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Ascent of Baby Blue on 2011-12-29

Climber: Craig Willis

Other People:

Solo Ascent
Only Party on Mountain

Date:

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Ascent Type:

Successful Summit Attained

Peak:

Baby Blue

Location:

USA-Washington

Elevation:

2080 ft / 633 m

Ascent Trip Report

Now that I have experienced the vast new logging road system on and around this peak, I wish I would have had my bike with me. Satellite images must be outdated, as a newer logging road now goes through the summit contour. The true summit is in a forested area on the north side of the ridgetop road. Several stumps and dirt-stump mounds could currently contend for the highest point; a summit register is currently found tucked onto one of the large nurse stumps with a tree atop of it.

I hiked north along a forest road until reaching the SW side of the mountain, and then continued northwest around the lower slopes until finding a clearcut to ascend. Halfway up I reached a switchbacking logging road, but that road soon ended. After briefly entering forest again, I eventually reached the ridgetop logging road. After spending 30 minutes tromping around the large summit contour trying to tag the highest points, I went back to the ridgetop road and followed it east. When I reached a clearcut ravine at ~1700' elevation, I headed down the side of it until reaching another logging road far below. I followed that road back to Sultan Basin Road, and then only a short 0.3-mile walk down the road to the other road intersection where I had left my car.

Great views of neighboring Blue Mountain, Mount Stickney, Nina/Pinta/Zekes, Gunn Peak Massif, Mount Persis, King Benchmark, and some other peaks. I could see the town of Startup, and at noon I could hear the loud city chimes coming from Sultan. I think I could even see some of the large skyscraper-like buildings in Seattle. Not a very notable peak, but a peak all the same. For me, this was my 100th summit of the year, for the first time ever. There may have been more, with all the other unnamed bumps and hills I have done this year, but "Baby Blue" made it official.

"Baby Blue" is so-named by being like a tiny version of its 1000'-taller neighbor, Blue Mountain.

Summary Total Data

Elevation Gain:

1320 ft / 402 m

Extra Gain:

20 ft / 6 m

Trailhead:

800 ft / 243 m

Quality:

3 (on a subjective 1-10 scale)

Route Conditions: