Young Cascades Climber has a big summer of Washington FAs 

After a summer packed with hiking, scrambling, bushwacking, wading, rappelling, climbing, and first ascents, Blake Herrington, of Bellingham, Washington, needs a job… or perhaps just more virgin stone. The 21-year-old recent graduate of Western Washington University has the credentials and the drive to thrive in any outdoor environment. Just take a look at his résumé: he’s one of many active Cascades’ first ascentionists pioneering big, remote lines in the spirit of Fred Beckey. This summer, Herrington was in on seven new alpine routes, including the FAs of Gunrunner and Megalodon Ridge, the former an 18-pitch ridge along the spine of Gunsight Peak, the latter a similar monster on Mount Goode. 

On July 9, Herrington and 20-year-old Dan Hilden nabbed the first ascent of Gunrunner, which offered up 5.10 climbing, splitter cracks, and a particularly heinous two-day approach deep in the North Cascades. (See Climbing No. 260’s Hot Flashes for more.) “Nothing ‘attracts’ me to heinous approaches and jungle fun,” said Herrington via email. “It is just a necessary character builder if you want to get to enjoy these routes…” 

Herrington grew up in Washington State and has spent the last seven summers in the North Cascades, an area known for its mythically punishing approach slogs, through dense underbrush, deadfall, and up active glaciers. Later in the summer — September 6 — Herrington and buddy Sol Wertkin bagged the first ascent of Mount Goode’s 2,800-foot East Ridge, a line they dubbed Megalodon Ridge, named for the giant prehistoric shark. “That was Sol’s idea,” said Herrington. “This dinosaur-shark was evidently the largest fish to ever live. Before the climb I kept saying that this thing was going to be big, fierce, and personally rather intimidating. Throughout the climb we kept joking about all kinds of 'fishy' things and it actually helped lighten the mood on route.”