Trip Report
Alpine Scramble - Mount Ann
On a very warm 8/20/16, 6 of us did the tremendously scenic scramble of Mt. Ann.
Fritz Klein
- Sat, Aug 20, 2016
- Alpine Scramble - Mount Ann
- Lake Ann (Mount Shuksan)
- Scrambling
- Successful
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- Road suitable for all vehicles
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There is a path you can follow from the saddle NW of Lake Anne that goes SW, then S along the ridge that leads to Peak 5681 (apparently called "Han" or "Annette" in various online reports). Where the ridge steepens at about 5300', the path contours along the east side of the ridge; where the path becomes indistinct, we stayed high, which worked well. It appears on the USGS map that the area south of Peak 5681 is very gentle; don't be fooled. There is a lot of fun scrambling here; watch for cairns to find the easiest way. We climbed Peak 5681 (whose summit is covered with small trees), then went over to Ann. The ridge between the two summits has lots more ups and downs than are apparent on the map.
There were still a number of snow patches, but they were either avoidable or easy to cross. We carried ice axes but never used them. One patch of snow fed a nice little stream, which allowed us to refill our water bottles on this very warm day, but it probably won't last much longer.
This is a fantastic scramble, more difficult than I expected, but well worth the trouble. On the ridge east of Lake Ann, the views just don't quit. Parts of the path are easy strolling with Shuksan to the east and Baker to the west. On our way down, the views across Lake Ann were especially nice because the lake was calm enough for good reflections of various parts of Shuksan. My biggest mistake was not getting an earlier start, especially on such a warm day.