Alpine Scramble - Little Kachess Peak

This trip was hastily put together at 7:30 this morning, outside the Travelers Rest at Snoqualmie Pass. Several Mountaineers happened to stop there independently, each planning to go on separate private trips assuming that the club was still shutdown for the Covid-19 response.  One group was planning to go to Freedom in the Teanaway. Another was planning to go to Malcolm and Johnson in the Teanaway. A third group was planning to go to Silver Peak.  Through the marvels of smartphone technology, we discovered that 1) the club had opened up for trips starting this morning, 2) the Teanaway trailheads were closed for a fugitive manhunt, 3) the weather forecast had deteriorated for Silver and that thunderstorms were a possibility.  With all three destinations no longer feasible, the five Mountaineers decided to join forces and find a sweet spot between rain in the west and a fugitive in the east. Their impromptu decision: Kachess ridge, featuring  the Kachess Radio Beacon, Littler Kachess Peak, and Little Kachess Peak. 

It was a delightful choice. We managed to avoid the rain (although we could see it raining all around us) and even experienced moments of blue sky and bright sunshine.  The wildflowers were magnificent, including calypso orchids and chocolate lilies and several species unknown to us.  The only snow we encountered was on our descent down the northeast side of Little Kachess.

All in all, it was a wonderful way to celebrate our return to the mountains and to the adaptive and spontaneous spirit of the Mountaineers.