Alpine Scramble - Ingalls South Peak

Meet me at 6:30 AM the “East Sunset Trailhead” parking lot in Issaquah. It is 100 yards south of I-90 at exit #18.  The address is 665 E Sunset Way, Issaquah, WA   47.52996,-122.02562   We will carpool from there to the trailhead.  It's a pretty long drive, so figure $20 for carpooling assuming 3-4 people per car

If you are coming up SR-18, we can meet you in North Bend.  Contact me 2 days before the trip to let me know and I will provide details.

Note that a NW Forest Pass is required for parking at this trailhead.

From the Esmeralda Trailhead we will hike north over Ingalls Pass, follow the main trail to "Headlight Creek".  We will ascend NW from there to the gap between the north & south peaks.  This section is the highlight of the trip.  There are huge boulders and slabs with nice clean rock.  From the 7300'+ gap, we then turn south and ascend South Ingalls.

From the summit we descend the south side to the ridge with Fortune.  We might go over to Fortune if everybody needs extra exercise, but most likely we will descend to the Ingalls Pass trail and return the way we hiked up.

Gaia Route

 Notes:

- To reduce pack weight, I'm planning on stashing a quart of water near where we will return to the main trail.  There might be a creek to filter water, but don't count on it.

- I'm not planning on stopping on the way back for a dinner.  My wild-ass guess is we will be back in Issaquah at 7:30 PM

- In the event of wet conditions on Ingalls, this trip will be changed to a "hike" in the North Bend area.  Destination decided by the folks that still want to come.