O'Malley Peak, Alaska

14ers in California and Washington state or any other peak in the USA
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mnsebourn
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O'Malley Peak, Alaska

Post by mnsebourn »

Just returned from a week in Alaska.

While I was-- of course-- unable to scurry up Denali in such a brief trip, my wife and I, along with my father in law, decided to hike the most conspicuous of the peaks right outside of Anchorage, O'Malley. I'd love to put up a full-fledged trip report, pictures and all, but I think I'm going to wait till I'm done with my adventures in Colorado to write and post trip reports.... Hopefully, at that point, I can also write quite a bit about La Plata, Arkansas, and Blanca.

Anyway, some thoughts on O'Malley... and many of the other peaks in Alaska:

While these mountains (in Chugach State Park) may seem very modest in size (O'Malley is a "mere" 5,184 feet high), they're sitting at darn-near sea level, and the mileage and elevation gain required to summit O'Malley was VERY comparable to any 14er I've hiked.

O'Malley proved to be an extremely challenging hike. In comparison to other mountains I've hiked.... I'd say it was considerably tougher than Elbert, but not quite as challenging as Harvard or Whitney. The crux of the climb was a scree gully that deserves to be depicted somewhere in the midst of Dante's Inferno. Nothing I'd read online prepared me for it.

Difficulties aside, the hike was beautiful. Had the weather around Denali been clearer, I know very well I could've seen The Great One. As it was, the views out over Anchorage and some not-so-distant glaciated peaks were outstanding.

If any of you ever find yourselves in the Anchorage area, give O'Malley, Wolverine, or one of the other nearby summits a try. Just don't let their modest elevations fool you. Come prepared.
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SoCool
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Re: O'Malley Peak, Alaska

Post by SoCool »

O'Malley and Wolverine are exquisite.
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Wish I lived in CO
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Re: O'Malley Peak, Alaska

Post by Wish I lived in CO »

I talked with someone that climbed several peaks (including O'Malley) in the Anchorage area and apparently they are quite crumbly.

No need to apologize about not having time to "scurry" up Denali. I haven't looked at a Denali climb in any detail, but it's definately a serious climb with altitude, extreme cold, and who knows what other winter dangers. The death rate there is relatively high.

Glad you had a great trip. I had one of my very best vacations ever a few years back in Alaska. I was content enough with everything else to see without climbing anything of any consequence.
I look up to the mountains - does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! Psalm 121:1-2
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Jeff Valliere
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Re: O'Malley Peak, Alaska

Post by Jeff Valliere »

Nice. I "attempted" O'Malley Peak back in 1993. I was hiking with the family to Williwaw Lakes and on a whim, decided to part from the group and run along the ridge to the summit. I stuck to the ridge proper and got into a few spots that made my knees tremble when downclimbing some really sketchy chossy towers, so I decided to bail out back down to the valley and catch up to the others. I might have made it had I planned a little more in advance and took the time to routefind, but I was young and naive (and was wearing jeans and a cotton hoody). I hate having unfinished peaks though, so hopefully I can go back to summit this one (need to do the same with Pioneer Peak not too far away).

It really is amazing in Alaska, how you can just drive, fly or cruise in a boat for hours on end and just see seemingly infinite mountains stretching off into the distance, many likely unclimbed (or very rarely visited at most). They might be only 5-7,000 feet high, but their rugged nature, vertical from sea level, possible glaciation, difficult access/remoteness really put our 14ers in perspective. I love Colorado, but when I come back from an Alaska trip, our mountains seem comparatively benign (not a knock on Colorado, just a testament to the awesomeness of Alaska).
Doug Shaw
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Re: O'Malley Peak, Alaska

Post by Doug Shaw »

I am also just back from Alaska myself (literally, I've been home from the airport for about an hour). Not a climbing trip, but I had a free day and managed to make a quick jaunt up Mt. Healy near Denali NP. Mostly a decent, if steep, trail up Bison Gulch, but the top few hundred feet climbing the summit tower was some of the most unnerving climbing I've done.

It was easy Class 3, so it wasn't technically difficult, but it was psychologically taxing. The rock was of poor quality, and what made it worse was that every ledge and flat spot was covered in a mixture of dirt, gravel, and what I think was glacial/rock flour, and it had rained the day before. This muddy mixture adhered to my boots and all but eliminated the possibility of smearing on what rock did exist - and unlike when your boots just get wet, this didn't dry quickly.

Draw your own conclusions about the quality of rock:
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