Having never explored Bear Canyon, I was stoked to do so with a peak ascent. I read the previous trip reports by Headsizedburrito https://eispiraten.com/viewtopic.php?p= ... aid#p57229 and Taco https://eispiraten.com/viewtopic.php?p= ... aid#p14210, both of which ascended via a steep chute below the eastern saddle. Nobody has ever ascended the eastern ridge due to brush which has most likely protected this peak from numerous attempts and ascents in the past. Somewhat luckily, the Bobcat Fire scorched the brush on that ridge to oblivion allowing for decent access to the peak.
I hit up Dima this past friday so see if he was up for it. He responded saying he will see since the man just did Cobblestone Peak the previous day. (Go read his trip report on it) Wes decided to come along which took away a whole day of surfing. Everyone confirmed and the trip was planned!
Sunday 12/29/2024 came upon us and oh what a historic day this was. We hit the trailhead around 10:30am and began up Bear Creek towards the first campground. The goal was to find the best spot to gain the ridge just west of the creek. We found said spot at a small unofficial camp 2104 feet south of the main camp and in no time, we had our eyes on the Mermaids. The brush level was perfect and just about 3 feet tall at most. The ridgeline that we were aiming for had only 2 feet of brush which made our stoke levels very very high!
We came across a small spring in a gully and immediately found bones and remains of animals. This was humbling to see since this was the only source of water in a very desolate environment. It is a source for many animals to find refuge since there aren’t any roads or trails nearby. Seeing the bones and 2 vertebrates displayed the struggle some animals have when seeking water. I hope the predators are full!
Our ridgeline was perfect and very easy to navigate. Animals carved a decent path in some spots which made pushing through much much easier if it wasn’t easy enough. The views we had of Twins and Triplets were breathtaking. One of these seasons I will try to bag Triplets but I need to be more in shape.
Our saddle arrived very quickly and we eyed our prize up ahead. The chute that headsizedburrito took was to our right and it looked like a perfect route to take on the way down. The climb from the saddle to the peak is super steep, with an average slope of 38 degrees. There’s one climby section that probably goes class 3, which can be bypassed on the left. After that, it’s a steep crawl to the summit. Summit time was spent taking in the views and debating whether or not we should return. The ridge does look doable to Middle Mermaid so whoever wants to plan that, I say this winter will be perfect due to the lack of rain in the forecast.
For the descent, we opted for the chute. This was an okay option and took a bit of time. The creek crossings through bear creek were time consuming and the winding of the canyon added some miles to the trip. A fun fact about me, I can’t hop across rocks for $#*! so after taking a dip and hitting my knee, I decided to wade the rest of the crossings.
here is the gpx of our path: Overall, stoke was high throughout the day with tons of gratitude from Dima and Wes to me from planning such a trip. I cannot recommend this peak enough! The ridge is good and the brush is 2-3 feet for the majority of it. Go out there and climb! photos below
- Looking down the chute
- View down SE ridge
- View looking up ridge from saddle
- Wes eying the chute
- Detail for taco of the middle mermaid crag
- Dima rock climbing!
- Dima and Wes looking cool on the techy section
- Registry!
- Looking down our ridge
- from left to right: West Mermaid, Middle Mermaid, East Mermaid
- Route
