Welcome to Off-Trail

Climbing Pinnacle Peak (6562’)

The Off Trail section is featuring video shot during excursions of solitude. The latest iterations of GoPro cameras have very good audio and good enough software stabilization to enable shoulder mounted shooting while ambulating, skiing or biking. Prior to 2024 I recorded mostly in 2.7K, but the newer cameras allow for 4K/60fps. As of 2022 I am adding 360 video when appropriate. Many of these will be during peak bagging outings, where I can go hours or days without seeing another soul. Some include usually high traffic and popular trails, but during off season or early/late hours, also devoid of people. Enjoy the sounds of footsteps, the crunch of snow, birdsong, wind…and sometimes labored breathing.

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The Hummock (6,000’) Unicorn Peak (6971’) Tyee Peak (6,000’) Pigeon Peak (4280’) Antler Peak (7017’) Marcus Peak (6962’) Meany Crest Ski 4/14/24 Chinook Peak (6904’) Three Way Peak (6796’) Silver King Peak (6998’) Norse Peak (6856’)

Boundary Trail (Nisqually)/Ridge Mt. Wow (6040’) Florence Peak (5508’) Lane Peak (6012’) Seymour Peak (6337’) Yakima Peak (6226’) Old Desolate (7137’) Central Cowlitz Chimney (7421’) Pinnacle Peak (6562’) Third Burroughs (7828’). Barrier (6521’)/Buell (5756’) Peaks Scarface (6108’) Foss Peak (6524). First Mother Mountain (6480’) Howard Peak (5683’) Banshee Peak (7400’) Bald Rock (5904’) Paul Peak (4800') Castle Peak (6120') Castle-First Mother Ridge Transit. Old Wonderland Trail Section: Carbon River Mt. Rainier: Mowich Rivers 50 Mt. Rainier Peaks. A Senior’s Backcountry Ski Experience DUNEs! Martin/August/Virginia/Berry Peaks Satulick/Iron/Copper Peaks Whitman Crest (9323’)/Fryingpan Glacier Lake Allen “Trail” Aurora Peak (6094’) Wahpenayo/Chutla/Eagle Peaks Plummer/Denman Peaks. Andrew Benchmark (6716’) Mount Ararat (6010’) Anvil Rock (9584’)/Muir Snowfield Ski Cowlitz Rocks (7450’) Tamanos Mountain (6790’) Sunshine Point (MRNP) Tahtlum Peak (6567’) Joshua Tree National Park TumTum Peak (4678’). Mt. Rainier: Select Summits Mt. Adams RTM Off-Trail Timelapse

The Hummock (6,000')

OCTOBER 24-25, 2024 Taking advantage of a short weather window, I went to a place I had visited in 2006 to record a timelapse sunset: a hummock above Emerald Ridge. I thought a revisit was in order, and carried 4 cameras with me; a Panasonic G9, GoPro Hero 11 Black, GoPro Hero 12 Black, and a GoPro 360 Max. As it turned out I only used 2 cameras, the H11 and 12. I failed to record a timelapse sunset on the G9 due to user error, and I never set up the 360 Max.

Looking west: Emerald Ridge lower left frame

I parked at the West Side Road and walked the road to the Round Pass trail, then intersected the South Puyallup trail to the Wonderland, continuing CW on the Wonderland to Emerald Ridge. An extension of the ridge continues to the base of what I call “The Hummock”, a grass topped rocky mound that actually blocks a good portion of the mountain from the Emerald Ridge vantage point. A short class 2/3 scramble put me on the apex of the mound, where I saw 3 mountain goats below me heading for the base of the Tahoma Glacier. From there it was a matter of setting up the cameras, with the 2 GoPros plugged into a power brick to keep them going all night. It wasn’t especially cold, but there were brisk gusty winds on the mound. I found a flattish spot for the bivy (with a cross country permit) below the mound and hunkered down, letting the cameras run all night long. I had excellent vistas to the west, finally seeing the comet along with the lights of Puget Sound.

Mt. Adams perfectly framed from The Hummock

During the night the moon rose behind the mountain, and I figured that amount of light would wash out the GoPro timelapses, with the 11 set to “nightlapse” and the 12 set to “star trails.” However, I was pleasantly surprised with the results, as you will see in the video. As I retraced my steps back to the vehicle, there were brief moments of sun and pleasant temps. Although I was schlepping more weight than I am accustomed to, this was a great way to cap off the hiking season. Happy Hiking everyone!

Tyee Peak (6,000')

Tyee Peak is accessed from Mt. Rainier's Northern Loop Trail near Windy Gap, with a social trail that deposits the hiker right at its base. I tagged this peak on a 2 day NLT transit, along with Pigeon Peak. My decision to circle the mid base of the peak to the east and climb the east face was doable but not prudent. The much easier route up the wooded west ridge proved to be the "normal" way, as I found out on my descent. Both routes are shown in this video.

Pigeon Peak (4280')

This remote peak is really just the end of a ridge, but it's on the Mountaineer's 100 peaks in Mt. Rainier National Park list, which is the only reason anyone would go there. Once I stepped off the Northern Loop Trail, I had 4.5 hours of brush, creeks and tightly packed trees to negotiate. On the return trip I dropped to a lower contour and the going was a bit better, but I was very glad to be back on trail. Rated Mature due to a few cuss words.

Antler Peak (7017')

Antler Peak is easily accessed from the Sunrise Parking lot via the Sourdough Ridge Trail. I took a late afternoon jaunt to the peak utilizing two cameras, my usual chest mount plus a handheld pole mounted 360 camera to provide some alternate viewing. The entire transit is captured in this 11 minute video.

Marcus Peak (6962')

Marcus Peak was the last peak remaining in this part of the park for me, so I bagged it when I was camping at White River for a few days, driving up to Sunrise Point to hike the Palisades Trail. A left turn to Hidden Lake brings one to an informal trail that goes to the saddle between Palisades and Marcus. The Mountaineers book shows the route going up the ridge to Marcus, with the description saying stay mostly to the right. After floundering in the trees on the ridge, I dropped back down to open country and came across a trail that led to a gully, taking you right up to the base of the summit block. However, first I traversed over to the saddle on the NW side of Marcus to check out that route; it didn’t look inviting. I circled back to the trail and finally summited by gaining the ridge from an obvious gully. The summit block provided good solid holds to the top. Stats: 8.5 miles/3,500’ elev. Video rated Mature due to one cuss word.

Mt. Wow (6040')

First a note on the wonky video, which I eventually diagnosed and corrected after this trip. For those GoPro users, after a firmware update I had to make the Hero11 recognize that I had the Max lens mod installed

Third time’s a charm, trying for Wow from the West Side Road via the steep and unmaintained Lake Allen “trail.” Blog post is here. If you want to see more about the Lake Allen trail, click this. For this old guy it was an unrelenting, brutal day; stats: 6.7 miles/5018’ elev

Lane Peak (6012')

Lane Peak resides in the Tatoosh Range in Mt. Rainier National Park. It is described as a difficult scramble in the "100 Peaks in Mt. Rainier" guide due to a steep gully that must be ascended to attain the summit. On a beautiful summer like Thursday (October 5/2022) I decided to give it a go. The description was correct; but although steep, there are bountiful hand holds and I never felt very exposed. This was peak #65 for me in my ongoing chipping away at the list. The fact that the Tatoosh side of the park is simply spectacular, especially clad in fall colors, was icing on the cake. I mounted a GoPro Max 360 camera on my helmet to try to capture the essence of the gully climb.

Old Desolate (7137')

Old Desolate in Mt. Rainier National Park towers above Mystic Lake. Unlike singular peaks, Old Desolate occupies a long ridge. Towards one end the high point tops at 7137'. For this iteration I started at Sunrise and hiked the Wonderland Trail past Mystic Lake, Mystic Pass, and entered the area of Moraine Park. After ascending a dry wash to a plateau in Moraine Park, I climbed straight away to a sub peak on the ridge which offered astounding in your face views. However, to reach the summit proper I had to descend a bit and traverse the loose rock that covers the whole western face. The summit area is round and broad, peering down to Mystic Lake and across to the Burroughs Mountains and the entirety of the Winthrop Glacier. Stats for the day: 25 miles with 7700' vertical.

Central Cowlitz Chimney (7421')

This video starts on the contour below and around Banshee. Central Cowlitz is described as a moderate scramble, but I found the hardest part of the day to be the side hilling and route finding below Banshee to access the peak. The star of the day is the view from the summit, looking across to the sheer wall below Banshee and the Sarvant Glacier with Rainier in the background. As usual for this area of the park, goats were seen lounging in various places during the hike. Because I started and ended at White River campground, the day was longish at 22 miles with 5500’ elevation. Link to blog writeup.

Third Burroughs (7828')

Actually there’s a trail to First, Second and Third Burroughs mountains. I include Third Burroughs here because of the outstanding views to be had from this 7828 foot summit. Gazing down on the seracs of the Winthrop Glacier from a mere hike is a treat indeed! The first part of the video includes a short jaunt on the Emmons Moraine trail to check out the tarn downstream from the Emmons Glacier terminus.

Pinnacle Peak (6562')

Pinnacle Peak is generally described as a "moderate scramble." However, sustained class 3 scrambling on the upper approach makes this one of the harder peaks I've done. Slipping or falling here would not be pretty. My buddy sums up his thoughts on the climb on the summit shot, providing the "Mature" rating for this video. As usual, the downclimbing was more difficult than the ascent. However, all in all this was another magnificent peak in the Tatoosh range sporting expansive 360 degree views. Blog write up here.

Foss Peak (6524')

Foss Peak (6524') lies in the Tatoosh range in Mt. Rainier National Park. The approach is short, climbing a short way on the Pinnacle Peak trail to 5200', then proceeding via a way trail to the saddle between The Castle and Foss. A well established trail leads across the ridge between the two with relatively mild terrain all the way to the Foss summit. As usual for the Tatoosh peaks, expansive views in all directions are on the menu for most of the day. Blog write up here.

Scarface (6108')

Scarface is a relatively obscure peak in Mt. Rainier National Park that borders the northern section. It is accessed by driving FS 73 past Greenwater, WA. This is a fairly rugged road with deep potholes and ragged surfaces in some areas, but is generally OK for most vehicles that are not low slung. The peak itself is a wooded summit but sporting a sheer rocky face. Lake Eleanor is visible far below. I ascended via the ridge a bit past Lake Eleanor and descended via the south ridge (good boot track here), then intersected the Grand Park trail back to the vehicle. Although listed as an easy scramble, bashing through the woods and battling voracious mosquitos makes this a summit that one would probably only pursue because it's on a list. Stats: 8 miles/2400’

Barrier (6521')/Buell (5756') Peaks

The most difficult part of summitting these two peaks (Mt. Rainier National Park) was the access portion, involving unpleasant steep forest and meadow hiking. I connected the peaks via a ridge between the two, which was not difficult. Buell was a mostly wooded summit but with enough open areas to take in the views. To regain the Owyhigh Lakes Trail I basically went straight down a wooded hillside, in some areas so steep that I landed on my bum a few times from slipping on the forest detritus. Luckily it wasn’t a long section and I sighed in relief when I popped out on the trail, enjoying mellow slopes and easy travel back to my waiting vehicle. A worthy day indeed!

Banshee Peak (7400')

Banshee Peak (7400’) is accessed from Mt. Rainier’s Wonderland Trail at Panhandle Gap (6780’). The way trail leads to gentle meadowy slopes on the way, abundant with wildflowers and mountain goat in summer. The fairly gentle final ascent to the summit reveals an airy drop down to the Sarvant Glacier and views of the Cowlitz Chimneys. On my iteration I was camped at White River so most of this sojourn was on trail, totaling 21 miles RT and 4600’ of elevation gain/loss.

Howard Peak (5683')

Howard Peak is an easy scramble to a flat summit. There's a good boot path up the gentle slopes. Take the trail to Tolmie Peak (in view from Howard) starting at Mowich Lake. The steepest part of this hike was doing a direct line up to intersect the trail on the return. Another tick on the "100 Peaks at Mt. Rainier National Park" list.

First Mother Mountain (6480')

First Mother Mountain (Mt. Rainier National Park) is accessed from Knapsack Pass. It is described as a moderate scramble. It is not the first peak one can see from Knapsack; there is a fairly steady boot path that takes the hiker beyond to the actual peak. My only difficulty was on the return; it took several tries to get beyond one section as I was obviously off route.

Castle-First Mother Ridge Transit

The title sums it up. I attempted a transit of the ridge between Castle Peak and First Mother Mountain, but ended up dropping down to the Knapsack Pass trail at the end when confronted by rocky outcroppings. But that's just me, I got it in my mind to "escape". Others may well stay high, skirting the outcroppings on the right to connect the two peaks without the short detour to Knapsack Pass.

Castle Peak (6120')

Castle Peak can be accessed from Mowich Lake (Mt. Rainier National Park) by hiking the Wonderland Trail on the west side of the lake and taking to the woods, contouring around and up from the lake to a saddle. A nearer blocky peak is bypassed on the right side to climb Castle Peak. There is a boot path much of the way. Castle Peak has a flat summit area with two high points: the main summit at 6120', which requires a short scramble to get to, and the slightly lower peak on the opposite end of the plateau at 6110'. This one is relatively flat. At the end of this video I mention the transit across the ridge above Mowich Lake to continue to bag First Mother Mountain without backtracking. This transit is a separate video in the series.