Robinson Mountain

Located at the confluence of the Pasayten Wilderness and the North Cascades, Robinson is the mammoth peak that is visible from many distant viewpoints. Awesome swaths from avalanches sweep down from the crest over 4000 feet to Robinson Creek that surges below. The northwest face is precipitous and cliffy. In contrast, the southwest slopes support extended snow gullies that reach to the summit. Yet in later summer these same regions expose lengthy, dry expanses of talus and scree. The geography here is not one of big-glacier, monster crags. Yet this country is spectacular, showing imposing stony ridges coupled with enormous U-shaped glacial-trough valleys. A favorite with horse people especially in the fall hunting season, Robinson Creek is a main thoroughfare into the Pasayten Wilderness. Yet the summer is lonesome, and the high country above timberline is empty even when the hunters are stalking below. Robinson is a peak that can be scrambled early in the season on snow, or in October when the countryside is luminous with golden, fuzzy larches. The summit ridge is blocky and exposed; therefore it is best attempted when dry. But the airy roaming is splendid with the extra recompense of a charming camp at a high alpine tarn, if an overnight trip is preferred over a strenuous 1-day excursion.