The Ramp
Lucy and I summited The Ramp (5240') from Upper Huffman Trailhead, a 16-mile round trip hike. The Glen Alps parking lot was jammed, so we started at the lower trailhead. We stayed mostly on trails. The route is shown in red below on a Google Earth image. Depart car: 2pm. Arrive car: 8pm.
Upper Huffman is at upper left. Walk the straight Powerline Trail to footbridge, cross South Fork Campbell Creek, ascend into Hidden Lake basin, climb the moraine up out of the lake cirque, make a rising traverse past Hidden Peak (5105') to ridgeline, and continue upward and east to gain Ramp summit.
We first hiked about 6 miles to Hidden Lake, then ascended the moraine and took this photo, looking back toward Glen Alps. We saw no one.
Ship Lake Pass (4050') and The Wedge (4660').
The Ramp from ridge near Hidden Peak. Follow the ridge to the summit.
Lucy searching for chislers at summit of The Ramp. Hidden and O'Malley peaks on the ridgeline at right. South Fork Campbell Creek valley, Flattop, and Turnagain Arm beyond.
Looking south to Ship Lake and the tidy cirques of Avalanche Mountain.
Interesting patterns in the tundra and talus.
Looking north into the Williwaw Lakes basin, Mount Williwaw, and North Fork Campbell Creek.
There's sausage down there somewhere.
Looking southeast to Indian Pass, which lies beyond (above) the partially-shadowed cirque at middle right. Lucy exploring upper slope of The Ramp at lower left.
Tundra slopes of The Wedge and Avalanche Mountain behind. The hiking route up The Wedge follows the skyline.
Ship Lake Pass. This photo actually turned out the way I wanted.
O'Malley-Hidden Peak-Ramp ridgeline.
Tundra patterns on The Wedge.
Symmetric landscape. Ptarmigan Peak, the high point along the Flattop ridge, seen from the moraine at mouth of Hidden Creek basin. Mountain hemlocks interlace with low mat vegetation in the transition from subalpine to alpine zones.