- “Mt. Shuksan epitomizes the jagged alpine peak like no other massif in the North Cascades… it has no equal in the range when one considers the structural beauty of its four major faces and five ridges…There is no other sample in the American West of a peak with great icefall glaciers derived from a high plateau, and in the Pacific Northwest it is the only non-volcanic peak whose summit exceeds timberline by more than 3000 feet… Shuksan is one of the finest mountaineering objectives in the North Cascades and its reputation is certainly deserved; a wide variety of challenges can be encountered on this quite complex mountain. The climber has a choice of rock walls, moderate firnfields, steep ice, and easy scrambling. Despite a sometimes-forbidding appearance, Shuksan has yielded 14 routes, numerous variations, and impressive subsidiary climbs, including some directly up dangerous ice cliffs.” - Fred Becky (Cascade Alpine Guide : Rainy Pass to Fraser River) Shuksan is one of the most photographed mountains in the world for it’s striking beauty and easy access. It is ranked #13 on Washington’s Highest Peaks (#10 on the Bulger List), #60 on Washington’s Steepest, is on Fred Beckey’s Great Peaks of North America, and has 4,411 feet of Prominence (#13 in Washington). It also has a route listed on North America’s 50 Classics list. The mountain’s name Shuksan comes from the Native American (Lummi tribe) word šéqsən, which means “high peak”. Shuksan is located in the North Cascades National Park at the edge of the Mount Baker Scenic Byway. Shuksan Arm is located in the Mount Baker National Forest.
- North Cascades (summitpost.org)
“I have roamed many foreign parts my boys, and many lands have seen. But Columbia is my idol yet, of all the lands she is queen.” -Parson Smith, June 8th, 1886 When trapper Allen (Parson) Smith carved those words into a tree 12 feet this side of the Canadian Border, he was one of the many who traveled great lengths to reap the rewards of the legendary North Cascades. The rewards of those days were pelts, furs, gold, copper, and many other minerals.