Winter Scramble - Mutton Mountain, Noble Knob

This counter-clockwise traverse used the Deep Creek Trail for ascent, descended via the Ranger Creek Trail, with side trips to Mutton Mountain and Noble Nob (see map).  Parties repeating this traverse might want to prepare with an out-and-back trip to Noble Knob via the Ranger Creek Trail (helps with finding the trail at the end of a very long day).  Parking near the Ranger Creek Airstrip turnoff was used to facilitate quick access to the cars at day’s end (unfortunately the official parking in this area was blocked by snow pushed aside by snowplowing, yet we were able to find adequate shoulder/wide spot parking to accommodate our party without blocking plows or other traffic).

We brought snowshoes, micro-spikes, and crampons, yet did not end up using the crampons (came close several times).  An unusual condition in this area (maybe not so unusual as it was also present on May 8th, 2021 where we used crampons exclusively) is a relatively shallow layer of snow overlaying a very hard layer of ice (difficult to puncture with ice axes, even when using considerable force).  The ability of our snowshoe rails/claws to grip this ice were quite variable, such that traversing and/or descending any slope of non-trivial steepness was ‘attention getting’.  The steep slope traverse just W of Point 6176 (High Dalles Point) was particularly so, and on future trips it might be better to ascend Point 6176, then follow the ridge crest.  We had originally planned to go out and back to/from Noble Knob along the connecting ridge, but due to this condition we opted to follow the ridge crest out to Noble Knob, then return by closely following the trail to the 5450’ pass (see map below).  This adjustment allowed us to avoid traversing/descending the very steep slopes on the SW aspect of the ~5800’ ridge SE of the 5450’ pass.   This unusual snow/ice condition also caused us to defer our descent to the site of the old shelter.  We continued along our traverse altitude of ~5400’ until reaching gentler slopes N/NE of the shelter site.  Finally, the trails in the area just below the shelter site are very confused by downed timber/brush, yet we were able to intersect the ~4700’ leg of the trail (and our path home) by heading S/SE from the shelter site using a steep descent that was close to the fall line.