Mount Shuksan, Traverse from Cloudcap Peak via Jagged Ridge. The morning of July 11 found John Meulemans, Irene Whittlerova, and Tony Hovey in the rugged Nooksack cirque, gazing along the length of Jagged Ridge beginning with Cloudcap Peak and ending in the flat Crystal Glacier, which, in turn, leads to the summit of Mount Shuksan. We reached the summit of Cloudcap Peak at 4:30 p.m. (this being only the fourth ascent of the peak), and a look down the length of Jagged Ridge convinced us that any route we could hope to complete in the time available would be one that contoured many of the towers and steps that form the spine of this dissected rib. Descending Cloudcap by its southwest face, we bivouaced on a sloping heather and rock shelf, sleeping pleasantly on the stones of our tilting bed until 2:00 a.m. After a rapid crossing of a small glacier, we began contouring the many rock buttresses that flank the towers of Jagged Ridge. The climbing was easy, and we constantly pressed forward to be sure that we could link this route to the Crystal Glacier. Finally, a slanting snow finger, some steep rock scrambling, a final traverse across the upper Crystal Basin, and we reached the broad summit plateau. Shortly after, we were on top of the summit pyramid after a unique and beautiful climb. We quickly descended the summit pyramid and then completed the east to west traverse of the mountain by way of the normal route to Lake Ann and the Mount Baker Lodge.

Anthony F. Hovey