Trip Report
Alpine Scramble - Esmeralda Peaks
A strong, competent group of participants and cool temperatures made for a pleasant loop of Esmerelda and Fortune peaks with stunning views of Stuart and early larches. Because of rain, we opted to skip Not-Hinkhouse on the way out.
Maxwell Parsons
- Sat, Sep 23, 2023
- Alpine Scramble - Esmeralda Peaks
- DeRoux Creek
- Scrambling
- Successful
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- Road suitable for all vehicles
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The brief dirt road walk between Esmerelda and Fortune seemed to be hosting Mitsubishi Delica convention.
We left the cars at 7:50 AM for a clockwise loop from the De Roux trailhead. We followed the De Roux creek trail until approximately 5500 feet where we ascended the southwest ridge of Esmerelda, more or less following a faint boot path which Gaia marks as a trail.
The scramble up Esmeralda was straightforward and enjoyable, with excellent views of Mount Stuart and the surrounding peaks. We reached the summit at around 10:00 AM and took a break to enjoy the views and snacks.
From Esmeralda, we descended to the west and continued north until the logging road at Gallagher head lake. We then took the trail up past fortune creek pass and toward lake ann until the trail intersects the west ridge of Fortune.
The ascent of Fortune up the west ridge was straightforward. We reached the summit at around 1:00 PM and took another break to enjoy the views and eat lunch.
From Fortune, we descended the east face, spreading out along the face to mitigate rockfall hazard.
As we descended, we were treated to stunning views of larches with Mount Stuart in the background.
As we approached the party felt that the larches appeared to multiply and become more colorful. By the time we reached the trail it started to rain, and so we opted to skip Not-Hinkhouse Peak and instead head directly back to the De Roux trailhead. We reached the trailhead at around 5:30 PM, completing the loop in 9.5 hours car to car.
