Alpine Scramble - Banshee Peak & Cowlitz Chimneys

TBD - Morning. We'll pick up permits first and are not sure what time the White River ranger station will open that late in the season. Carpooling encouraged, since parking is limited.

We'll do the pretty and leisurely hike (think stupendous fall color!) to Summerland and head up to Panhandle Gap the first morning. We have a backcountry permit to camp in the alpine zone behind Panhandle Gap and below Banshee Peak near water, so we'll set up camp and go for Banshee Peak. If we have time, we'll scout out the route to Central Cowlitz or Witch's Tower a bit, to see what's in store for the next day.

This will be an exploratory route for us, so there's no guarantee of a summit, but scrambling in Class 3 terrain and/or summiting Banshee will get you credit toward graduation.

We'll pack up camp on Day 2 and head back up to scramble Cowlitz/Witch's Tower, possibly leaving packs in a safe place before the final scramble. Then we'll head back the way we came.

This won't be a super-fast paced activity, but hopefully everyone will be in good backpacking shape by September!