Herrington predicts that if Megalodon Ridge were broken into pitches, the total would equal more than 20; however, the duo did most of it simul-climbing, and only belayed for seven or eight pitches, using twin 60m ropes. After a 12-mile approach, 3,000 feet of bushwacking, and 11 hours of climbing, the two spent the night on the summit, the highest point in North Cascades National Park. The next morning, they descended 5,000 feet down the south side of the mountain, skirting a forest fire, and hiked the remaining 19 miles to their car. 

Although Herrington has heard of a couple groups planning a second ascent of Gunrunner, these efforts proved unsuccessful due to frustrating weather in the area this summer. However, Herrington maintains you cannot judge the quality of a route by the number of people climbing it. “Jim Nelson’s route on [the West Face of Gunsight Peak] went 20 years before seeing a second ascent, and it was featured in two alpine guidebooks,” Herrington wrote in an email. Meaning, a lot of these deep Cascades routes are superb in quality – they’re just hard as heck to get to. 

In a recent interview, Herrington answered some of Climbing’s in-depth questions about his thirst for Cascades first ascents. 

Your partners describe you as a young climber well-versed in local knowledge and history. Can you describe some of the important early ascents and climbers in the area of Mount Goode?
Well, [Mount] Goode was an enigma to the early climbers of the area. Many folks (including an early husband and wife team that was WAY ahead of their time) came close to the summit but could not find a way to the top. It was finally climbed using some European techniques that had recently been incorporated locally, and the first piton ever placed on lead in the Cascades was placed on the first ascent of Goode. The ascent of Goode's mega-classic Northeast Buttress, by Fred Beckey and Tom Stewart in 1966, was an important climb in the area, and the first on Goode's broad north flank. 

As far as role models, while living in the North Cascades I had a neighbor named Bob Nielsen whose climbing stories intrigued me as a teenager. Early on, he told me about bivying atop Mount Goode in a Megamid and almost knocking his boot a few thousand feet down the mountain. That incident stuck with me ever since, and Sol and I were careful to keep everything secure while on top.