An excellent hiking trail takes you to Needles Summit, where easy off-trail will get you to these peaks.
- July 16, 2017
- Team: me (and Ruby)
- Peaks:
- Peak 8300
- Peak 8494
- Stats: 12.9 miles, 3737' gain, 5:50 hours RT, Class 2 and a bit of 4
Note: click images to see a larger version in a new window
From my house, it took about 50 minutes to get to the Kennally Creek trailhead. So after a sort of lazy start, we were on our feet right at 9:15am. In the low 50s. Other than being torn up by motorcycles on the steep sections, these trails are in great shape (you have to navigate several trail junctions). Fairly shady (but also buggy). A few downed trees here and there, but you can make good progress all the way to Needles Summit. And there are cross-streams at nice intervals for the pooch to drink. |
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It went so well that I didn't get the camera out until we got to Needles Summit. And to the south, there's most of our first peak. Just not the important part, the summit. |
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This is looking north from the Class 4 summit block. You can also see several other towers on the summit ridge that I climbed while trying to find the high point. sigh. The peak in the mid-distance is 8494. |
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| Looking south from 8300 at The Needles. I climbed the highpoint of The Needles with Art a few years back. |  |
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We carefully picked our way off of 8300 and then slogged up 8494, watching the terrain and map to avoid the massive false-summit pinnacle. This one was a walk-up to the very top, so even Ruby summited. That's Square Top across the way. |
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The little gem sits on a rib between Needles Summit and Square Top. It's on my list, but not today. Looks interesting.... |
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Summit. |
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Looking northwesterly. Sort of where we came from this morning. |
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Just a sample of what to expect for trail conditions. Dang good! When I climbed Square Top, this trail was a mess. But since then it has been cut out. Other than a handful of easy trees, it's now a cruise! |
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| Map |  |
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