Kaleetan Peak

Trip Report

Carla, Ben, and I parked at the Denny Creek trailhead and headed up the trail. We passed a couple guys on the trail who were hauling duffel bags, a coleman stove, a gallon milk jug full of water, fishing poles, and assorted other stuff. Later we passed a woman wearing a mini-skirt and carrying a child. At Melakwa Lake we followed the sign to the outhouse, then took the right fork of the path up the south ridge of Kaleetan Peak. After passing point 5,700 we encountered some steep, frozen snow when dropping down a bit on a NW slope into the basin right below the peak, those of us that had ice axes were glad to have them.

When making the final approach on the summit, one guy was above us and another party was below us. The guy above kicked a rock down the summit gulley which only missed Carla because it deflected a few feet in front of her, otherwise we would have had a MOFA situation. The summit gulley wasn't as intimidating as it looks from the distance.

When we returned to Melakwa Lake there were a dozen people there and two campfires burning.

References

• 2drx.com: Kaleetan Peak
• Book: 75 Scrambles in Washington: Classic Routes to the Summits
• Book: Climbing Washington's Mountains

Travel Times

• 1 hour 29 minutes ascending from Denny Creek trailhead (2,275') to Melakwa Lake
• 2 hours 12 minutes ascending from Melakwa Lake (4,495') to Kaleetan Peak summit
• 1 hour 44 minutes descending from Kaleetan Peak summit (6,255') to Melakwa Lake (4,470')
• 1 hour 49 minutes descending from Melakwa Lake (4,470') to Denny Creek trailhead

Visited

• Kaleetan Pk.
• King County
• Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
• Snoqualmie Pass USGS quad
• Washington State

Looking up Melakwa Pass from Melakwa Lake

Scramble route on Kaleetan Peak's south side

NW side of Bryant Peak