Big Gee WA
8/7/26
Big Gee is the 44th most prominent peak in Washington, as it sits about 7 miles southeast of Concrete, WA. While boasting over 3,000' of prominence, Big Gee only sits at a modest 5,090'. That said, don't let its small stature fool you; this is a legit bushwack with some brutal sections, and some class 3 scrambling up top.
After a late start, I reached a nice turnoff along the FSR 1705 off of Finney Creek Road. I changed my shoes and chugged along the road for a mile as the quality of said road steadily deteriorated. At the end of the road, the route goes straight through one of the densest alder groves I've ever seen—definitely a tone setter for the climb. From the alder grove I veered south as I steeply ascended to a ridgeline at 4,600'. There was absolutely no trail here; the crux of this section came near the top as I did some low class 3 scrambling while battling trees, which attacked me from every angle. Once on the ridgeline, a faint path appeared as I headed east towards Big Gee.
Getting closer
Big Gee from a slight distance
After half a mile, the trail steepened as I broke out of the trees and onto a rocky bump at 4,700. From here I got a nice vantage point of Baker, the Twin Sisters, Shuksan, and Big Gee, which dominated the ridgeline southwards. Getting off the rockcrop was steep, but once back on the ridgeline I was able to continue to make decent time. About .3 miles later I reached another rock outcrop; this time I traversed the back side, which consisted of some seriously steep sidehilling and some class 3 scrambling. Once past, I dropped all the way down to 4,500 before continuing along the ridgeline towards the summit of Big Gee. As I approached its rocky top, the grade of the route steepened as I hit the rocky upper ridgeline at 5,000'. I dropped my poles here and ascended the summit by staying on top of the ridgeline. Definitely a no-fall zone, as the exposure down the right side was pretty narly.
Uhhh don’t fall
Baker!
Far away from everything major
Rolling Hills
The views from the summit were similar to those of the various outcrops along the ridgeline. The entry of the North Cascades and Central Cascades were visible, although specific peaks were hard to point out due to Big Gee's distance from both ranges.
The descent came without issues as I took a few different routes down. I made a lot better time and was actually able to bypass a few sections by taking a more direct route. Don't get it twisted, the bushwacking both ways was absolutely brutal, definitely not the day to wear shorts.
Overall, I'm glad I knocked this one off the to-do list. Can't say it was enjoyable, but hey, gotta do a character-building climb at least once a year, and this was definitely it. As Always, Stay Safe and Happy Hiking!
