A friend and I hiked up the day before to reach high camp at the base of Eldorado. The boulder field was snow free and consistent snow started a little above 5000 feet. Camp was cold and windy but we enjoyed sneak peeks of incredible views through the rolling clouds. We woke up the next morning around 4AM to start our epic day with a sunrise climb up Eldorado. We saw so many iconic peaks all around us and enjoyed great conditions up and down. After Eldorado, we made a pit stop back at camp before continuing North to Dorado Needle. It was a long walk up and down two glaciers but conditions were great with minimal crevasse issues. Dorado Needle looked menacing from the distance as we crossed the saddle into the Mcallister glacier. We reached the base around 10AM and were stoked to start the climb of the Northwest Ridge (Grade III, 5.4). The route overall was beautiful and airy and we summited around 11:30AM. The last pitch has changed due to rockfall that occurred some time in 2019 and involves climbing a wide crack. I was able to stick a BD #2 high in the crack and my mountaineering boots helped get me up the wide crack. Getting off was a little tricky but we reached the base with minimal issues and started the long trek back to camp. We packed up camp and parted ways with the snowy terrain. The trek back down was long and arduous but we made it back to the car with plenty of sunlight to spare.
Trip Report
Dorado Needle, Eldorado Peak — Saturday, Jul. 9, 2022
North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20
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