The first section is on a large flat trail. A few kilometers with almost no elevation gain to Alder Flats. Then it's a long slog up the rocky creek and steep switchbacks to a great viewpoint. Nice spot for a short break!
Once you reach the ridge, the panorama opens up toward Pitt Lake and mountain on the North and West. The trail continues to the emergency shelter. After that it becomes a faint marked trail and we decided to leave it and head straight toward the snow field. Not much snow left after the warm summer we had. But the snow was hard. So we contoured it on the right and went up a rocky gully to reach the summit ridge. A short easy scramble leads to the North Ear. Great views from the top, though the north side was smoky.
Now that I have a reputation of a peak bagger, I had to do a quick jaunt to the South Ear too! It's a nice scramble from the North Ear. Just go down on the West side, traverse on a faint trail and pick your way up the South Ear.
It's a great time of the year to do that trip. Temperatures are lower, no mosquitoes or other flies. But with the days getting shorter, we had to head down relatively quickly. We made it back to the car at 7pm just before dark. Perfect timing! Overall it took us 10 hours.
The trail start with a long flat trail. A few kilometers to go, with very little elevation gain. The first view is on Gold Creek. Arriving at Alder Flat, Edge Peak shows up
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