In the summer of ’96, I ran into a friend that I hadn’t seen in awhile. After catching up and laughing about the crazy times back in college, he mentioned that a few guys were climbing Mount Shuksan in a couple of weeks and asked if I wanted to join them. I immediately said yes, but I was new to mountain climbing and quickly realized that I didn’t have the proper gear. After Gary had given me a rundown of the critical items, I drove down to REI to pick up a climbing harness, biners, and a belay device.
At our snowy camp spot, on a ridge above the Sulphide Glacier, we drank whisky and cooked tasty hot meals. It was fun hanging out with the guys. Gary’s cousin, who was an Outward Bound guide and serious climber, told me that if I enjoyed this, there was no going back – I would be forever hooked. Like the old Lay’s potato chip saying, it seemed that you can’t have just one. He was right; I was hooked.
A shot on our 1996Â Shuksan ascent
During the trip, we traversed glaciers and did some rock climbing on the summit pyramid. The weather was superb and the climb went well. Summit views were outstanding and I shot a full roll of film. It was an incredible experience.
After tackling a few more Pacific Northwest summits, I learned of the Bulger List – a list of the 100 highest elevation peaks in Washington. Shuksan was a Bulger, so I already had one crossed off! Over the next few years, my climbing buddies and I were able to summit one-third of the Bulgers. We were hitting them fast with trips like the Enchantments Basin, where we got six peaks in three days. I thought there would be no problem climbing all 100, but kids, business, and other outdoor passions stole my attention. Just this year I have been getting back into it and hope to get to 50 within a few years.
Mt. Shuksan from Picture Lake (NE of peak)
There are several resources out there that describe the routes up these storied peaks. Fred Beckey’s three Cascade Alpine Guides (the CAGs) are mountaineering bibles that all Washington climbers should own. They cover multiple routes for each peak. Specifically for Bulgers, there is a book called Summit Routes by Stephenson and Bongiovanni that covers the main routes and groups them into practical trips so climbers can maximize their opportunities.
Mt. St. Helens is still a Bulger even after blowing over 1000 feet off the top in 1980
As with any of these peakbagging lists, there is some debate on which peaks should be on the list. If you take out peaks with less than 300 feet of prominence (the height difference from adjacent ridges to other mountains), then summits including Sahale, Dark, Rahm, Horseshoe, and Little Annapurna need to be replaced. Some lists swap those for Mt. Ballard, Luna Peak, Castle Peak, Andrews Peak, and Apex Mountain. These five have been added to the bottom of our list so there are 105 total peaks below.
So decide how you want to define the 100 Bulgers and start climbing. I bet you can’t do just one!
Mountains on this map
| Mountain | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Mount Rainier (State High Point) | 14,411 ft (4,392 m) |
| Mount Adams | 12,276 ft (3,742 m) |
| Little Tahoma Peak | 11,138 ft (3,395 m) |
| Mount Baker | 10,781 ft (3,286 m) |
| Glacier Peak | 10,520 ft (3,206 m) |
| Bonanza Peak | 9,511 ft (2,899 m) |
| Mount Stuart | 9,415 ft (2,870 m) |
| Mount Fernow | 9,249 ft (2,819 m) |
| Goode Mountain | 9,200 ft (2,804 m) |
| Mount Shuksan | 9,131 ft (2,783 m) |
| Buckner Mountain | 9,112 ft (2,777 m) |
| Seven Fingered Jack | 9,100 ft (2,774 m) |
| Mount Logan | 9,087 ft (2,770 m) |
| Jack Mountain | 9,066 ft (2,763 m) |
| Mount Maude | 9,040 ft (2,755 m) |
| Mount Spickard | 8,979 ft (2,737 m) |
| Black Peak | 8,970 ft (2,734 m) |
| Mount Redoubt | 8,969 ft (2,734 m) |
| Copper Peak | 8,964 ft (2,732 m) |
| North Gardner Mountain | 8,956 ft (2,730 m) |
| Dome Peak | 8,920 ft (2,719 m) |
| Gardner Mountain | 8,898 ft (2,712 m) |
| Boston Peak | 8,894 ft (2,711 m) |
| Silver Star Mountain | 8,876 ft (2,705 m) |
| Eldorado Peak | 8,868 ft (2,703 m) |
| Dragontail Peak | 8,840 ft (2,694 m) |
| Forbidden Peak | 8,815 ft (2,687 m) |
| Oval Peak | 8,795 ft (2,681 m) |
| Mesahchie Peak | 8,795 ft (2,681 m) |
| Fortress Mountain | 8,760 ft (2,670 m) |
| Mount Lago | 8,745 ft (2,665 m) |
| Robinson Mountain | 8,726 ft (2,660 m) |
| Colchuck Peak | 8,705 ft (2,653 m) |
| Star Peak | 8,690 ft (2,649 m) |
| Remmel Mountain | 8,685 ft (2,647 m) |
| Katsuk Peak | 8,580 ft (2,615 m) |
| Sahale Mountain | 8,680 ft (2,646 m) |
| Cannon Mountain | 8,638 ft (2,633 m) |
| Mount Custer | 8,630 ft (2,630 m) |
| Ptarmigan Peak | 8,614 ft (2,626 m) |
| Sherpa Peak | 8,605 ft (2,623 m) |
| Clark Mountain | 8,602 ft (2,622 m) |
| Cathedral Peak | 8,601 ft (2,622 m) |
| Kimtah Peak | 8,600 ft (2,621 m) |
| Mountain Carru | 8,595 ft (2,620 m) |
| Monument Peak | 8,592 ft (2,619 m) |
| Cardinal Peak | 8,590 ft (2,618 m) |
| Osceola Peak | 8,587 ft (2,617 m) |
| Raven Ridge | 8,580 ft (2,615 m) |
| Buck Mountain | 8,528 ft (2,599 m) |
| Storm King Mountain | 8,520 ft (2,597 m) |
| Enchantment Peak | 8,520 ft (2,597 m) |
| Reynolds Peak | 8,512 ft (2,594 m) |
| Martin Peak | 8,511 ft (2,594 m) |
| Primus Peak | 8,508 ft (2,593 m) |
| Mox Peaks, Southeast Spire | 8,504 ft (2,592 m) |
| Dark Peak | 8,504 ft (2,592 m) |
| Cashmere Mountain | 8,501 ft (2,591 m) |
| Klawatti Peak | 8,485 ft (2,586 m) |
| Mount Rahm | 8,480 ft (2,585 m) |
| Horseshoe Peak | 8,480 ft (2,585 m) |
| Big Craggy Peak | 8,470 ft (2,582 m) |
| Lost Peak | 8,464 ft (2,580 m) |
| Hoodoo Peak | 8,464 ft (2,580 m) |
| Chiwawa Mountain | 8,459 ft (2,578 m) |
| Argonaut Peak | 8,453 ft (2,576 m) |
| Tower Mountain | 8,444 ft (2,574 m) |
| Sinister Peak | 8,440 ft (2,573 m) |
| Dorado Needle | 8,440 ft (2,573 m) |
| Mount Bigelow | 8,440 ft (2,573 m) |
| Little Annapurna | 8,440 ft (2,573 m) |
| Emerald Peak | 8,422 ft (2,567 m) |
| Dumbell Mountain | 8,421 ft (2,567 m) |
| Greenwood Mountain | 8,415 ft (2,565 m) |
| Mox Peaks, Northwest Spire | 8,407 ft (2,562 m) |
| Saska Peak | 8,404 ft (2,562 m) |
| Azurite Peak | 8,440 ft (2,573 m) |
| Pinnacle Mountain | 8,400 ft (2,560 m) |
| Luahna Peak | 8,400 ft (2,560 m) |
| Blackcap Mountain | 8,397 ft (2,559 m) |
| South Spectacle Butte | 8,392 ft (2,558 m) |
| Courtney Peak | 8,392 ft (2,558 m) |
| Martin Peak | 8,375 ft (2,553 m) |
| Lake Mountain | 8,371 ft (2,551 m) |
| Golden Horn | 8,366 ft (2,550 m) |
| West Craggy Peak | 8,366 ft (2,550 m) |
| McClellan Peak | 8,364 ft (2,549 m) |
| Devore Peak | 8,360 ft (2,548 m) |
| Amphitheater Mountain | 8,358 ft (2,548 m) |
| Snowfield Peak | 8,347 ft (2,544 m) |
| Austera Peak | 8,334 ft (2,540 m) |
| Mount St Helens | 8,333 ft (2,540 m) |
| Windy Peak | 8,334 ft (2,540 m) |
| Cosho Peak | 8,332 ft (2,540 m) |
| Big Snagtooth | 8,330 ft (2,539 m) |
| Mount Formidable | 8,325 ft (2,537 m) |
| Abernathy Peak | 8,321 ft (2,536 m) |
| Switchback Peak | 8,321 ft (2,536 m) |
| Flora Mountain | 8,320 ft (2,536 m) |
| Tupshin Peak | 8,320 ft (2,536 m) |
| Luna Peak | 8,311 ft (2,533 m) |
| Castle Peak | 8,306 ft (2,532 m) |
| Mount Ballard | 8,301 ft (2,530 m) |
| Andrew Peak | 8,301 ft (2,530 m) |
| Apex Mountain | 8,297 ft (2,529 m) |