascending South Mirror Image
To lighten the load for the main ascent, I stashed microspikes and approach shoes on a tree near the water. Between 5200 and 6000 feet, thinning snow revealed places of annoying crisscrossing log debris. But we navigated through this jumbled area without a hitch and without tripping over things. Thankfully, continuous snow returned higher up, and with snowshoes, it simplified the rest of the climb.
Heading up the west ridge of South Mirror Image went relatively smoothly and without any real surprises. The route in continuous snow presented no challenging obstacles for either of us. It felt good to move steadily upward, with Connor doing the usual exploring of deer tracks en route. The peak proved more about endurance than technical difficulty on a beautiful, bluebird day.
Summit Views and a Puzzling Descent
We celebrated Cinco de Mayo amidst spectacular views, especially toward North Gardner Mountain. The magnificent vista mirrored the memorable outing the yellow lab and I experienced from Shelokum Mountain all those years ago. Clear skies offered far-reaching panoramas of the North Cascades, as well as the neighboring Kangaroo Ridge. We lingered a long while to soak it all in before moving out.
On the way back down the trail, I noticed bright flagging marking a path through the 2021 Cedar Creek Fire area. The ribbons appeared quite new, almost as if someone had placed them earlier in the day. Or perhaps I completely missed them under the morning light on our way in. Regardless, it provided a slightly clearer direction in the deep forest.
