Jeff Smoot - Climbing Washingtons Mountains: 100 Classic Summit Routes to Washingtons Cascade and Olympic Mountains

Jeff Smoothas been climbing and hiking in Washington for more than forty years. He contributes articles to magazines such as Alpinistand Rock and Ice. He is the author of several guidebooks, including Best Climbs Cascade Volcanoesand Rock Climbing Washington. His memoir, Hangdog Days: Conflict, Change, and the Race for 5.14, was a finalist in the mountain literature category at the 2019 Banff Film + Book Festival, a finalist for the 2019 Boardman Tasker Prize, and a finalist in the memoir/history category for the 2020 Washington State Book Award.

If anything is true in guidebook writing, Its not what you know; its who you know. Without the help of others, this guidebook would have been impossible. I acknowledge and thank the following people for their assistance with this project, whether for providing route information, photographs, and chapter reviews, or for referring me along to someone who had information, including but certainly not limited to Morgan Balogh, Paul Baugher, Curt Baxstrom, Matt Below, Darin Berdinka, Mike Bingle, Robert Bolton, Bill Boyes, Jim Brisbine, Norm Buckley, Jim Cameron, Clint Carrell, Mark Dale, Jack Ganster, Pat Gentry, Mark Gunlogson, Colin Haley, Arthur Herlitzka, Jie Huang, Raphael Hyde, Alex Krawarik, Greg LaSala, Nick Nason, Beau Ramsey, Matt Robertson, Gordon Schryer, Dan Smith, Michael Stanton, Steve Teufert, Martin Volken, Adam Walker, Doug Weaver, Ernie Zeller, and Fan Zhang, as well as the many climbers who provided route information in passing during trailside, route, and summit conversations. The list goes on and on, and I have certainly forgotten someone, who I hope is very understanding.

Thanks also to those climbers and agencies that maintain excellent websites with trip reports, photos, and route descriptions, without which this edition would have been much more difficult to complete.

I also want to acknowledge those climbers over the past many years who have taken up what I understand is called Smootingthe climbing of routes included in this guideas a pastime, and especially those who have accepted the challenge of climbing all 100 peaks, something I didnt anticipate when I wrote the first edition. I enjoy hearing from you, seeing your photos, and sharing in my small way in your enjoyment of our wonderful mountains. Because of you, and knowing there may be some climbers out there who are still trying to complete all 100 summits from the first edition, I have not revised the list. So, sorry, you still have to climb a few remote mountains to finish the list. You can do it. I have faith in you.

Many thanks to David Legere, Emily Chiarelli, Mark Via, Melissa Baker, and the other folks at Globe Pequot for their hard work in bringing this book back to life.

Finally, as always, very special thanks to everyone who has put up with me and my writing habit, and to my parents for letting me run wild in the mountains in my youth.

A few of the peaks included in this guide, and a great many other hikes and climbs in the North Cascades, are most easily approached from Lake Chelan via the town of Stehekin and the Holden Village. These approaches require taking a ferry up 55-mile-long Lake Chelan, then getting a ride on a shuttle bus or van from town to the trailhead. If you are hiking or climbing in this region, you are advised to make transportation arrangements in advance.

The Lady of the Lakeferry provides morning service from Chelan and Fields Point Landing (about 16 miles up the west shore of Lake Chelan). The ferry departs at about 8:30 a.m. from Chelan, taking about two hours to arrive at Lucerne (port of Holden Village) and three hours to Stehekin, with a ninety-minute layover in Stehekin before returning to Chelan. There are also other combo options that extend the layover time. Express service to Stehekin takes about two hours but costs more. During summer months, a high-speed catamaran makes the voyage in just over an hour but costs more than the express ferry. The slow boat usually gets you to Stehekin in plenty of time to catch the shuttle bus. Schedule and ticket information for the ferry is available online at www.ladyofthelake.com or by calling (509) 682-4584. Parking is cheaper at Fields Point Landing, about $5 per day or $30 per week at last check. Parking is also available in Chelan for a slightly higher fee.

Holden Village is a Lutheran retreat located at the southeast edge of North Cascades National Park and the northeast edge of Glacier Peak Wilderness. To get there, take Lady of the Lakeferry to the town of Lucerne. A Holden Village driver meets the ferry daily from May through September and will drive you the 12 miles from Lucerne to the village; however, arrangements must be made ahead of time. The driver will also take you from Holden Village to Lucerne in time for the afternoon return ferry if you hike out to the village in time. Plan on arriving at Holden Village by 12:30 p.m. if you want to catch the afternoon run. Holden Village recommends that you contact them ahead of time to let them know of your planned date of arrival and departure, so they can be sure to have a driver pick you up, especially if you are hiking in from the west.