Alone & Off-Route： Just the Way I Like it on Mt Maude, WA

Join me on a solo mountaineering adventure in the Washington Cascades as I tackle the legendary Entiat Slam! In this video, I attempt to climb Mount Maude (9,082 ft), Washington's 16th highest summit, as part of my goal to complete the Smoot 100 list by the end of the year. Facing early-season June snow conditions, I bypass the standard route for a fun snow ramp and rugged class 3 gully scramble before claiming the spectacular summit and traversing over to Freezer Peak. This massive 4-day mountain push will also include grueling attempts on Mount Fernow and Seven Fingered Jack to round out the historic ""slam.""

The journey kicks off with a 7-mile road walk from near Atkinson Campground due to a gated Chiwawa River Road. After making it to the Phelps Creek trailhead and navigating a series of blowdowns and creek crossings, I established a low camp in the forest. The next day, I ascended to the alpine paradise of Leroy Basin and set up my high camp. From there, I utilized crampons to ascend what I can only call ""the immaculate snow""—perfectly firm, early-summer snow slopes that made for fast climbing. Though my off-route detour led to a few loose rock gullies and dead ends, I made it to the main ridge for a quick finish to Maude's summit. The day offered sweeping clear summit views of Glacier Peak, Mount Stuart, Mount Rainier, and many, many more identifiable mountains in the WA Cascades.

Chapters
0:00 - Intro: The Entiat Slam & Mount Maude
0:52 - The 7-Mile Chiwawa River Road Walk
2:00 - Reaching Phelps Creek Trailhead
2:27 - Hiking up the Steep Leroy Basin Trail
3:31 - Climbing Mount Maude (Going Off-Route)
5:06 - Navigating Dead Ends & Blocky Scrambling
6:50 - Mount Maude Summit & Glacier Peak Views
8:37 - Traversing to Freezer Pass & Freezer Peak
10:43 - Boot Skiing Descent & Scouting Day 2

If you enjoyed heading ""INTO THE ENTIAT"", make sure to drop a comment below. Subscribe to stay tuned to see the rest of the slam with the legendary Mount Fernow and Seven Fingered Jack. #stunningnature