Bedal Peak - 9.10.2015
A photo of the GPS track for our scramble to Bedal Peak... ~7 miles roundtrip, gaining 4731 feet of elevation.
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There is no official trailhead for Bedal Peak... however, there is a parking area (~2100') at the third switchback on FS Road 4096.
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If you aren't paying attention, it is easy to miss the piece of pink tape that shows where the path starts.
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Yes... we are on a reasonable path.
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At ~2400 feet we have lost the path... we also lost the path in this area on our return to the car.
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Ugh... bushwhacking at 2500 feet.
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Back on the path at ~2700 feet... yes, there really is a path there.
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The first of three small boulder fields on the route... look for the pink tape.
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The second of the three small boulder fields on our route.
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We were able to skirt the third boulder field on the right.
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A small meadow at ~4900 feet... the sucker gully looks inviting, but it doesn't work... go left and find a ramp that will get you through the cliffy area.
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iraman nears the ramp (~5000') that will get us up this cliffy area.
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BarbE, rodman and Snowdog head up the ramp at 5000 feet... there are three pieces of pink tape on the ramp.
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Ascending... continuing underneath the cliffs at ~5100 feet.
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As we ascend, views open to the north of Spring Mountain in the foreground... then Mt. Pugh... and the snow cone is Mt. Baker.
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The terrain changes at ~5300 feet... more slabs and boulders.
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First good look at Glacier Peak as we continue to ascend.
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At ~5500 feet we got our first good look at the Bedal Peak summit on the left... still a 1000 feet of elevation to reach the summit.
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iraman and BarbE work their way across the slabs.
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Getting closer... but we are tired.
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iraman leads the way.
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Still ascending... BarbE is barely visible in the sea of boulders.
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Boulders, boulders and more boulders.
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rodman, BarbE and Snowdog weave their way through the boulders... Spring Mountain, Mt. Pugh and Mt. Baker in the distance.
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Working through the boulders.
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A well deserved break near 5900 feet... summit is on the left.
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Up and up.
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Still gaining elevation.
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Some Class 2 scrambling.
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iraman leads the way... we will traverse underneath the cliffs over to the sunny platform on the far left.
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Nice look at Glacier Peak as we work our way underneath the cliffs on our way over to the NE ridge of Bedal Peak.
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We have reached the NE ridge (~6300') of Bedal... looks like smooth sailing from here.
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iraman heads up the NE ridge toward the summit on the right.
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Will we ever get there?
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Looking down at our route up the NE ridge... Glacier Peak on the horizon.
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iraman and Izzy on the Bedal Peak summit (6554')... Sloan Peak is behind iraman... the Monte Cristo Peaks on the right.
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Sloan Peak and the Monte Cristo Peaks.
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Looking north up the Sauk River drainage... Spring Mountain, Mt. Pugh and Mt. Baker on the right... Mt. Forgotten, Three Fingers and Whitehorse Mountain on the left.
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Seahawk fans on the Bedal Peak summit... ragman, rodman, iraman, Snowdog and BarbE... Sloan Peak is behind us.
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Heading down the NE ridge of Bedal... we will go down to about 6100 feet before we start traversing back to the NW.
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Heading down on slabs and boulders.
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Traversing on slabs.
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Descending.
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Izzy finds some water.
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Almost down to the greenery.
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Looking back as we continue down... knowing what we do at this point, we would have also choosen the yellow route on the ascent.
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It will be nice to get back on the green.
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One last look at the summit before going back around the steep cliffs.
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Heading down around the steep cliffs at ~5200 feet.
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Underneath the steep cliffs at 5200 feet... still need to lose 3100 feet of elevation to get back to the car... on very steep terrain.
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