Ragged Ridge. Contrary to what the Climber’s Guide might indicate, Ragged Ridge is not just a pile of loose rocks. My wife Chris and I enjoyed a wet trip here in August, 1968, camping in the plush Fisher Creek Basin meadows after an 18-mile trek from Diablo Lake. The 8795-foot high point on the ridge was first climbed in 1966 by the Fireys and Meulemans, who named it “Panther Peak”. Ours was a new route and second ascent via a winding couloir on the west ridge. A half-mile west we climbed the second highest point (8680 feet) via its east ridge. A half-mile and a mile east of “Panther Peak” we made the first ascents of 7985 and 8003-foot peaks. We also made the first ascent of a 7945-foot peak, three quarters of a mile north of Mount Arriva, which we felt resembled strikingly Johannesberg near Cascade Pass. We ascended Fisher Creek Basin, angling back to the west after bypassing face cliffs, to a 7200-foot col on the main ridge a half-mile southeast of the summit. Then we followed Class-Ill rock on the south side to the summit.

JOHN Roper, North Cascades Peak Baggers