Trappers Peak

After last week’s ignominious defeat on our attempt to summit Luna Peak (we didn’t even get close), we had to come back. If we couldn’t gaze in wonderment at the spiky spires of the Southern Pickets from the north side, perhaps we could view them from the south side. Our solution, summit Trappers Peak and look north. Visions of granite peaks enveloped us as we planned to not only see the Southern Pickets, but also Mt. Triumph and Mt. Despair, and the three Thornton Lakes, all tiered in ascending rocky alpine bowls.

The trailhead to Trappers is a long drive from the Seattle area for a day hike. I have done it before but didn’t look forward to that solution. Perhaps we could camp at Thornton Lakes and summit on day two? We couldn’t get a Thornton camp permit which led to a better solution. We scored the single remaining available reservation for a walk-in camp at Newhalem Campground. It was perfect! Easy car camping and Thornton Lake Road was only minutes away. And we wouldn’t have to haul our heavy overnight packs up and down to Thornton Lake. Why didn’t we think of that before?

We settled in at the campsite picnic table and carbo-loaded with spaghetti with meatballs and a tasty Argentine Malbec. And, wonder of wonders, very few bugs! After dinner, we pulled out various maps and planned future trips. Our mood was auspicious. The route tomorrow would require no bushwhacking. We slept that night with summit dreams. Arising at 6:00 am we planned to be at the trailhead by 7:30 am. Reality? Closer to 8:00 am. The graveled road to the trailhead is exactly five miles and is steep and furrowed with washboards and potholes. I figured 15 to 20 minutes. It took closer to 24 minutes because we didn’t want to wreck the car. I recommend high-clearance AWD. To provide some perspective, the elevation at the campground was 650 ft. The elevation at the trailhead was 2,641 ft. (as measured by my Suunto sport watch). That is a fair amount of gain in 5 miles. The trailhead parking lot is small with a capacity of 10 to 12 cars, not counting road parking. We were the sixth car.

The air was cool and the hike along the decommissioned road was often a single trail. We crossed several good water sources, two in succession just past the one-mile point, the second having a classic single log bridge with a handrail. While some may describe this section as flat, it gains about 550 feet in the 2.2 miles before the end of the road. Then the trail gets down to business, ascending about 1,850 feet in the roughly 2.35 additional miles to the trail split post for Thornton Lake and Trappers Peak. Just looking at the stats does not adequately convey the difficulty. The woodland terrain is a veritable rock and root fest. The kind of trail where you spend a lot of time looking down, both ascending and descending. 

There is another picturesque creek crossing at about 3.75 miles, just prior to the National Park signpost, and an opportunity to filter more water as the trail up Trappers soon emerges into full sun and can get hot. You’ll want to stay hydrated. Another signpost announces the trail split to either Trappers Peak or Thornton Lake (the lower of the three) at 4.55 miles and 5,050 ft. elevation.

Ascending Trappers takes another roughly .8 mile from that signpost and 900 plus feet of additional elevation gain (according to my Suunto sport watch). Some of it on an easy-to-follow trail and intermittent sections with steep scrambling. The crux scrambling section comes at about 5,350 ft. The steep rock pitches upward against a granite wall on the left. The route narrows into a chimney-like formation. Fortunately, there are several sturdy tree limbs on the right, available to grab onto. Once past the crux, there are still a couple of steep sections and some exposure. One is a short traverse along a narrow granite rib with exposure on both sides. It’s easily doable as long as you’re paying attention. For those of us without exceptional abilities, it simply means that we’ll be taking it a bit slower. The route is actually easier to follow on the way down, as is the descent of the crux chimney section.

So, what about the summit? Once arriving at the top, it was an exhilarating surprise to see such a magnificent panorama of spiky peaks surrounding Trappers. Think of your favorite superlatives. They all apply here. Simply jaw-droppingly beautiful! And, the summit is spacious, with room to roam. As I set up my tripod to shoot frames for my planned spherical panoramas, I noticed the weather was changing. I wanted some clouds for visual structure but there were far more than I had envisioned, the sun at moments peeking through and at other times obscured by the enveloping clouds. The summit peaks of the Southern Pickets were shrouded by the drifting white stuff, but the east face of Mt. Triumph jutted proudly before us. The upper Thornton Lake, ensconced in a steep granite bowl, still had ice on the surface. Completely entranced, we stayed, snacking, exploring, and photographing for an hour and a half before heading down. None of us wanted to leave.

As we descended the clouds continued to accumulate. We did not hike down to the lake on our way out. Although the summit is only 5,966 ft., the mountain views are some of the finest in the state. The hike is more physically challenging than the stats suggest (10.6 miles RT, 3,500 ft. cumulative elevation gain). Little elevation is gained in the first two-plus miles and the balance ascends with a purpose, the terrain often rough and sometimes steep and in places, exposed. That being said, it’s a very accessible summit for the experienced hiker and scrambler. We all loved it. Laissez les bon temps rouler!