Three 7000' Peaks in One Day

It's a good thing that I trained a bit for this hike that has been on my bucket list for quite awhile! I did this with the Inland NW Hikers and it was a fun, full day of strenuous hiking and making new friends. We first switch-backed out of the forest into sub-alpine splendor then climbed through rocks to the top of Abercrombie mountain. At 7,308 feet it is the second highest peak in Eastern Washington...by ONE FOOT! We took in the view on this sunny day as we ate our lunches. Then it was back down the trail a bit to a juncture that headed east towards our second peak. The trail gradually petered out and then we bush-whacked along a ridge then down a steep and rocky area. Gradually we made it to Hooknose Mountain at 7210' which places it comfortably at fourth place on the same list. We enjoyed a short respite then we retraced our steps. We found our way back up the east slope of Abercrombie to the trail juncture which placed us up above 7000' feet again. It really was quite a drop down then a climb back up each direction from Hooknose. One of the leaders had been skunked twice before in attempts to climb Hooknose whereas the other leader had been there many times. A beer at the parking lot, good conversation on the drive and Mexican food in Colville capped off the long day. I got home around 10pm. I am typing this the day after and I really am not looking forward to standing back up out of this chair! We hiked 12.1 miles and gained 3,218' of elevation for Abercrombie alone so I am guessing another 3000' more in addition to that. The following are some additional photos that my friend, Jim Rueckel, took on our hike. They are fantastic compared to mine!