Sep 8, 2018
Talus was the name of the game for the upper part of the mountain. My trekking poles were stashed on my back for most of the ascent, so I used my hands for balance quite a bit on the way up. Soon after I started my descent, I decided to give the trekking poles another try. They really did help secure my balance on the talus and saved my hands from a lot of wear and tear.

The approach required navigating around some really rugged cliffs in the upper basin. The red gully provided access from the lower, tundra-covered basin to the higher one. Each level of the basin was dotted with small pools of water too small to be called lakes; neither do I think that they would meet the definition of a tarn. These pools of water were connected by small, tundra-lined streams.

It was easier spotting cairns during the descent. I got off-route now and then during the ascent, but it was easy enough to correct course and find safe passage through the steep and rocky terrain.

The total distance according to my GPS was about 5.15 miles. It felt like more work than I would have expected, primarly due to the slower nature of picking my way through talus.

Fletcher Mountain Main Page

Trip Reports