Lennox Mountain 5894', Alpine Lakes Wilderness

Lennox Mountain is not one I would ever pick for a beautiful clear day; in all honesty I'm not sure if I'd ever really heard of it before Saturday evening. But Neek suggested it and I failed at coming up with a north-facing alternative.

From the east (via West Fork Miller River), Lennox is a fairly-adventurous route: a few miles of old brushy/rocky/creek-y road and then a 3200' grunt in 2.4 miles up Lennox's SE slope to Coney Lake. It's brushy, but never terrible; snow was sloppy but still passable (beware of melting underneath and potential posthole/punching through to waist depth). There are a couple steep gullies en route as well (see slide photo at bottom). We crossed Coney Lake and followed the east ridge up mellow bumps, past a couple small cornices and up to the summit.

Great views up top from a vantage point I'm not used to. Always interesting to see what someone else picks as a route! Bonus: word is Lennox is visible from Seattle.

Route starting from Miller River Rd; we went left (south) on ascent and took a better, more-direct descent line

Quite a bit of the old mining road looks like this...

...and this, where it was washed out

Starting up Lennox's SE slope

Waterfall around 3500'; went left on the way up but came down on the ridge to the right of it in this photo

Breaking out of the trees around 4500'

Neek at Coney Lake; we crossed and took the east ridge ramp above the trees

Coming up the east ridge, looking back at where the above photo was taken; Alpine Lakes Wilderness peaks beyond 

With Glacier Peak and the Dakobed Range

Lennox summit, looking north to the Glacier Peak Wilderness

Looking south to Rainier with Kaleetan and I-90 peaks peeking above the clouds

Rainier, Alpine Lakes Wilderness peaks, Stuart, Daniel, Hinman, etc.

One of the steep gullies: we glissaded and Neek brought down this slushy surface slough in a small slide