Find Nearby Peaks

This peak is not in the book. Published November 2018

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Peak 8142 is the middle of three ranked summits on the south side of Copenhagen Canyon. It is seldom visited. Peak 8142 is located on the long east-to-west ridge that separates Copenhagen Canyon from Wills Canyon. It barely qualifies as a ranked summit since it rises just over 300 vertical feet from the 7,780-foot saddle at the base of its west ridge. USGS Midnight Mountain 

Northeast Ridge, Class 3

Access

Same as for the east ridge of Peak 8041. This route is part of a ridge traverse from the summit of Peak 8041. If you are only climbing Peak 8142, the easiest access is via Copenhagen Canyon Road/FSR-442 and FST-309 to the 7,380-foot saddle at the base of the northeast ridge.

The Climb

From the 7,380-foot saddle at the toe of the northeast ridge, bushwhack southwest through a relatively flat forested area (not too difficult) to reach the steeper terrain of this ridge. The ridge becomes better defined here. The forest is thick and unforgiving, particularly when ascending it. The pine forest becomes insanely steep from 7,600 feet to 7,800 feet. This is the CRUX of the ridge climb. The ridge crest (and area near it) includes some rocky outcrops embedded in the heavily forested terrain. It becomes so steep that you will have to kick-step into the pine duff to make any headway, grabbing tree roots and tree limbs to aid in your climb. There are also a few minor Class 3 rock bands to surmount.

Upon reaching the top of this steep section at 7,800 feet, the slope eases considerably and the terrain opens up. From here, scramble up the right/northwest side of the ridge crest to quickly reach the summit area. The summit is located on a minor ridge crest that is a mix of trees (particularly on the ridge crest itself) and open scrub. The high point is a huge, old pine tree at the east end of the summit ridge. There were no signs of previous ascent, so I built a small cairn at the base of this large tree, using the few loose rocks that I could find.

West Ridge, Class 2

Access

Same as for the northeast ridge. This route is part of a ridge traverse from Peak 8142 to Peak 8801.

The Descent

From the summit of Peak 8142, follow the ridge crest west (staying on the open left/south side of the crest) to reach the [lower] west summit. The west summit offers an excellent view of the east face of Peak 8801 to the west-southwest. Peak 8801 has a distinctive, whitish rock/boulder slope high up. This natural feature is a useful navigational tool when descending to the saddle that connects Peak 8142 to Peak 8801, so remember its appearance. When you descend into the forest, you will lose your visuals but you will occasionally be able to see that whitish slope through the trees.

From the west summit, descend west into the forest and maintain a line due west. The ridge is rounded and feels like more of a face, quite a contrast to the narrow, steep northeast ridge. The bushwhack through the forest isn’t too bad until you approach the 7,780-foot saddle. The forest blowdown intensifies and you quickly reach the forested saddle. Surprisingly, the flat, wide, forested saddle is NOT clogged with blowdown. Just some scattered blowdown here and there. From the saddle, you can either climb the northeast ridge of Peak 8801 or bushwhack northward down to Copenhagen Canyon and pick up an old jeep road that follows the canyon floor down to Copenhagen Canyon Road/FSR-442.