Hall Peak by Marble Peak overlooks Big Four Mountain’s Big Four Ice Caves. Below the steep east flank winds Mountain Loop Highway along Stillaguamish River. Meanwhile, Dickerman Mountain sits to the east across the valley.
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Hall Peak at a Glance
Access: Big Four Ice Caves Trailhead
Round Trip: 7.5 miles
Elevation Range: 1720′-5484′
GPS Track: available
Gear: helmet, ice ax, crampons
Dog-Friendly: no
Big Four Ice Caves
Happy Fourth of July! Hall Peak via Big Four Ice Caves was an all-day effort through gnarly terrain. Some had approached via the steep east-southeast ridgeline. Meanwhile, others opted for the broad gully south of the crest.
Since we went with the ridge option, the crux was finding a viable entry once the trail faded. But the dense trees and tall vegetation were hard to penetrate. In hindsight, we should’ve waited until late spring to avoid the brush altogether.
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Brushy Terrain in the Broad Gully
We went into the broad gully higher up, which was the most agonizing part of the climb. It was impossible to bypass the tall thickets. But the worst part was wasting much daylight swimming in ferns and Devil’s Club.
I stumbled upon an old, ragged rope by the granite slabs. It could’ve quickly helped me up the steep 30′ tall slab, but I was afraid to pull on it. Instead, I relied on veggie belay while the pup dashed up the rocks.
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East-Southeast Ridge
Painfully but surely, we reached the east-southeast ridge at 3000′. If we waited until the terrain became steeper, the cliffs ahead would cause an issue. Going any higher in the gully, we would have difficulty leaving it.
But as it turned out, traversing the ridge wasn’t as smooth sailing as I had hoped. Oddly, it was as brushy as the gully but not as horrible. Though, to add insult to injury, we hit the jackpot of hopping over massive down trees.
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Hall Peak East Ridge
The steep incline reduced past 3400′ as the ridge veered west. Then it narrowed drastically to form a catwalk 200′ higher. The bonus was the scree and moving rocks with steep drop-offs, which we avoided via dense shrubs.
Beyond the catwalk, the orange flagging and a faint trail caught my eye. Then straight ahead was a waterfall draping the headwall. In turn, the water gushed into the top of the narrow west gully at 3800′.
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Through Eastern Slopes
Soon, the terrain steepened again as we weaved through more dense growth. Eventually, we went on the snowfield on the steep eastern slopes. Then that put us below Hall Peak’s south shoulder at 4900′.
But the minute we moved to the snow, swarms of mosquitoes appeared. Interestingly, they quickly vanished after we reached the ridge. I later discovered that the females were laying eggs near the snowmelt. Who knew?
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Traversing the South Ridge
I finally saw Big Four Mountain from the crest and couldn’t wait to see it from the top. We soon moved north on the wooded south ridge and steered clear of the cornices on the east.
Before long, we moved to the southwest face to bypass the cliffs. From there, we crossed a large snowfield to the west. Then we followed the mild, wooded west ridge up to the summit.
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Hall Peak Summit Views
Interestingly, the snow dwindled as soon as we exited the forest. Then we moved to the grassy slopes below the summit rocks. Finally, we reached the top after all the hard work and cruxes at the bottom.
Big Four Mountain was as beautiful as I had pictured and the closest I’d been to see it. The weather held up nicely on this gorgeous holiday weekend. Nearby views included Marble Peak, Lewis Peak, and Mount Stickney.
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Outro
The pup and I spent a long hour on top before finally leaving. Then the thought of going through the unpleasant brush in the lower parts of the mountain made me cringe. But the thickets were much more pleasant to tackle in reverse.
We returned to the trailhead just as the night fell.
