Mazamas — For the Love of Mountains
Although not the highest of the Tatoosh peaks, Pinnacle's central position and attractive form have made it the most popular ascent in the park. When the Mazamas climbed it on July 26, 1897, they dubbed it the "Matterhorn of the Cascades. From Fred Beckey's Cascade Alpine Guide, Volume I
The standard round up is an easy fourth class pitch of a south facing gully. This route takes the more challenging east face. Expect about three pitches of 5th class rock, the second pitch being 5.6.
Suggested gear: 4-5 medium to small nuts, 2-3 cams to 2.5 inches, 60m rope
Activity Notes
This is a great alpine rock climb for BCEP level climbers looking to expand their technical rock skills and a great climb for anyone looking for a fun climb with amazing views. The approach is short (1-1.5 miles) and we will spend most of the day moving the team through several pitches of technical, exposed rock climbing. One of my goals is to give everyone a chance to participate in the technical rope work as desired. This is my favorite alpine rock climb and I love to introduce others to it.
We will depart the Reflection Lake trailhead on July 23rd. Depending on snow conditions, we will either follow the Pinnacle Peak trail to the saddle between Pinnacle and Plummer Peaks or ascend directly on snow to the saddle between the Castle and Pinnacle Peak.
Once we reach the base of the peak we will leave our packs and ascend the East Ridge of Pinnacle Peak. Expect to climb the first pitch (up to 5.6) on belay from above, have the option to belay off the anchor from a semi-hanging belay station, and then cross a narrow, exposed catwalk on a fixed line. Once the entire team has climbed the fixed line we will walk/scramble together to the summit and enjoy the views before descending via rappel on the southwest side.
We will camp the night before at Cougar Rock campground. Please plan to arrive at camp in time for an 8:30 PM climb team meeting before bed. We will depart camp at 6 AM on July 23rd to head to the trailhead.
Additional Costs : Camping will cost $8 per person. Vehicle entry into Mount Rainier National Park is $30 per car.
What to Expect After Applying : please apply by July 14th for initial consideration. After July 14th, I will select the climb team and alternates and notify everyone via email of their status by July 16th. My goal in selecting a climb team is to create a well balanced group with a diverse range of skills, backgrounds, and experiences.
Financial Aid: please see this page for information about the Mazamas' financial aid program.
| Other Information | |
|---|---|
| Driving Distance from Portland | 160 miles |
| Driving Time from Portland | 3 hours |
| General Route Info | summitpost: https://www.summitpost.org/east-ridge/156348 |
| Expected Duration | Car to car in one day |
| Interesting Features | Spectacular Views |
| Relevant Books | Cascade Alpine Guide: Columbia River to Stevens Pass by Fred Beckey 75 Scrambles in Washington by Peggy Goldman |
| Relevant Maps | USGS 7 minute series, Tatoosh Lakes and Mt. Rainier East; Green Trails: Mt Rainier East / Packwood <href="http: "="" adventure="" c463="" starts-here="" title="On the Mazama Climbing and Hiking map page " www.mazamas.org="" your="">On the Mazama Climbing and Hiking map page <href="http: maps.google.com="" maps?f="q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=plummer+Peak+WA&sll=48.98385,-120.856519&sspn=0.016532,0.04549&ie=UTF8&ll=46.754093,-121.737099&spn=0.017259,0.04549&t=p&z=15"" title="Google map">Google map</href="http:></href="http:> |
| Useful Links | Map |
