Route:  Mt Shuksan/Fisher Chimneys Descent
Climbed:  August 27, 1998


[This is written for climbers descending Fisher Chimneys after one of
the North side routes.]

Synopsis: The decent can be summerized as follows.  Decend along the
NW edge of the Upper Curtis Glaicer until you can cross to the White
Salmon at about 7050 ft.  Decend a short steep slope at the top of the
White Salmon then keep left, following below the crest of Shucksan Arm
on easy rock and snow for a short distance until you come to place
where you can cross to the south side of the ridge (about 5 minutes
from bottom of slope).  Pick up a clear trail and decends 150 ft, turn
right, traverse, decend another several hundred feet, finally comming
out and the edge of a tallus slope.  Cross the slope, loosing no more
than 100 ft, and pick up the clear trail as it crosses heather slopes
(10 minutes).  The trail decends onto a ridge then turns right and
enters a gully.  At the bottom of the gully pick up the trail to lake
Ann.


In Detail: Traverse round the base of the summit pyramid by your
choice of routes until you are on the Upper Curtis Glacier, due West
of the pyramid, at about 7500 ft, and can see lake Ann at 257 true.
Make a descending traverse of glacier to the right, heading west
toward the ridge dividing the Upper Curtis from White Salmon.  At
about 7050 there is a small pass in this ridge.  Cross here on to the
White Salmon.  Good bivi sites.

At the top of the White Salmon (200 ft from the pass) you will come to
the top of a steep slope.  (This is Winnies slide, which is labeled
wrong on the map.)  Descend this on the left (SW) side (200 ft) then
head for the rock to the left.  Again, good bivi sites.  (If the rock
is snow covered then it is early season and you may be better off just
going down the White Salmon, provided the snow is continuous to the
valley.)

Continue the descent staying on easy rock and snow below the ridge
crest, which you will keep on your left.  In about 5-10 minutes you
will come to a low spot in the ridge where it is easy to cross.  This
is the top of the Fisher Chimneys.  There is a clear trail through the
Chimneys and if you don't see this then you are off route.  (At this
point you will be about 0.4 miles east of the "Fisher Chimney" label
on the USGS map.)

Descend the gully for about 150 ft.  From here turn right and traverse
across slope on a clear trail for 100 ft where you will be standing at
the head of another, longer gully.  (If not then you are in the wrong
place.  There is a clear trail through most of the chimneys.)  Descend
this gully.  A ways down pick up a trail which traverses to the right
a short distance.  Descend 20 ft of 4th class rock (fall here could be
fatal to lower packs, belay, or rappel as needed).  Follow trail
across exposed face then down more gullies with one more section of
down climbing, to finally come out at a large talus slope.  Traverse
across this slope, loosing maybe 100 ft, heading for a treed covered
ridge on the far side.  Here pick up a clear trail which continues to
make a descending traverse across heather covered slopes.  Eventually
it makes it's way onto a small, treed ridge, descends that, then cuts
right into a gully.  (This is the gully below the "Fisher Chimney"
label on the USGS map.)  Descend to the base where you can pick up the
Lake Ann trail.

Allow about 2-3 hours for this.



[Route description written by Tom Unger]