Zupjok Peak

Oct. 23, 2022 - Stats: 14.4 km / 1049m gain / 1841m high / 5:20 hours MT

Only one week earlier, we were hiking in shorts and T-shirts and drinking 2 1/2 liters of water in near 30C! Now we took our full winter gear, with the exclusion of snowshoes. Two days prior we were very thankful to get the first rainfall in almost four months. It cleared up the oppressive thick haze of smoke that plagued the land and made it unhealthy to be outdoors. From hot & smoggy to cold, crisp & clear, from summer to winter in a matter of days. It was so refreshing to get back out in the mountains and set foot on the first snow of the season.

Bright and early, we were on the trail at 8:35am.

Yak Peak as we left the parking lot. I'd never done this hike in such a thin layer of snow before.

Didn't know there was a bridge here.

The first hour or so, was an easy grade through beautiful forest.

Then we started the steep 45-minute climb up Zupjok's south-facing slope.

Leaving the forest and climbing the final open slope to the summit.

The North Cascades in the distant south.

Markhor, the Needle + Flat Iron -- south.

Yak (1980m) to the left, Hwy 5 & the Needle -- east & southeast.

Made it! What a view! Alpaca, Vicuna + Guanaco -- north.

west to north

west

Lama (1860m) is the lower hump to the left, Alpaca (2040m), Vicuna (2010m) + Guanaco (2070m).

Group shot: Pedro A, David G, me, Don McD, Michelle K, Paul L, Patrick R, Case T

squatting are: Jim A + Terry B

Decending Zupjok Peak and continuing west along the ridge. Micro-spikes came in very handy here.

Yak to the left and Zupjok to the right.

The steep north-facing almost vertical slope of Zupjok.

Gamuza (1800m), Steinbok (1800m), Ibex (1770m), Chamois (1920m) + Anderson River (1890m)

In foreground: Serna (1680m), Gemse (1710m), Reh (1680m) -- west.

This was our turn back point. It looks like Lama wasn't too much farther but it would've been another hour return, involving another deep drop before climbing to the hump on the left. Two hikers had turned back after the Zupjok summit. We didn't want them to wait too long for us. It ended up they were at the parking lot only 20 minutes before we got there. Our ridge walk took almost two hours.