First, follow the
Mt. Audubon - North Slope Route to reach the summit of Audubon. This portion makes up the bulk of this combo route to Paiute but it's only Class 2. Continuing over to Paiute and back is another two miles, more difficult, and you'll need to regain nearly 600 feet to return to Audubon. Make sure you have decent weather to make it happen safely.
From the summit of Audubon, look west to see Paiute -
1. Without a trail, walk west off the summit and follow the ridge crest. Pass over a couple of rocky bumps and begin you descent of Audubon's west ridge -
2 and
3. About half way down the ridge steepens and you'll need to work around some rugged sections. Take your time and don't stray too far from the ridge crest -
4. As you approach the Audubon-Paiute saddle, the route up Paiute is in full view -
5. Continue down to the saddle.
Paiute's east ridge is steeper and more difficult than Audubon's west ridge and you'll encounter a few Easy Class 3 sections along the easiest route. Walk over to base of the ridge and ascend the first rocky section -
6. Next, follow the more-solid ridge crest toward more difficult terrain -
7. When you reach steeper terrain, you'll notice a prominent, white, rock outcrop above -
8. Just before reaching the rock outcrop, turn turn left and hike around the south side to avoid the steep rock along the ridge proper -
9. Shortly after going around to the left, climb back toward the ridge (
10) and continue to the top of a false summit -
11,
12 and
13. Drop a bit and climb to the true summit -
14,
15 and
16.
17 looks back toward Mt. Audubon. Unless you have a well-planned alternative, return via Mt. Audubon.
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