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Page Type:
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Route |
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Lat/Lon:
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44.12720°N / 121.8565°W |
Route Type:
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Scramble |
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Time Required:
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Most of a day |
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Difficulty:
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Class 3/4 |
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Approach
From the Foley Ridge Trailhead (see the Main Page - Getting There section for directions), take this trail mostly southeast for about 4 miles and about 1000 feet of elevation to a junction with a sign saying "Foley Ridge Trailhead to the left and Pacific Crest Trail to the right." The other trail that heads south goes up to Substitute Point, ignore it. Continue on in the direction of the Pacific Crest Trail for 3/4 of a mile gaining little or no elevation to another junction for Buck Meadow to the south. Stay left and continue on this trail about 1.4 miles to 6000 feet altitude. At this point, you begin the climb cross country. (If you have a GPS, good idea to mark this waypoint for the descent.)Route Description
Turn left and go north up the forested hill before you. Angle slightly left to gain the ridge on the right side. You will go cross country about .4 miles and 800 feet up to gain the ridge.Continue on the ridge as it goes north and curves slightly right. It then comes back slightly left (northwest) up to a red lava-capped point. If you can see this before you get there, klnow that you will need to downclimb to the right to get beyond this point. There is a cliff on the subridge heading east so contour sufficiently right to get to a lowpoint in the wall to gain the scree field on the right (east) side of the south ridge before the summit. Once on the screefield, stay as high as you can and aim for the second dike coming down from the south ridge near the summit. The first dike is obvious and the second is slightly past it and fainter. Don't take the first dike as it leads you to a dead end on a gendarme. The second dike leads up to a break in the wall. It is about 25 feet of Class 3 or 4 climbing. The moves are steep Class 3 but the exposure, albeit only 25 feet, would drop you on sharp, jagged rock, hence the Class 3/4 estimate. (Similar exposure to Thielsen in my mind but much shorter climb. Would like to know what others think.)
This photo shows the correct route up the south ridge from the scree field.
Once up this part, head up easy rock to the summit. Descend the same route. Note: once you get off the south ridge and are heading back to the trail, trust your compass and head due south. The ridge makes you feel like southwest is really south and it would take you much longer to regain the trail.