Beckler Peak
Summit 15 of 70--July 13, 2023
Between work at home (hopeless garage reorganization) and helping a buddy repair his house after a fire, I still managed to squeeze in a good hike yesterday to Beckler Peak near Skykomish. The four-mile trek to the summit gains about 2,300 feet, so not a bad workout for a gorgeous sunny day. I’d camped nearby, got going early and drove up the lumpy road to the vacant trailhead.
The hike follows an old logging road for half the distance, before entering a peaceful old forest on a nicely maintained trail. A few switchy-backies later, I was on top with no one else in sight. The bald, granite summit offers a fabulous viewpoint with plenty to gawk at in all directions, from Mount Index and Baring to the west, Monte Cristo Peaks and Columbia Glacier to the north, and the rugged skyline of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness to the south. The volcanoes were all in clouds.
Beckler Peak itself is spread out along an impressive, craggy ridge, with west, central and east summits rising above a massive rockslide. The trail ends atop the east peak which is traditionally considered the “top,” although the middle (a double summit) might be a few feet higher. The latter appears quite exposed and better left to the squirrels. The east summit’s north face drops precipitously more than a 1,000 feet into the basin of Harlan Creek.
It was so nice on top I got up to leave several times then sat back down to soak it in some more. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.
