Steve on the summit of Kendall Peak
We originally wanted to climb Mount Thompson, so we got an early start, leaving the car at 7 AM. Instead of following the PCT, we opted to climb straight uphill from the PCT trailhead. We reached the basin below Kendall Peak at about 9:30. The snow slopes on the Kendall Catwalk were wind-loaded and unconsolidated, and our progress was slow. We reached the end of the Catwalk at 11:30, which did not leave enough time to climb Mount Thompson and return before nightfall, so we reluctantly turned around. We decided to climb Kendall Peak on the way back. We kicked steps up the north slope, reaching the summit at 12:45. It was windless and sunny on the summit. We had a nice lunch and soaked in the scenery. The peak and the view looked much different than when we had previously climbed it via the other side, in 2005. The descent to the basin was straightforward, but we erred in following a drainage towards Commonwealth Basin instead of hiking back up to the ridge we had ascended. This cost us some backtracking when our route cliffed out. With some tedious uphill hiking, we eventually joined our ascent route. We reached the car at 5 PM.
Gear we used: ice axe, crampons
Steve on the summit of Kendall Peak
Elain on the summit of Kendall Peak
Thompson Peak (left) and some Middle Fork peaks
Kendall Peak's summit ridge.