Mount Church
Having unsuccessfully summited Mt. Church on my first attempt and fresh off the euphoria of the Gilbert Peak climb, I decided to head back to Mt. Church for a second attempt. Studying the snowfall layer in GaiaGPS, it appeared the snow had melted out and would be easier to climb than on my previous attempt. The weather report called for partly sunny skies and mild temperatures and with the wildlife gate open, I could drive all the way to the trailhead.
#Hike
After an uneventful drive, I started up the trail at about 8 AM. As expected, the brush fighting began almost immediately. I was concerned that I would encounter more blackberry bushes than last time, but thankfully they were still relatively sparse. I found the two big ravine crossings easier than last time because the water level was lower, a good sign that the snow was disappearing.
After making a right turn onto a logging road spur (prior to the huge washout that I did not cross previously), I passed the point where I turned around last time. Continuing on, I eventually caught my first glimpse of the summit, which is difficult to see from lower on the mountain with trees obstructing the view.
After a few more bends in the road, I came to the end. A report I found online mentioned starting up a ridge about 100 yards before the end of the road. There was no obvious climber's trail that I could see and no easy way to get onto the ridge. I eventually picked what felt like a good spot and pulled myself up from the road with some exposed tree roots, diving into the brush.
#Scramble
Thus began a major bushwack up a very steep slope. Without an obvious path to follow, I just headed in the general direction of "up", making slow progress while dodging trees, roots, moss-covered slopes and winding around sketchy rock walls. I was trying to stay climber's right on the mountain "within earshot of the drainage" (per the online report) but I didn't hear anything. The route to the right was also blocked at several points by sheer rock features that would have slowed progress even more had I attempted to climb them. The route to my left was easier and gradually I drifted further in that direction.
At about 4,000 feet I realized there was still snow on Mt. Church. The drainage to my right was a hidden snow gully that broadened as I got closer to the summit. At this point, I regretted not bringing traction or an ice axe. I had no appetite for navigating this section in my hiking boots, as the slope was becoming steeper and the runout more consequential. There was supposed to be a notch at the bottom of the summit block allowing access to the true summit, but I would need to traverse the gully to get there. Deciding it was unsafe to attempt this, I continued to climb to climber's left on soil and rock until I could not safely climb any higher. I ended up sitting on a steep rock with a tantalizingly good view of the summit, but without a safe way to get there. As I ate my lunch, I saw a mountain goat on the summit looking down at me, clearly the more superior climber today.
After lunch, I headed down. Reversing the route down the ridge was nearly as difficult as climbing up, but I made good time. I bushwacked my way back down the forest road, stopping to filter some water along the way. I returned to the trailhead at about 3:30 PM, over 7 hours after I set out. Without all the brush and off-trail scrambling, this would have easily been a 5 hour outing.
I learned a good lesson on this hike: don't trust the snow level estimates, because long after the majority of the snow has melted, pockets of snow can remain. In addition, if there is any chance of lingering snow, it's worth having foot traction and an ice axe!
Starting elevation: 1,090 ft | Elevation gain: 3,188 ft | Distance: 10.1 mi