On Tuesday, I visited Mt. Rainier for the first time (trip report) and was amazed by the flowers — and the crowds — in the Paradise area. After putting in 8 or 9 miles among the masses, I drove down the road a couple miles and parked at Reflection Lakes, with the goal of hiking to the top of Pinnacle Peak, the second-highest mountain in the Tatoosh Range.
For those Portlanders who've never been to Rainier, the Tatoosh Range is to Mt. Rainier what Tom Dick & Harry Mountain is to Mt. Hood: a prominent ridge to the south across the highway, with multiple summits. But everything about Rainier is bigger and more spectacular than Hood, so the Tatooshes make Tom Dick & Harry look like little green hills in comparison.
After having been scolded by Stay-On-The-Trail volunteers earlier in the day at Paradise, I was surprised to see that this official National Park Service sign at the trailhead actually condones scrambling to the summit; it says the route "can be challenging, so use caution."
The maintained trail is about 1.3 miles each way with 1150' of elevation gain. I thought about summiting both Pinnacle Peak and Plummer Peak... but because I'd been up since 4:00am, and still had a three-hour drive ahead of me to get back to Portland, I figured I'd better pick just one, so I chose Pinnacle. The route from the saddle to the top adds about 1/3 mile horizontally and 600' vertically. Here's my breadcrumb trail, as viewed in Google Earth:
I started uphill at about 4:15pm and passed a surprising number of people who were on their way down. (I say "surprising" because I didn't think this trail would be so popular.) I was the only one going up.
The white rhododendrons (a.k.a. Cascade azaleas) were blooming here and there:
...but for the most part, the bottom half-mile was pretty ho-hum, although the occasional Mt. Rainier view presented itself.
Finally out in the open, and I had a daunting view straight up the west face of Pinnacle Peak. Look at all that loose rock that's fallen down over the years:
When I reached the Pinnacle-Plummer saddle, I got a nice view of the eastern Tatoosh peaks. Here's Unicorn Peak and Boundary Peak; Goat Rocks is on the horizon.
I started up the path to Pinnacle's summit and climbed up a little sub-pinnacle, where I had a view straight down toward the curvy switchbacks that brought me up the mountain.
Here's a view of the summit, from right about where the route starts to get interesting.
The first part of the climb involved little goat paths and some loose scree, and I was glad to have my trekking poles with me. But then it turned into Class 3/4 scrambling, and I decided to leave my poles behind, because they were just getting in the way. Look at this wall of rock... it's like it was made for climbing!
I found some saxifrage holding on for dear life:
...and some stonecrop, not to mention juniper. Do NOT try to use juniper as a handhold; it hurts.
There was plenty of room on the summit, and I had it all to myself. Here's the old, scratched-up USGS benchmark:
The topo map shows this as a round pool at the bottom of "Pinnacle Glacier." I don't know if it really qualifies as a glacier (rather than just a snowfield), but okay.
Here's the west end of the Tatoosh Range. That's Plummer Peak on the left, Wahpenayo Peak behind it, and Chutla and Eagle Peaks in the far right distance. Lane Peak is the pointy one on the right that's connected to Wahpenayo by a NE-SW ridge, and Denman Peak is the low lump on this side of Lane.
Looking south into the Butter Creek Valley, Mt. Adams dominates the horizon.
Unicorn Peak is ready for its close-up:
Since I'd hiked around Paradise all day, I thought I should take at least one pseudo-aerial photo of that area:
I dawdled at the top for a long time, because it was pretty awesome up there. But at around 6:45, I figured it was time to think about heading back down. Pinnacle and Plummer were casting large shadows on the ridge leading to Foss Peak:
I like this view of Plummer Peak because of the way it's framed by the tree. It also gives me a chance to point out that in addition to the usual hemlocks and whitebark pines, there were some Nootka cypresses/yellow-cedars up there, and they seemed out of place in that exposed, hostile environment. (Yes, I know there are no obvious cedars/cypresses in this photo.)
This steep cliff isn't exactly what I climbed on, but it's not too far off. At this point (almost 7:00), the sun was starting to swing around to the north of west, so Rainier was getting back-lit.
It's really hard to take a picture that gives a sense of what any scramble is really like, but hopefully including my foot helps a little with the perspective?
Again, this may be a little scarier than what I actually went up, but no matter how you slice it, the top of Pinnacle Peak is steep.
Some sort of buckwheat growing among the scree/talus:
When I got back down to the saddle, the evening light was making Pinnacle look pretty majestic (or, if you prefer, pretty AND majestic).
Is this mountain-goat poop?
Most of the flowers on the back (east) side of the ridge were in complete shade, but this one little patch of paintbrush near the top of the hill was lit up nicely:
At about 7:45, it was time to head back down from the saddle; the Rainier photo-opps were dwindling anyway, because it was getting more back-lit by the minute.
Lupines look their best right before sunset, don't you think?
Here's The Castle, looking very... castellar?
I got back to my car at about 8:20 and high-tailed it east through Stevens Canyon because I wanted to see more of Mt. Rainier National Park, then went down U.S. 12 through Packwood and Randle. That added a few miles to my trip home, so I didn't get home until almost midnight.
Long day.
Mt. Rainier 8/6/13 part II: Pinnacle Peak (Tatoosh Range)
- adamschneider
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Re: Mt. Rainier 8/6/13 part II: Pinnacle Peak (Tatoosh Range
Thanks for both of the Rainier reports. Quite a day you had! Fortunately, you had extraordinary weather - I've never had much luck with Paradise weather-wise.
- adamschneider
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Re: Mt. Rainier 8/6/13 part II: Pinnacle Peak (Tatoosh Range
Nothing fortunate about it: Tuesday was chosen specifically for its glorious weather.bobcat wrote:Fortunately, you had extraordinary weather - I've never had much luck with Paradise weather-wise.
(However, one of these days I have to intentionally plan a wildflower hike on a cloudy misty day... the photos are so much more interesting that way.)
Re: Mt. Rainier 8/6/13 part II: Pinnacle Peak (Tatoosh Range
I have enjoyed both your trip reports and now I am itching to imitate your two-prong strategy. I have also learned where the Tatoosh Range is (other than just “somewhere in Washington”)! Great TRs beautifully illustrated. Thank you for sharing.
Some people are really fit at eighty; thankfully I still have many years to get into shape…
Re: Mt. Rainier 8/6/13 part II: Pinnacle Peak (Tatoosh Range
Oh man another classic tr awesome place great scramble you and bobcat have made my day after staying home with an elephant sized right knee ,the Tatoosh is beautiful congats my friend.
I was excepted by a pain mgt doc at the Salmon creek clinic today. He called at four and after my back fusion, shoulder and bone on bone right knee x-rays he was looking forward to meting me. Hope my hopes are not to high, pretty happy tonight.
I like long drive trs to ---another to make my day!
Hope this Doc has me posten a Tatoosh tr soon
Great stuff---Tom/Roy
.
I was excepted by a pain mgt doc at the Salmon creek clinic today. He called at four and after my back fusion, shoulder and bone on bone right knee x-rays he was looking forward to meting me. Hope my hopes are not to high, pretty happy tonight.
I like long drive trs to ---another to make my day!
Hope this Doc has me posten a Tatoosh tr soon
Great stuff---Tom/Roy
.
The downhill of the mind is harder than the uphill of the body. - Yuichiro Miura
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Re: Mt. Rainier 8/6/13 part II: Pinnacle Peak (Tatoosh Range
Pinnacle Peak has a very challenging climb down lots of hand hold and foot holds but wayyyy steep....similar to last part of Munra in Columbia gorge but much longer I held on sooo tight was sore from effort also difficult to spot next move due to exposure plus people don't rope up.....when younger did it twice with Mazamas...if I go back would enjoy Plummer its a walk up
Re: Mt. Rainier 8/6/13 part II: Pinnacle Peak (Tatoosh Range
Absolutely stunning! You've captured that wonderfully. We had a ranger verbally drooling over the Tatooshes yesterday, telling us "you gotta go!" six ways from Sunday. Now I really see why. Thanks so much for both reports! Bookmarked!
Karl
Back on the trail, again...
Back on the trail, again...
Re: Mt. Rainier 8/6/13 part II: Pinnacle Peak (Tatoosh Range
We almost did Pinnacle Peak last year. Don't recall what got in the way, but your report makes me even more resolved to get up there soon! Thanks for posting it!
Kelly
There is no shortcut to anyplace worth going to.
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Skamania 231
"How to really get off the beaten path in Skamania County"
There is no shortcut to anyplace worth going to.
PM me about the soon to be released:
Skamania 231
"How to really get off the beaten path in Skamania County"
Re: Mt. Rainier 8/6/13 part II: Pinnacle Peak (Tatoosh Range
Just Google up Pinnacle peak a classic climb people get married up there even the climbing rangers from MRNP like to do it on their day off its so gorgeous a great class three scramble with some harder routes to.
Yea I'm gushing over your tr I had so hoped to do a traverse this fall up there even if I just do walk up peaks. The fall colors up there are amazing.
Im like you ill drive to the Olympics,Medford MRNP just for a day never bothers me one bit. Not a big backpacker I guess.
Yea I'm gushing over your tr I had so hoped to do a traverse this fall up there even if I just do walk up peaks. The fall colors up there are amazing.
Im like you ill drive to the Olympics,Medford MRNP just for a day never bothers me one bit. Not a big backpacker I guess.
The downhill of the mind is harder than the uphill of the body. - Yuichiro Miura
Re: Mt. Rainier 8/6/13 part II: Pinnacle Peak (Tatoosh Range
Awesome photos (especially the rocks at sunset) and detail, now I want to go there. Looking at the photos of Pinnacle Peak on Park Service sign it seems like "no way" but your description shows its pretty doable & rock quality is good.
Thanks for posting.
Thanks for posting.