From the Summit Lake parking area, walk north past an old rock building to locate the start of a trail that heads toward the north end of the lake -
1 and
2. Hike to end of the lake and locate a signed trail that ascends 13er Mt. Spalding's east ridge -
3 and
4. Do not take the lower trail that goes left around the lake. Hike up through some rocks to reach easier terrain on the ridge -
4 and
5. Near 13,200', stay left below the ridge crest to bypass rough terrain up to the right. Near 13,300', head back toward the ridge crest -
7. Taken from the summit of Evans,
8 provides an overview of Spalding's east ridge. Pop out on the ridge near 13,400' to reach easier terrain -
9. Cross a small trough and continue along the rocky ridge to reach summit of Mt. Spalding
-
10,
11 and
12.
13 is a good look at Evans' west ridge. Follow cairns and/or trail segments south down to the Evans-Spalding saddle at 13,600' -
14. Follow cairns south toward the end of the west ridge -
15 and
16. At 13,800', reach the end of the ridge. From here the remaining hike is a bit slow going. Continue toward a hump on the ridge (
17) and reach a notch
before the hump.
Drop to the right slightly (
18) and follow the cairned trail east. The trail stays below the ridge for most of the remaining hike. From the hump on the west end of the ridge, it's almost 1 mile to the summit.
19 shows the summit from a prominent bump called "West Evans" and
20 is the view when you get closer. Hike to a corner of the summit tourist trail and follow it toward the summit
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21 and
22. Descend via the same route.
West Ridge from Summit Lake
