With the success of our Rampart Lakes trip, Jim and I decided to step it up and see what my knees could do.
Jim came up with a 3 day climb of Cowlitz Chimneys. It had a reasonable approach using the Wonderland Trail in Mt Rainier National Park. Believe it or not, I had never been on the Wonderland Trail or Summerland. What a treat!
We headed out on Saturday morning and were surprised to find out how easy it was to obtain a backcountry camping permit. All the Trail camps were full but we were able to get 2 nights at Panhandle Flats.
I was not surprised to find the Wonderland Trail beautifully manicured. Nothing like the Trail to Rampart Lakes. We took a long break at a creek crossing below Summerland to rest my knees before the big climb though my knees didn’t feel like they needed it.
Today, there was rain in the forecast so Summerland was relatively empty. The clouds had already consumed Mt Rainier and Little Tahoma so I would have to wait for the hike out to completely enough this part of the park.
We did take a nice break at the group shelter before heading up to Panhandle Gap.
From Summerland to Panhandle Gap, it looked like we were hiking on the moon.
Once we reached Panhandle Gap, we were greeted with green tundra and the dark rain clouds.
We were able to find a good camp spot, set up the tent, and have dinner before the rains came. It rained most of the night.
We woke to the clouds breaking up. They were hanging in the lower valleys.
We took our time getting out of camp allowing time for the clouds to finish lifting. We had three peaks on the agenda: Banchee, Middle Cowlitz Chimney, and Main Cowlitz Chimney. We would climb them easiest to hardest to see how I did.
The hike over to the Chimneys had green tundra on one side and sharp cliffs on the other. We strolled up the tundra. The terrain was so gentle, I was able to hike up hill backwards which is part of my PT. I was rewarded with a beautiful view of Mt Rainier.
After a couple of miles of tundra, we were given our first view of Banchee and the Chimneys.
They look a lot harder than they are. Banchee has a trail to the top which rewarded us with an up close view of the Chimneys.
After a long break, we headed off to Middle Cowlitz Chimney. This Peak would involve some low level scrambling and scree. I was elated to hit the summit without much difficulty.
From here, we got a great view of the cliffs on the other side of the gentle tundra we had hiked up that morning.
The face of the main chimney looked completely unclimbable from here. Good thing the route was on the other side of the peak.
As we traversed around to the start of the route, I was tested with the most difficult part of the climb; traversing loose, steep scree. It tested every nerve in my body. I don’t like this crap when I am healthy.
When we finally reached the start of the route, I was a bit wigged out so we roped up. Roping up always calms me down and gives me a sense of security.
I was happy to find scrambling and class 5 climbing to be the same as always though I am way more careful not to hit my knees into the rock.
Once above the cliffs, we scrambled up the main chimney to the summit. We were unsure how I was getting down since we made a major error in leaving my poles below the cliff band. But as Brooke would say “that was a problem for future Eileen “. Present Eileen was going to soak in this fabulous summit.
The way down went way easier than we expected. Jim figured out that if he kept me near a rock wall, I could use it to help me down instead of leaning on him.
We dropped down lower on the traverse back to camp. This allowed me to skip most of the loose scree.
On the way back to camp, we were treated to a sighting of a herd of goats complete with babies. We counted 40+.
When I stopped to look at the goats, I looked back at the Main Cowlitz Chimney. What a beautiful peak. I started to feel like I was back. We had climbed 3 peaks and it would be a 12 hour day. The real test would be if I could walk in the morning.
I woke no worse than the day before. We packed up and headed out. It was hot so we stopped twice to let me soak in a lake and stream. Though there was smoke in the air, we still got a view of Little Tahoma and Mt Rainier.
The smoke didn’t seem to slow down the crowds visiting Summerland. It was a Monday. I can’t imagine how many people are here on a sunny Saturday.
After reaching the car, Jim and I declared that I could go back to climbing. Our summer climbing plans were back on the table. Now where were we on my spreadsheet.
Complete Photo Gallery
You must be logged in to post a comment.