Ingall’s Peak by Karin Mullendorf Jessica Schlump, Cigdem Milobinski and I had been trying to choose our next adventure for the weekend ahead. Because skiing or climbing near Portland didn’t sound like an option due to the high temperatures, we decided to make the 5 hour drive and climb Ingalls Peak where the weather forecast promised highs in the 70s. Perfect! We made it a leisurely trip and arrived at the trailhead on Saturday afternoon with the plan to make camp there and climbing the following day. The idea of carrying light packs and avoiding the possiblity of a night-time goat-licking sounded better than humping heavy packs up to Ingalls Pass and sleeping amid salt-loving quadrupeds. In addition, while looking for beta of the route through the Mountaineers website, we serendipitously learned a group of them were going to be there on Saturday. Wanting to avoid them, too, we started the climb at 5:45 a.m. on Sunday. As luck would have
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it, another group that was hoping to start at the same time forgot their NW forest pass and had to go get one. We saw this as an opportunity to go fast and furious and claim the peak for ourselves. Fortunately, route finding was not an issue—mostly because we had gotten very good beta from fellow Mazamas Chris Kruell and Elisabeth Kay Bowers, who had climbed Ingalls several weeks earlier. The snow was mostly melted at the lower elevations and most of the trail up to Ingalls Lake was clear. From there the route was partially covered with snow and ice axes were required. It ended up taking us exactly 3½ hours to get to the base of the route. From there it was easy sailing. Being a team of three, we all had the opportunity to lead. A little scramble to the first pitch was followed by a 5.4 climb. We chose the 5.6 variation for the second pitch. The last pitch was a short 5.4. Because we had been warned the night before that thunderstorms were predicted for the afternoon, we made sure to move efficiently.
Pilates is a mind body exercise that focuses on core strength, flexibility and posture, and is a great complement to climbing, hiking, and backpacking.
Just as the dark clouds were rolling in, we finished our third rappel and were ready to walk back. We made it back to the car in just over ten hours, ate some delicious treats from Marsee Baking, and happily left the trail. Goal accomplished. Tips: 1. If you want to camp at the trailhead there are only a few conceivable places that can accommodate a tent that aren’t right next to your car. designated for a tent. If you are more flexible, there are plenty of nice camping spots along the river a couple of miles down the road that are FREE and at least one campground for $8/night. 2. If you decide to camp at Ingalls Pass or Ingalls Lake be aware of goats. We saw a couple of backpackers that left their hiking poles outside their tents overnight, and the hand grips were completely eaten. 3. Stay up on the trail. If you start hiking down you are going the wrong way. 4. Bring doubles of cams #0.5 to #2. EXTRA POINTS if you use larger hexes.
Want to give Pilates a try? Mazama Members can receive 10% off an introductory private package or an introductory mat package. Call Pacific Northwest Pilates at 503-292-4409, or go to: pacificnwpilates.com. Discount valid for packages purchased by Sept. 30, 2014, only for private or classes with Meg Goldberg. Based on availability. All packages expire within 6 months of purchase date.
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