Three Brothers (7303') and Navaho Peak (7223') via Ingalls Creek, Alpine Lakes Wilderness

Sir Hikes wanted miles and I wanted views, so he proposed a less-common approach to Navaho Peak via the Ingalls Creek trail and Falls Creek basin. Having done Navaho via the normal approach from the Teanaway side last year, I suggested we add on Three Brothers just to Navaho's east.

• Ingalls Creek: first three miles are clear and then it gets surprisingly brushy (decent amount of alder) for such a popular trail; ~15 blowdowns. Immediately after the confluence with Falls Creek look for a log ~.25m upstream (5.4m from TH on my GPS) that is visible from the trail.
• Falls Creek: faint trail leads up and east to cross Falls Creek (rock hop or ford) and a couple of cairns mark a well-worn trail to the unnamed creek flowing down from Three Brothers' middle summit. Although maps show an abandoned trail crossing both creeks and staying on the west of Falls Creek the terrain looked very difficult. We stayed on the east side of Falls Creek the entire way up the basin. Solid snow started at 4200'.
• Navaho Peak: at 5400' we headed west into the large NE-facing basin toward Navaho's summit. Snow was solid and good for snowshoes (me) or microspikes (Sir Hikes). At 6600' SHaL took a steep, direct route to the summit while I trended a bit more toward the gentle north ridge and up to the summit. Large east-facing cornices on Navaho's south ridge. 
• Three Brothers: we dropped down Navaho's SE ridge staying above the cornices and then descended straight east to the Navaho-Three Brothers saddle at 6050'. Taking the normal route up Three Brothers' west side was about half snow and half dirt/rock where we could actually follow the summer trail. On descent we went into Falls Creek basin from the Navaho-Three Brothers saddle, meeting our tracks back at ~5350'. 

Looking across Ingalls Creek after crossing the log

Scooting the Ingalls Creek log; Sir Hikes photo

Falls Creek crossing

Falls Creek crossing; Sir Hikes photo

Reaching some open slide slopes around 4600'

Upper Falls Creek Basin, Navaho summit back center-left

Some steep sections on Navaho's NE slopes

Navaho NE slopes, Three Brothers main/west (right) and middle (left)

Navaho Peak

Stuart-Enchantment and Teanaway ranges

Navaho's south ridge; we descended the ridge in the mid-ground down to the saddle, then up Three Brothers' west ridge

Big cornice failures and more to come, looking back at Navaho's south ridge

Three Brothers wide summit ridge

Reaching Three Brothers summit

Rejoining our tracks in upper Falls Creek basin

Falls coming off McClellan Peak

Zoom of the falls

Sir Hikes styles the Ingalls Creek log; I butt-scooted

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

Rock Mountain, Nason Ridge

A last-minute change in plans had Eric and I hiking off Highway 2 Saturday morning, headed up Rock Mountain. Eric's TR with conditions is on NWHikers.

Arrowhead Mountain (l) and Jim Hill Mountain

Jim Hill

Cornices even in the forest, at ~5000'

Looking up toward the final ridge of Rock, ~5600'

Looking at the final slope to the summit ridge, from 6400'; summit above Eric's head

Eric about to pop through the break in the cornices

The steep ridge section at 5400'; we went right over the spine both on ascent and descent, though two skiers crossed the east-facing slope which we had sent surface slough down only an hour or two prior...

The Chiwaukum group: North, Middle, Big, Snowgrass

Back in warm temps and snow free below 4000'