🏔️ Border Highlands Traverse (ABP, Larrabee, Winchester)

American Border Peak • Mount Larrabee • Winchester Mountain

Weekend Totals

🥾 15–17 Miles

⬆️ ~5,000–5,500 ft Gain

⛺ 1 Night at High Pass

🏔️ 3 Summits

🧗 Technical Alpine Climbing

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🎯 Expedition Objectives

Primary Objective

🏔️ American Border Peak

Secondary Objective

⛰️ Mount Larrabee

Scenic Objective

🏡 Winchester Mountain

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🗓️ DAY 1 — Saturday, July 25

Seattle → Winchester Mountain → High Pass Camp

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☕ 9:00 AM — Meet at Green Lake Park & Ride

Final:

• Gear check 🎒
• Vehicle consolidation 🚙

Depart Seattle

🕤 9:30 AM

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🚗 Drive to Twin Lakes Trailhead

Route:

Seattle
➡️ Everett
➡️ Burlington
➡️ Bellingham
➡️ Glacier
➡️ Twin Lakes Road

Drive Stats

🚙 ~140 miles

🕒 4–4.5 hours including gas & coffee breaks

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🥪 1:30 PM — Arrive Trailhead

Final preparation:

✔️ Fill water

✔️ Helmets packed

✔️ Climbing gear secured

✔️ GPS loaded

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🥾 2:00 PM — Begin Approach

Trailhead
➡️ Winchester Junction

Well-maintained trail through old-growth forest and alpine meadows.

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🏡 Winchester Mountain

Winchester Mountain

Statistics

📏 3.4 miles round trip

⬆️ 1,300 ft gain

🥾 Class 1

Description

One of Washington’s finest lookout summits.

Highlights:

📸 Fire lookout

🏔️ Mount Baker dominating the skyline

🌄 Twin Lakes basin

🇨🇦 Views deep into British Columbia

Time Required

🕒 1.5–2 hours

⸻

Continue to High Pass

Route:

Winchester Junction
➡️ Twin Lakes
➡️ Low Pass
➡️ High Pass

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⛺ High Pass Camp

Camp Elevation

🏔️ ~6,200 ft

Arrival Target

🕔 6:00–6:30 PM

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Evening Agenda

📸 Photography

🍜 Dinner

🗺️ Route review

🧗 Discuss rope strategy

🌅 Sunset over Mount Baker

💤 Early sleep

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🗓️ DAY 2 — Sunday, July 26

Mount Larrabee & American Border Peak

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☀️ 5:00 AM

Wake

Breakfast

Prepare summit packs

Leave camp standing

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⛰️ Summit #1 — Mount Larrabee

Mount Larrabee

Statistics

⬆️ ~1,700 ft gain

🕒 3–4 hours round trip

🧗 Class 3

Terrain

🪨 Talus

🪨 Scree

🪨 Moderate exposure

🪨 Fun scrambling

Summit Time

🕗 Approximately 8:00 AM

Views

🏔️ Mount Baker

🏔️ Mount Shuksan

🏔️ American Border Peak

🏔️ Canadian Border Peak

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Return to High Pass

Hydrate

Refuel

Evaluate conditions

Prepare technical gear

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🏔️ Summit #2 — American Border Peak

American Border Peak

Statistics

⬆️ ~1,800 ft gain

🕒 4–6 hours round trip

🧗 Class 4–Low 5th Class

Objective Hazards

⚠️ Loose rock

⚠️ Route finding

⚠️ Exposure

⚠️ Technical climbing

⚠️ Difficult retreat terrain

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Recommended Climbing Strategy

Many competent parties climb portions unroped in dry conditions, but for this itinerary plan conservatively.

Technical Equipment

🪖 Helmet (mandatory)

🧗 Harness

🧵 60m alpine rope

🔒 Belay device

🪢 Prusiks/autoblock

🧤 Belay gloves

🔁 Repel Device

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Light Alpine Rack

Recommended: (If you have gear please specify what you have)

🔹 4–6 alpine draws

🔹 4–6 shoulder slings

🔹 Set of nuts

🔹 Small cam selection (0.3–2 range)

🔹 Cordalette

This provides enough protection for:

✅ Short pitches

✅ Exposed traverses

✅ Summit crux protection

✅ Emergency retreat

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Summit Goal

🕛 11:00 AM–12:00 PM

Summit Views

🇺🇸 United States

🇨🇦 British Columbia

🏔️ Picket Range

🏔️ Mount Baker

🏔️ North Cascades

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Return to Camp

Retrieve gear

Pack camp

Lunch break

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Descent

High Pass
➡️ Low Pass
➡️ Twin Lakes
➡️ Trailhead

Trailhead Arrival

🕓 4:00–5:00 PM

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🚙 Return to Seattle

Depart Trailhead

🕔 Around 5:00 PM

Arrive Green Lake P&R

🕘 Around 9:00 PM

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🎒 Complete Gear List

Climbing Equipment

🪖 Helmet

🧗 Harness

🧵 60m rope

🔒 Belay device

🪢 Prusiks

🔁 Repel Device

🔹 Alpine draws

🔹 Slings

🔹 Nuts

🔹 Small cams

🧤 Belay gloves

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Navigation

🗺️ Gaia GPS / CalTopo

🧭 Compass

🔋 Battery bank

📱 Offline maps

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Camping

⛺ Lightweight tent

🛏️ 20–30°F sleeping bag

🛌 Sleeping pad

🍳 Stove

🔥 Fuel

🥣 Two days food

💧 Water filter

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Clothing

👕 Sun hoodie

🧥 Puffy

🌧️ Rain shell

🧢 Sun hat

🧤 Light gloves

🥾 Approach shoes or mountain boots

🏆 Mountaineering Significance

Completing the Border Highlands Traverse demonstrates proficiency in:

✅ Backpacking to an alpine high camp

✅ North Cascades route finding

✅ Technical alpine rock movement

✅ Exposure management

✅ Multi-summit expedition logistics

✅ Mixed scrambling and roped climbing

The standout accomplishment is American Border Peak, which is regarded by many Washington climbers as one of the more serious non-glaciated alpine objectives in the Mount Baker Wilderness. Combined with Larrabee and Winchester, this creates a well-rounded North Cascades weekend that blends scenic hiking, classic scrambling, and technical alpine climbing from one of the finest camps in the state: High Pass. 🏔️🇺🇸🇨🇦