Silver Star Mountain, Stellar Eclipse. On September 3 Off White of Olympia and I returned to the West Pillar of the West Peak of Silver Star Mountain to repeat Stellar Eclipse, a Grade IV alpine rock route we had established hammerless four years earlier. We had returned, Bosch in hand, to find a way around an extremely rotten pitch and add a few bolts to the existing route. My recollection of the upper part of the route was far worse than the reality of it so we opted to only use the drill to establish an additional starting pitch and add a bolt to the original first pitch. To find the route, scramble up the gully between Chablis Spire and the West Peak of Silver Star Mountain. Shortly above the scree line (and a reliable spring!) ledges lead rightward to a bolted face. All five bolts were placed on stance and an additional bolt above the fourth one should be added to better protect the 5.11 crux moves. With generally sound rock, good protection and sustained climbing (five pitches are 5.10 or harder) this route should soon become a Cascade classic.

Stephen Grossman, unaffiliated