Photo Diary: Vesper Peak
DATE HIKED:7/13-7/14/24
TOTAL MILEAGE: 8 MILES
TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN: 4,000’
When Alex and I first moved to Washington in 2017 I made a long list of hikes and backpacking trips I wanted to do in the area and Vesper Peak was one of the first I added to my list. Somehow other trips kept taking precedence and Vesper Peak kept getting relegated to the back of the pack. Every year I’d slate it in and every year it would get bumped. This year I was determined to finally make it to the summit so I planned it as the first backpacking trip of the season to ensure we’d do it.
We headed out from the Sunrise Mine Trailhead at noon on Saturday, 7/13. Almost immediately both Alex and I started sweating profusely. It was forecasted to be a hot hot hot day and in the muggy forest it felt like 200% humidity. The first ninety minutes or so were pure hell. We quickly worked through our water, overheated, and were drenched in sweat. We talked about potentially turning around but just as soon as we did we stumbled upon a little life-giving waterfall. We took a long break at the waterfall, refilling our water bottles, soaking our shirts, and dipping our heads. After our extended break we felt like new people and continued on with a new pep in our step.
Given that it was still relatively early in the season there was still quite a substantial snowfield up to the summit but thanks to that heat the snow was easy to kick steps in and we made quick work to the summit. I think I actually preferred the 800’ of booting to the pile of rocks I’m sure the slope turns into later in the season.
Even with our slower pace and long break we made it to the top in four hours. We found the primo campsite that’s about 20’ below the summit and set up camp. This process took longer than expected because I somehow forgot our tent poles. Fortunately we had our trekking poles and were able to engineer a workable solution. After setting up our tent we settled in to wait for sunset. We had passed hiker after hiker heading down as we were heading up, but after we arrived at the top we were entirely alone save for a couple and their two dogs who showed up just after us and some climbers who unexpectedly popped out on the top just at sunset. I relished the absolute solitude we had in such a usually busy place. One of the perks of leaving late and hauling all our overnight gear up! The reason I wanted to backpack this trail instead of day hike it was so we would witness sunset, the night sky, and sunrise from the top. That trio of spectacles was well worth it!
It’s been awhile since I’ve seen a display of colors quite as vivid as those we witnessed up at Vesper Peak. As the sun sank lower on the horizon golden rays poured down the slopes above Copper Lake. From our vantage point we also had a perfect view of Mt. Baker, many prominent peaks of North Cascades National Park like Eldorado and Dome Peak. We had a close-up look at Glacier Peak. The Alpine Lakes Wilderness area was also on full display and we could see Mt. Stuart, Daniel, and Hinman all standing in a row, and of course, Mt. Rainier sat like a crown jewel to the south. As if it couldn’t get any better, to the east we could see Puget Sound and the Olympics. Vesper Peak truly has one of the more unique views I’ve seen in the mountains. I can’t believe it took seven years to visit but I’m so glad we finally made it!
