By Fred Hammerquist, WNPF Board Member
Over the past few summers, Washington’s National Park Fund’s board members and friends have come together to participate in a Climb for a Cause fundraising climb. This summer we chose to climb Mount Shuksan, a 9,131’ peak in North Cascades National Park. A board and friends team had climbed it back in 2020 via the Sulphide Glacier route but for this summer’s climb, we decided to try a more technical route via the Fisher Chimneys.
Washington’s National Park Fund partners with two world-class mountain guide services: International Mountain Guides (IMG) and Alpine Ascents International (AAI) for their Climb for a Cause program. For this climb we were guided by IMG; they are a top-notch guiding service based in Ashford, Washington and is a valued partner to WNPF.
The climb took place on August 4-6 and was a three-day attempt. Our climb team included Teresa Hagerty, Kristen Oliphant, Joel VandenBrink, Tom Dugan, and myself. Leading up to the climb we all trained hard, knowing this would test our fitness and skills. The team got together for a training hike up to Mailbox Peak a couple of weeks before the climb – a great trail near Seattle, where you might find hikers and climbers training for a peak like Shuksan. We cruised to the summit via the old trail in good form and then ran down the new trail which made for a good fitness/team-building session.
On August 4th, the team met at the Glacier Ranger Station in Deming where we met our IMG guides: Porter, Lael, and Riley. Once we sorted through the gear with the guides, we then parked at the Lake Ann Trailhead where we put on our packs and started the hike/climb to base camp. We started the trek at 10:00 am and reached Lake Ann at noon. From there the trail heads up towards the Shuksan Arm: a ridge line descending from the summit, where our climbing route became visible. As we all stood on the ridge above Lake Ann, Porter pointed out our climbing route. Everyone’s attention was heightened as we each realized the task that was ahead of us.
Where the Lake Ann trail ended and the climber’s trail started was anyone’s guess but gradually the trail got steeper and more technical. After a series of improbable switchbacks, we crossed into North Cascades National Park! We then traversed a large scree slope and found ourselves at the base of a steep rock cliff. At that point, our guides said it was time to break out the climbing ropes and harnesses as we were about to ascend the famous “Chimneys” portion of the climbing route: 1,000’ of class 3-4 scrambling. This is where it got interesting. I thought to myself “So we’re going to rock climb with 40-pound packs?” Answer: yes indeed and up we went. The climbing in this section would have been relatively easy had it not been for our 40-pound packs. After three or four roped climbing pitches interspersed with sections of trail, we arrived at a “V” Notch on the ridge of Shuksan Arm.
There was a short traverse across the White Salmon Glacier and before we knew it we had arrived at base camp which was situated below a steep snow slope known as Winnie’s Slide. There were multiple bivouac sites where people had cleared rocks and scree to make semi-flat tent spots. We were lucky that a couple of groups had left earlier that day leaving several camp spots for the team.
We were all stoked that we made it through the Chimneys with full packs in good form, so we were ready for the more technical sections above base camp. Everyone started pitching their tents and sorting through gear that we would need for an early start the following morning. Headlamps, crampons, harnesses, ice axes, helmets, water, food, and clothing layers were all ready.
We had an early dinner that evening and as we ate, Porter gave us the rundown of the next day’s climb to the summit and what we should expect with weather, temperatures, and clothing layering.
We set our alarms for 3:30 am for a 4:30 am start. The sunset was amazing that night, which is always a good omen for the weather ahead. I was ready to roll out of bed when my alarm sounded the next morning and was excited about the climbing day to come. As people gathered gear and made their way to the guide tent/kitchen, the full moon appeared over the ridge above us. Once everyone finished their breakfast, we set off for the trek to the summit! We left base camp and crossed some large boulders making our way to the base of Winnie’s Slide, a 200’ steep snow slope. At the base, we put on crampons and readied our ice axes. We ascended to the top of Winnie’s Slide in two groups of three roped together with our guides. We were now at the base of the impressive Curtis Glacier and then after a quick water refill from the glacier water, we continued our way up the glacier. We stayed left on the glacier until we got above a series of crevasses. We then turned right onto the upper Curtis Glacier. The glacier travel was a rolling traverse below a huge cliff band ending at Hells Highway: a series of steeper ice slopes and crevasses leading to the upper Sulphide Glacier.
We arrived at the Sulphide Glacier at around 6:00 am and we were happy to be through some of the steeper snow and ice sections. From here we could see the summit pyramid of Mount Shuksan and the SE ridge route where we would be climbing. Ascending the Sulphide Glacier was straightforward but included some steeper snow ramps and bridges between a few large crevasses.
Once at the base of the summit pyramid – a 600’ mass of rock ribs – we stashed our crampons and ice axes and put on rock climbing shoes. The SE ridge route is a series of short-roped pitches of simultaneous climbing. The ridge was very exposed to the east and easily dropped 1,000’ to the glacier below, however, it made for some dramatic views! The last three pitches were a little more difficult and exposed but well protected. Our guides did a stellar job of making sure everyone was comfortable and well-informed.
Finally, the summit appeared as we crested a rib of rock, and our two teams joined another party celebrating on the very small, classic, and well-known summit of Mount Shuksan. We all high-fived, ate energy bars, and took in the amazing views of Mount Baker, the almighty Cascade Range, and our route up from Lake Anne. After the obligatory group summit pic was taken, we started our descent through the south side gullies which included a series of roped down climbing and lowering. Once we reached the base of the gully, we put our mountaineering boots and crampons back on and traversed down the Sulphide Glacier. We continued our descent by making our way down Hell’s Highway, crossing Upper Curtis Glacier, and ending at the base of Winnie’s Slide. We arrived at base camp around 3:00 in the afternoon. The team was stoked to have summited and to have arrived safely back at base camp. We then all took a well-deserved nap.
The next morning was super chill as we packed the tents and headed back down the Chimneys, making our way past Lake Ann (some of the team went for a quick swim) and then finally arrived back at the cars. Joel and Tom had packed a few beers in ice, which was a great way to celebrate an awesome climb.
Together our team raised over $15,000 for North Cascades National Park, which will be used for a wide variety of projects not covered through federal funding. I would encourage anyone reading this post to consider joining a Climb for a Cause team if you love our parks and want a great challenge.
If you’ve dreamed of climbing Washington’s most incredible, iconic peaks but don’t know where to start, Climb for a Cause is a fundraising program for you. Through Climb for a Cause, you’ll climb Mount Rainier (Tahoma), Mount Olympus, or Mount Baker (Kulshan) while giving back to a place that’s special to you.
Visit the Climb for a Cause page if you’re interested in taking on the challenge and making a difference in these parks!