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Canby Mountain - 13,478 feet
"Hardrocker" - 13,214 feet (unranked)
Galena Mountain A - 13,300 feet
"Stony Pass Peak" - 13,165 feet
Green Mountain A - 13,049 feet (unranked)
This was hiking day 3 of 4 and we were looking for an easier day. Hiking some low 13ers from a TH at 12,600 seemed like it would work well - and it did.
Trail head: The top of Stony Pass Directions to the TH: From downtown Silverton, head toward Cinnamon Pass on the Alpine Loop road. About 3.9 miles from the right turn off of Greene Street, which is the main street in Silverton, onto the Alpine Loop road, you'll get to a right turn - there's a brown sign on the right side of the road with "Stony Pass" and an arrow indicating you should turn right here. Turn right off of Alpine Loop road. This turn off is right near the Howardsville site. Turn left maybe 1/4 mile farther. At 7.4 ish miles from the Greene/Alpine Loop turn, turn right to stay on the road to Stony Pass. You'll get to the top of the pass after about 10.3 miles from the Greene/Alpine Loop turn.
There are several pull offs around the top of the pass. Access: The road is rocky and rough in areas, but a stock 4WD should get you there. Starting elevation: ~12,600 feet Special gear: None
Part 1: Canby, Hardrocker, and Galena Miles: 5.9 Elevation gained: 2,100 feet
The weather report wasn't great, so we started early - around 4:30 ish in the morning.
When we arrived at the top of the pass the afternoon before our hike, we saw miserable-looking scree slopes and cliffs blocking easy access to Canby Mountain. After a quick look around just passed the top of the pass, we saw some grassy slopes that looked like they would go for us the next morning as we hiked in the dark.
We walked to the top of the pass and a few yards beyond it in the dark in the morning. It was a good thing we scouted the route the day before since we didn't want to deal with scree and cliffs in the dark. As we started up the slopes, the light from our headlamps reflected off some metal tags indicating the Hardrocker 100 course path. We followed the Hardrocker path until it suited us to not follow it at which point we headed straight up to the ridge a little below the summit.
Sunrise from the summit was pretty nice!
The rest of the ridge in the early morning light. Hardrocker is the rounded bump with the snow on its ridges.
Looking back at Canby from along the way. The trail is visible.
Kate heads off Hardrocker toward Galena - there is a big mine building and a road leading to the ridge in that drainage on the left. Galena is the high point on the ridge out there left of center.
There was a pretty good view of the Grenadiers from this ridge.
The route from Canby to Galena was via mellow grassy slopes. It was a very nice, relaxing hike. However, it looked like a very long way back to Canby from the top of Galena. Canby is the pointy one in the center.
I was dumb on the summit of Galena - I didn't lock my Camelback tube and all my water leaked out when I leaned against my pack during our summit time. It wasn't too far to get back to the pass and more water in our car, but it was a stupid mistake that could have been more costly on a more difficult/long route.
Heading back to Canby. We didn't re-ascend Canby to get back to the pass; instead, we picked up the Hardrocker trail and followed it back to the pass.
There was a memorial on one of the points.
The view toward Stony Pass Peak, near left, with the Grenadiers behind.
The flowers were in bloom!
We tried to connect "Could Be Peak" (13,152 feet), which is just south of Canby Peak, but the ridge does not go. We didn't even try to hike it - it looked very cliffy and steep. Here's a pic of Could Be (center) from the summit of Canby. Sheep Mountain and Greenhalgh Mountain are in the background.
Part 2: Stony Pass Peak and Green Mountain A Miles: 2.5 Elevation gained: 800 feet
We could see our route up Stony Pass Peak and Green Mountain from the Canby/Galena ridge.
Here's the view from our parking spot just short of the pass, Stony Pass Peak looks very close - and it is. I think it was less than 30 minutes from the top of the pass to the top of the peak.
A closer view of Stony Pass Peak. The top was class 2+.
The summit of Stony Pass Peak looking at the ridge to Green Mountain.
The summit looking back at the parking spot.
We tried to make a direct link between Stony Pass Peak and Green Mountain, but it didn't go. There was a potential downclimb from the summit to the ridge to Green Mountain, but it was above our risk tolerance level. Plan B was to go just below the summit of Stony Pass Peak along some talus to the ridge to Green, but this looked miserable - steep, loose side-hilling. Plan C was to go back the way we came to get to the basin floor. This was an easy way to go.
We gained the ridge to Green by that bump on the ridge to the left of the snow. There was a faint trail up there.
The ridge to the summit of Green was another straightforward ridge walk without any difficulties or obstacles. There were some interesting rocks and crystals that caught Otina's attention. Here's that ridge.
Along the ridge, we could see in the distance some cool looking old mine buildings that looked like they should just fall off the side of the mountain. I guess those miners were made of strong stuff...
Fun times. This is a great hike when you don't have all day to spend on the peaks.
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
This area doesn't have a lot of beta available and I will put this to good use. Like Matt typed...Thanks for the roadmap!
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