Mt. Pugh - attempt

April 2008

TR by Brian

On Sunday, Chris, Kris, Obadiah, and I attempted to climb Mt. Pugh.

Departed Seattle around 5 am and were headed up the gated road right around 7 am. We made good time to Lake Metan, reaching it in ~1.5 hrs. For this stretch, we were able to stay on (snow covered) trail the whole way. Above the lake, the snow deepened, snowshoes went on, and Obadiah selected a route of his own choosing to the basin at 5000' below Stujack Pass. There was ~1-2' of fresh snow overlying the old crust up to the pass (more than expected). Comparable amounts of snow on the ridge, which we traversed until the weather closed in. After sheltering beneath a rock overhang, we headed further along, reaching the base of the summer scramble. Unfortunately, the route is currently buried in spindrift, which overlies patches of ice. The exposure is considerable and so, we turned back here. The climbing looks relatively easy, so a roped party placing running pro would probably do just fine.

Finished off the day at the Burger Barn in Darrington. Kris was the only one with a camera, so hopefully he'll post some pictures soon. Sure still feels like winter out there!