Alpine Scramble - Banshee Peak & Cowlitz Chimneys

8:45am, Frying Pan Creek TH. 

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 in the morning. We'll try for a backcountry permit to camp in the alpine zone behind Panhandle Gap and below Banshee Peak near water.

This will be an exploratory route for us, and we may or may not have time to get up there before the scramble, so the plan is to do Banshee on Day 1 and do a little scouting of the route to Central Cowlitz.

We'll pack up camp after sunrise Day 2 and head back up to scramble Cowlitz, 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!

If we can't get an overnight permit, this will be a big, long day activity.