Summit Elevation (m): 3124
Trip Date: Friday, August 29, 2003
Round Trip Time (hrs): Unknown
Elevation Gain (m): 1350
Total Trip Distance (km): 17
Quick ‘n Dirty Rating: Class 3 – you fall, you break something
Difficulty Notes: Moderate scrambling with loose terrain and some exposure depending on the route chosen. Only attempt when dry.
Technical Rating: SC6; YDS (3rd)
GPS Track: Gaia
Map: Google Maps
On a beautiful, sunny, late August day we set off with five guys to scramble The Tower in K-Country near Rummel Lake. I’ve done the snowshoe to Rummel Lake a few times in the winter but I’ve never gone in the summer before. The walk to the lake is a pleasant stroll through some old logging roads and a nice trail over a forested ridge.
Once we got past the lake things got a little more interesting. Because the photo in Kane’s book is taken from a different angle than you see The Tower from after the second lake – and because I’m terrible with directions we ended up walking too far. We realized our mistake and still managed to scramble up the ‘wrong’ ridge.
We did manage to find a way through the cliff band to the ‘right’ ridge and made the summit without any other problems! I’ve marked a picture with the more direct route and with our route so you’ll know what to do when you get past the second lake.
Kane indicates that the cliff band will force you to go really low if you screw up but we found a pretty good way through. If you find yourself on the alternate route simply go down the cliff band about 50 feet or so. If the rock is dry you should be able to negotiate through with a few easy moves.
Except for the smoke, we had awesome views of Mt. Galatea and many of the surrounding peaks. The summit register was one of the emptiest I’ve ever seen and dated back around 10 years or so. We found this mountain to be challenging and fun – a highly recommended outing with no crowds!
