Trip Report
Alpine Scramble - MMM Ridge
Hot and dry. Nice day with good views.
David Butler
- Sat, Aug 13, 2016
- Alpine Scramble - MMM Ridge
- Songbird Peak, Machu Picchu & Greenway Mountain
- Scrambling
- Successful
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- Road suitable for all vehicles
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Route is fairly well maintained. There was a very brushy section up above on previous trips but someone has gone through and trimmed it all back. Trail up to base of the scramble route is clear.
Just want to contrast this hot dry trip with the cloudy and damp trip led a couple of months ago. With wet conditions it was considered that the route was at least a T3. In dry conditions you might say I guess that was a T3. Huge difference in ease of travel over the rocky sections.
Nice weather makes for good views but there was a lot of haze so the Olympics were not visible at all and Goat Rocks were just outline peaks in the distance. There is a view of the top of Mt Rainier from the summit. Lots of wild flowers, especially on the final slope and around the summit area.
A perfect trip would have been about 10 degrees cooler and less haze but this was a very good day with a confident group and no incidents. We did the round trip in just about five and a half hours.