Mount Thomson via West Ridge, Snoqualmie Pass
August 5-7, 2016
Mount Thomson (6554′)
Last weekend, I joined Lisa and Eileen on a climb of Mt. Thomson near Snoqualmie Pass. Like many of the Snoqualmie peaks, it has a modest elevation that belies its rugged character. You could say that it’s small but scrappy. I often say the same thing about my cat Ellie. From nearby Chikamin Peak, as shown in the photo below, Thomson is a steep, chiseled wedge. From other vantages, it has the shape of a large, charcoal-colored bullet.
We drove up to Snoqualmie Pass on Friday afternoon and hiked up the Pacific Crest Trail to Kendall Pass, then over the other side a couple miles until directly below Bumblebee Pass. A steep climber’s path led up to the narrow pass, then down into scenic little Bumblebee Basin. We set up camp in the basin while the evening sun highlighted Chimney Rock and Lemah Mountain across the valley.
The basin was peppered with boulders consisting of gray andesite and white feldspar needles. This type of rock, called a “porphyry," also constituted the bulk of Mt. Thomson.
In the morning, we awoke to a cold fog that engulfed the basin and the peaks above. We delayed our departure until most of the fog dissipated. The rest of the day was clear and sunny, although surprisingly cold. We headed up a long talus slope to the west ridge notch.
Fog lingered in the surrounding valleys all morning, and a chilly breeze blew steadily from the northwest.
This climb of Thomson’s very popular West Ridge route was selected by Lisa and Eileen, and they took turns doing all of the rock leads. My job was to stay tied in between our two ropes, belay the leader and follower, and keep complaints to a minimum. On a rope team, this person is commonly called the "belay wench.” I was a pretty good one.
The first two leads went up a series of chimneys in solid rock.
The crux was a Class 5.6 bulge at the start of Pitch 3, and Pitch 4 was a Class 5.4 face. Each of the first four pitches had pretty significant exposure.
Pitch 5 involved a Class 3-4 traverse of a large slab, which is a distinctive feature of Mt. Thomson when viewed from a distance. We were happy to get a reprieve from the exposure.
Pitch 6 followed a series of ledges and cracks along the peak’s upper ridge. We were back on exposed terrain, but the rock quality was excellent.
We crossed over the western false summit, descended into a notch, then climbed one last roped pitch to the true summit (8.8 hours from camp). Lisa and Eileen were delighted.
It was late afternoon by now, but we spent a good half hour soaking in the summit views. Nearby peaks included Chimney Rock and Lemah Mountain...
…as well as Three Queens and Hibox Peak.
We descended the East Ridge route by making one double-rope rappel, then scrambling down Class 3 slabs to easier ground. We strolled into camp shortly after 7:30pm (3.3 hours from summit), with just enough time to pack up and get over Bumblebee Pass before darkness fell.