Last week we gathered a big group of friends for a lovely mellow overnight near the Methow, where we’d been biking with our good friend Dunlin earlier in the week. I wanted to see some fall colors and avoid the crowds, and we ended up accomplishing both objectives! The five of (Adam, Alex, Helene, Dunlin, and myself) got a relaxed start on Saturday morning, flying past the chaos of the Blue Lake trailhead to park at the relatively empty PCT trailhead at Bridge Creek. On the drive up, we noticed quite a bit of fresh snow up high from the previous days’ storm, which I was excited about. We left the car at 10am and headed down the PCT for a few mins before crossing the creek and heading around the edge of the Blue Lake burn from last summer before catching the trail up to the old Stiletto lookout site.
Sunrise panorama on Sunday morning, with lots of North Cascades classics. From L-R: Bonanza, Bowan Mountain, Glacier Peak, McGregor, Dome Peak, Spite Point, Sentinel, and Old Guard.
We climbed up through the woods on many switchbacks, checking out all the different kinds of scat that Dunlin’s observant eyes noticed. After passing a few other folks, we reached the site of the old lookout, and had really stunning views in all directions. Dunlin brought a pair of binoculars, and we could see the absolute conga line of hikers on the trail up to Maple Pass—nice to avoid that!
Dunlin hanging out at the site of the old fire lookout, below Black Peak. Corteo at left and the Ragged Ridge at right, and notice the highway below.
After basking in the sun for a while, we headed east along some fading tread towards Stiletto’s West Ridge. We contoured through easy terrain around the south side of Stiletto, then dropped our packs and hopped talus up to the saddle between Stiletto and Jackknife Peak, to the east.
The group heading east past the lookout site, with Silver Star in the distance. The base of Stiletto’s West Ridge is at right.
As we started scrambling up the pleasant East Ridge of Stiletto, a pretty spirited snowball fight developed (I won’t tell who threw the first ball). It was a strong incentive to scramble first - the higher ground is a tactical advantage! We reached the summit of Stiletto without any challenges, and the views were great under overcast skies.
Looking down into larchy meadows from high on Stiletto.
We downclimbed and retrieved our packs, then continued through more open terrain with a discontinuous bootpath before finding a lovely spot to set up camp near the base of Jackknife’s South Ridge.
Helene traversing some slabs on our way to camp.
After setting up camp, we scrambled a few hundred feet up said South Ridge before finding a pleasant spot to hangout and watch the sunrise, which was somewhat subdued due to the overcast.
We headed back to camp by headlamp (well, not all of us used our headlamps - they give away your position, making you more vulnerable to snowballs), then made dinner and went to sleep.
The next morning, I got up as it was getting light, and traversed around the east side of Jackknife, climbing up above Stiletto Lake. The sky lit up with brilliant color, and I gleefully snapped away with my camera.
Sunrise panorama above Stiletto Lake. Switchblade Peak above the lake at left, with Gilbert Mountain below the sunrise, and the Twisp River valley just to the right. Lincoln Butte and Crescent Mountain are to the right, then Twisp Mountain and Hock Mountain at far right.
I scampered up the short gully leading to the prominent notch on the South Ridge of Jackknife in time to catch the first light of the day on the peaks to the southwest. Just beautiful.
Glacier Peak above Heather Ridge at sunrise.
Bonanza and Bowan Mountain.
I downclimbed the west side of the ridge as I made my way back to camp to make a loop, arriving while everyone else was still in their tents. Before long, though, folks got up, and Dunlin spotted a Blue Grouse up in a larch, feasting on needles. We took our time watching him munch before making breakfast and packing up.
Grouse…
…and Grouse-watchers.
We traversed over the short distance towards Stiletto Lake, crossing a beautifully autumnal slope, then stopped at Stiletto Lake to fill up water. Back on an official trail, we headed down towards Twisp Pass, stopping for plenty of photos. At the pass, we made a somewhat impromptu decision to extend our loop by returning via Copper Pass, rather than just descending past Dagger Lake towards Bridge Creek, which also would give us more time above treeline.
Beautiful fall colors below Stiletto Lake, with Hock Mountain peaking out at the right, at Twisp Mountain at the center of the frame.
Adam and Alex traversing some talus enroute to Stiletto Lake. Hock Mountain at left.
Group photo at Stiletto Lake, with Hock Mountain in the background.
The pleasant shores of Stiletto Lake.
Below Twisp pass, we continued down the trail, with intermittent views, before crossing the North Fork of the Twisp River and intersecting the trail up towards Copper Pass. This trail was in great shape and had been freshly logged-out for the first mile we were on it, then was still easy to follow as it climbed towards Copper Pass. In the forest, Dunlin spotted a beautiful (and edible) Bear’s Head Tooth Fungus, then we continued up above treeline.
The gang with a Bear’s Head Tooth Fungus, the state mushroom of Vermont.
The views from Copper Pass were gorgeous, and it was fun to look up at Blue Lake Peak from the south. For next time, it looks like it’s possible to traverse easily cross country directly from Stiletto Lake to Copper Pass without dropping into the Twisp River drainage, for a more aesthetic and direct line (albeit with potentially fewer edible fungi).
Helene and Alex heading down the trail just north of Copper Pass. Blue Lake Peak at upper right.
We headed down the trail on the north side of Copper Pass, slowly descending but staying out in the open until we hit the edge of the Blue Lake burn. There, we followed the trail back down to Bridge Creek, which has been repaired since the fire and was easy to follow except in one short segment near Copper Creek, then we retraced our steps back across Bridge Creek and up the PCT to the car. A lovely outing!