Noah's Adventures

The sharp summit of Kaleetan Peak sits at 6,259 feet, and boasts almost 2,000 feet of prominence. Nestled in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, it’s about 4 miles due Northwest of Snoqualmie Pass, and thus quite accessible from Seattle. The mountain’s name is derived from the Chinook word for “arrowhead.”

Despite Kaleetan’s ominous summit block, the route to the top is only a Class 3 scramble. Ever since returning home from Colorado, this objective was on my mind. On the morning of August 22 I began the climb.

The approach is a 4 mile journey with a moderately sloped ascent to Melakwa Lake. The ascent passes beneath lush coniferous forests, through boulder fields, and finally drops out at Melakwa Lake. Around 1/2 mile in, the thundering sound of traffic rings through the forest. About 200 feet above the canopy, the Westbound lanes of I-90 pass over, seeming quite out of place.

One mile into the hike, I came upon “The Slide,” a section of Denny Creek that has been carved down to the bedrock. The water flows right on top of the granitic surface, pooling in certain places.

At two miles the trail gives a view of Keekwulee Falls, another spectacular water feature. From there, I continued up boulder fields and slide paths, entering the trees again to cross Hemlock Pass at 3.7 miles. The path then drops down some 200 feet to Melakwa Lake. This is where the fun stuff would begin.

I chose to take the White Ledges route, a more scramble-oriented ascent up the Eastern face of Kaleetan. I wound around the western shoreline of Melakwa, crossing at the outlet to the north. Passing by Upper Melakwa Lake, the route finding, as well as the rain, began. I threw on my shell and plodded along through tundra and talus.

Soon, I found myself climbing up a riverbed strewn with large, slick rocks, and bounded on both sides by trees. It was definitely helpful having hiking poles here. After moving carefully over the river, I popped out in the basin between the summits of Kaleetan and Chair Peak. From here it was slow moving over talus and some boulders. With no real path, I headed for Melakwa Pass (the saddle between Kaleetan and Chair) and tried to tend to the left.

I aimed for Melakwa Pass, then took a slight left, skirting around a rock buttress. Up ahead stood the much anticipated White Ledges. Without a real route, I donned my helmet and entered the ledges from the center, climbing up and to the left.

Getting onto the ledges from the scree field involved a solid Class 4 move but I’m sure there was a better option. From there, I moved slowly and deliberately up the 500-700 ft scramble. The holds were solid, and composed of a light granodiorite. The climb had some decent exposure but was mostly solid Class 3.

The scramble was fun and had my mind working actively to make each move. At last, I crested a ridge below the summit, and walked up a decently defined path to the summit block scramble. The scramble was something of a chimney, as it was bounded on both sides by rock. It was simpler than the ledges and was protected from exposure.

At about 11:30 am, I summited. It was an awesome feeling to have conquered my first major summit scramble in the Cascades. I had the summit to myself, and was surrounded by the rugged peaks and countless lakes of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.

I ate a quick lunch and enjoyed the epic view. On the descent, I followed the standard route. It’s a safer option, but is more hiking-centric and offers less scrambling.

The standard route descends on a narrow but well-defined climber’s trail, passing over talus and through dense trees on the way back to Melakwa Lake. The only downside is that you have to lose and then gain a ridge on the way down.

Arriving at the lake, the clouds had somewhat parted. I took a quick swim, surrounded by stunning peaks and crystal clear water.

The last 4 miles to the car were a slog, but they gave me time to reflect on the awesome summit I had just completed. I totaled almost 5,000 feet of vert, and covered 12 miles. Kaleetan Peak delivered the goods, and made for an incredible first scramble in Washington.