I have admired beautiful Mt. Shuksan since I moved to Washington almost two years ago. A
couple weeks ago I decided I would get an up-close look at the mountain by climbing one of its classic routes, the North Face. I
climbed with AAI guide Danny Uhlmann and we decided we would descend the beautiful Fisher Chimneys route.
We drove up to the Lake Ann/Fisher Chimney route trailhead and dropped a bike there so one of us could bike
downhill to our more northerly starting point to retrieve our car near the White Salmon Ski Lodge. After parking at the lodge's
gate we headed for our planned bivy site at the base of the route. The first part of the approach was on a dirt road and then
came a classic North Cascades bushwhack downward into the White Salmon Valley. After down climbing blueberry bushes and slide
alder we finally reached the White Salmon Creek. It was a little easier going for a short while as we followed a dry streambed,
but eventually we had to leave it and get into a thicket of salmonberry.
Danny on the approach
Finally the brush subsided as we came onto scree and snow patches passing below the White Salmon Glacier
to reach the base of our climb. The whole approach took us only about five hours. We relaxed at our amazing bivy site overlooking
the beautiful blue-green Price Lake. As we ate dinner the fog rolled in blanketing the valleys in clouds. It was amazingly peaceful
and beautiful.
We woke to perfect blue skies with the peaks protruding up through the fog in the valleys. About twenty feet
out of camp we put on our crampons and stepped onto the snow. The route was in great condition, and cramponing up the firn was so
pleasant. We enjoyed some interesting navigation around and over crevasses and up steadily steepening snow and ice. After about four
hours of great climbing we reached the col between the north shoulder and the summit pyramid.
Sunrise from our bivy
We worked our way around the to the Crystal Glacier and the east side of the pyramid. We started up the
east side of the summit pyramid ; it's not the commonly used route up the pyramid, but it worked fine. Before long we were
enjoying 360-degree views of the North Cascades from Shuksan's classy summit.
After taking in the views we descended the 3rd class gully on the south side of the summit pyramid onto
the Sulfide Glacier to begin ouor descent of the classic Fisher Chimneys route. It's an incredibly photogenic route because
you are on a series of glaciers and get close up views of a lot of Shuksan's rugged terrain. We headed south down the Sulfide
Glacier, hung a right onto the curving glacier call Hells Highway and descended onto the main part of the Upper Curtis Glacier.
Heading up
A few rock moves below the lower Curtis Glacier put us onto the top of the White Salmon Glacier and we could look down
to our approach route. We descended the steep snow feature called Winnie's Slide, found the cairn marking the top of the Fisher
Chimneys, and then headed down those gulleys, eventually passing by the lower Curtis Glacier and moving onto the trail leading to Lake Anne.
Almost to the summit
It was a fast but beautiful hike out from Lake Ann to the trailhead, and we arrived at the stashed bike almost exactly
ten hours after starting the climb. Danny and I played Rochambeau to see who was going to go pick up the car, I was the lucky one. It was
a nice coast down the road to the car. On the return trip we stopped at Graham's Country Store in the town of Glacier for good snacks and
then of course we had to stop at the North Fork Beer Shrine for pizza and beer. What a great day - it was superb climbing on a beautiful
mountain. I felt like it was an unusual chance to do two American classics - up one and down the other!
