Helena Peak is a fun scramble off the Mountain Loop that had slightly trickier route-finding than expected. It has 1000 feet of clean prominence and excellent views of some classic peaks and had always been an alluring mountain for me. Plus, there was some mining activity in the area that could lead to further exploration.
I wasn’t brave enough to drive Deer Creek Rd all the way to the trailhead. The road was totally fine except for one bad washout area about 2 miles before the Kelcema Lake trailhead. People with higher clearance or who aren’t as wimpy of a driver as me could probably make it all the way with ease.
Regardless, I set out on foot at a brisk pace and reached the trailhead in no time. There were a few people at the trailhead car camping and riding ATVs, but once I started on the trail to the Helena mines, I saw no one. The trail is well flagged and pretty easy to follow through some dense forest. It must see some maintenance to keep the devil's club and other undergrowth from engulfing it.
Before long I reached the point where the main trail continues to the mines. I hung a right and went straight uphill to the notch in the ridgeline above, saving the mines for my return if I had enough daylight. The way up to the ridge was steep at the end with some slippery duff but wasn’t a problem with a few timely veggie belays.
At the notch the route-finding got a bit trickier. I hadn’t read much about the ideal route and figured it would be class 3 and obvious. But the initial rock step out of the notch seemed like ~20 feet of class 4. I scrambled up a bit but didn’t love the idea of downclimbing, so I cautiously returned to the notch. Considering the fact I was alone, and it was already well into the afternoon, I didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks, so I mentally prepared myself to turn around. Not wanting to give up without a fight, I looked around for a potential better way.
I eventually dropped about 100’ down the other side of the notch and found another steep rock step that I felt good about downclimbing. Once this section was surmounted, I found myself on a ridge and Helena Peak was back on the table! From here the crux was a down-sloping horizontal ledge with a small down-climb at the end. Not difficult, but definitely a spot to take care.
A bit more route-finding and scrambling to avoid cliff bands brought me to the last bit of class 3 to the summit! It was a satisfying peak to stand on and I felt satisfied after puzzling together a route through complex terrain.
The views were awesome, and they lent a different perspective on many familiar Mountain Loop peaks.
I followed my exact route down and it went with no problem, just careful down-climbing in places (including on the steep duff heading down from the notch). I opted not to go to the mines because it was getting late in the day, which leaves something to come back for!
Once back on “easy” terrain I motored down and only briefly lost the trail once or twice in my haste. It wasn’t difficult to locate a piece of flagging and get back on track, though.
Before long, I was cruising the 2 miles back down Deer Creek Rd to my car, very happy to have this one under my belt. My roundtrip was 4 and a half hours including the 4 extra miles of road walking.
Final Stats: 8.9 miles / 3000 feet of ascent
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