Mount Daniel
Updated: Oct 18
8/26/2023 - 8/27/2023
Eric and I enjoyed a very pleasant overnight climb of Mount Daniel – an iconic Cascade Crest peak in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.
We chose the standard approach via Peggy’s Pond and Cathedral Rock, which allowed us to get a late start from the Cathedral Pass Trailhead. We were treated to excellent views of Cathedral Rock as we approached the pass and traversed high above Deep Lake on rougher terrain to reach Peggy’s Pond.
Our friends Mike and Kalli had climbed Daniel earlier in the day and were spending a night at the lake, so it was nice to meet up with them and share their campsite for the night. While we were waiting for them to return from their climb, Eric and I had an interesting animal sighting while swimming in the pond. We saw a good-sized snake swimming on top of the water – something I’d never seen before in the Cascades!
The next morning, we rose early but didn’t leave our cozy camp until about 7:30. We followed the climber’s path that leads up Daniel’s east shoulder directly from the shores of Peggy’s Pond. The path was well-defined, and it was easy going to reach the ridge, where the terrain flattened out momentarily. There was some smoky haze in the air, but the views were nonetheless beautiful.
The ridge eventually steepened as it bent north toward the east summit. Here, a few class 2-3ish moves were necessary, but the terrain remained straightforward. I really enjoyed being able to look straight down on the brilliant blue water of Venus Lake from this section.
At the saddle below the east summit, we could see the true summit in the distance. It still looked surprisingly far away (I always forget just how big the Mount Daniel massif is, despite having climbed it twice previously). We traversed a barren, rocky, slope below the east peak and were thankful the climber’s path was good as it was through this section. The slope was steep and loose, and it would have been much sketchier without the relatively good footing the trail provided. Beyond this traverse, the terrain eased, and we continued plodding toward the summit, through more desolate terrain. It’s not hard to imagine this area being covered up by a glacier not too long ago.
Finally, a bit of light scrambling brought us to the true summit shortly before 11 am. I love looking down on the Lynch Glacier to Pea Soup Lake and Dip Top Gap below. It was fun to reminisce on my ascents of Dip Top and Lynch earlier in the summer, where Mount Daniel dominated the skyline, and now to exact have the opposite view.
We shared the summit with a very loud, very friendly guy, who had (you can’t make this up…) carried his tiny chihuahua to the summit of Mount Daniel to dress it up in a sombrero and poncho for a photo shoot. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to top the randomness of that summit encounter.
On the descent we decided to check out the middle summit just for fun, because it was “right there”. This was also a walk-up summit, and we were impressed by the rugged spire to the north. In all honesty, I think the spire could potentially be higher, but we were satisfied with our exploration.
The rest of the way down was routine, and we got back to Pea Soup Lake in time for another refreshing swim. Our camp-to-camp time was about 6 and half hours, including a leisurely summit stay, and exploration of the middle summit.
15.9 miles / 5311 feet of ascent
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