I was a little leery of doing Mount Owen after hearing about the private property issues with landowners. So, I did my best to plan my route with CalTopo to avoid private property. I didn’t see any private property signs while hiking so I’m fairly sure this route avoids trespassing. In any event, I did see hunters out there as well.
I started from a dispersed campsite just past Lake Irwin. It’s a dirt road to get there but I saw several sedans in the parking areas. There are several dispersed sites here, and this one had a porta potty. They have signs stating only to camp in designated sites but I’ve seen people park at the lake or along the road.
I followed 4WD road 826 1D north for about 3/10ths of a mile from my site.
Just before coming to the first house I left the road and headed west to avoid hiking on private property.
This first part is a little tricky because I did not go the obvious way (and believe me, there is an obvious way, but there are signs stating you can’t use the road if you don’t live there). It was frustrating going up and over small hills I could have easily avoided and heading further east than was necessary. Here’s an overview of my approach:
As I was heading east I was looking for a small gully to ascend.
When I made it to the gully I ascended it, heading northwest to 11175’
At 11175’ I headed northeast and followed the mountainside at this elevation. There were several strong game trails, and one took me all the way around the side of the mountain.
I continued following a game trail north, parallelling the 4WD road below. This eventually brought me to the base of Mount Owen, and an old mining road.
Once on the road I turned left and followed it west. This road hasn’t been used by vehicles for a long time. In many places there’s just a trail over talus and rockfall, but it’s very easy to follow. You can clearly see how the road goes all the way to the saddle. You can follow it to the saddle or take a game trail to the saddle and avoid the switchbacks.
I chose to avoid the switchbacks and head straight to the saddle. There were game trails here and some scree to navigate, but it was only about 100’ of elevation gain to the saddle.
Once on the saddle I turned right and followed a game trail northeast up to the ridge and then all the way to the summit. There was some scree here, but it was all class 2 with one class 3 move that could have been avoided by going to the left. I was pleasantly surprised with how easy the trail was to follow.
Once on the ridge I followed the ridge proper most of the way to the summit. The trail is obvious. Mount Owen is the peak to the left.
Here are some pictures of the ridge
The avoidable class 3 move. Just go to the left to stay on class 2 terrain.
I summited Mount Owen at 9:10am. Notice how clear the sky is?
Mount Owen:
This was an out and back hike for me, so I turned and headed back down the ridge to the saddle of Ruby and Owen.
Once back at the saddle you can choose to climb Ruby Peak, a ranked 12er, but I’d already climbed this peak, so instead I descended back into the basin down the scree and hiked the road back down to 11500’.
At 11500’ I left the road and headed south around the ridge. There’s a good game trail here.
As I rounded the ridge I tried to stay high to avoid private property. I didn’t go lower than 11175’ until I made it to the gully.
When I made it to the gully/drainage I followed the drainage southeast until 10550’, then headed east back to the road. This is also when I heard a big clap of thunder. Around 10:30am the skies opened up and it started raining. At this point I was cursing the extra mileage avoiding private property was giving me (no, it wasn’t actually a lot, but it meant route finding in the trees which took time), and the weather forecast not calling for rain until after noon.
Back on the dirt road I followed it south back to my truck
I made it back to my truck at 10:30am, making this an 8.59 mile hike with 2897’ of elevation gain in 4 hours.
This was my final peak in the Williams Group. I didn’t want to do the traverse but instead wanted to camp in remote basins and find alternate routes. I thoroughly enjoyed the solitude of this peak. I started from Lost Man Trailhead at 2pm and made it to my campsite by 4:45pm. From the trailhead I headed northeast for 3.75 miles on the class 1 Lost Man Loop trail.
After following the trail for 3.75 miles and at 11370’ of elevation I came to an obvious avalanche area to my left.
I followed the avalanche run northwest to treeline. I didn’t head straight to the trees but diverted a bit to the left to make it to the ridge. This was by far the most difficult part of the hike, as the elevation gain is steep.
At the top of the avalanche run I could see a large unnamed basin (on a topo map it’s north of Scott Lake). This was where I planned on setting up camp. I could also see the rest of my route to the summit. As you can see from the picture, I needed to lose about 200’ of elevation as I headed into the basin. There are tons of willows here, but also several game trails to navigate through them.
I headed west and found an unnamed lake/pond at around 12150’, went past it and found a campsite.
After spending a wonderful night in the basin I was up and hiking again at 6:30am. I started by finding an easy gully and ascending it west.
At the top of this small gully I turned right and headed up the ridge. To make it easier for me I looked for large boulders to the northwest and followed them to the ridge. This entire hike is class 2, and ascending the ridge was easier than ascending the avalanche run.
Once on the ridge I turned left and followed it west to the summit. The ridge proper goes at class 2. This was an easy yet rocky trek.
The true summit was difficult to determine, as there were two humps very close together on the relatively flat summit and both looked higher than the other, so I walked all around the summit to make sure I stood on the actual summit itself.
I summited Williams Benchmark at 7:25am
Williams Benchmark:
This was an out and back hike for me, so I turned around and descended the ridge the way I’d summited, heading east.
Just before the grassy area on the ridge I turned right and descended southeast back into the basin.
Back in the basin I would need to regain that 200’ to the ridge above the avalanche slide.
Then it was back towards Lost Man Trail, heading southeast down the ridge.
Back on Lost Man Trail I followed it southwest to the trailhead.
I made it back to my truck at 10:40am.
This finished my peaks in the Williams Group. Here’s a topo from all the peaks I did in the area, avoiding the traverse. If anything, they can serve as bailout points if needed.
Elevation Gain: Varies depending on route (see below)
This is a three-trip-report peak for me, so my numbers are all splattered together. I had an idea this peak would take me several attempts to get, so I came prepared and brought my backpacking gear. I’m going to give you the three reports as they happened. I found a way to make this a class 4, 3, or 2 peak. You can choose your route. Either way, the approach to the place I camped in the upper basin is the same.
I started at the Lower Lost Man Campground and followed the trail (1996) north past Lost Man Reservoir and up towards South Fork Pass. This is a class 1 trail I followed for about 4.25 miles.
After about 4.25 miles, at 11430’, and just before the third creek crossing I turned left and followed the creek for about 20 yards before crossing the creek and then following the creek up to an upper basin, heading northeast. This creek isn’t named, and neither is the basin, but following it will put you just east of 13024. This is class 2. It’s less than a mile to make it into the basin once you leave the trail.
This put me into an upper basin. From this point there are several options to climb 13024.
I found a camping spot and set up for the night. This area is boggy/marshy, and it’s difficult to find a spot 150’ from water, but I found one underneath a large rock outcropping. As you can see by the picture below, I found three different routes up/down PT 13024. The orange route is class 4, the blue route class 2, the pink route class 3 (I didn’t really know this beforehand). My first attempt the next morning was going to be to the left hand side, as I didn’t yet know if the ridge would go, and had heard it was the easier side (it wasn’t). I’d been in the area before, and the ridge looked like it went, so in the morning I was going to take the ridge to the summit from the left.
I set up my tent and had the late afternoon to just chill and relax (a goal of mine while climbing this year). While I was there a couple of hunters hiked in, scouting the area (hunting season was to start in a couple of days). I saw them pointing in the distance and getting out their binoculars and looking, then pointing again. I gave them their space, but half an hour later they started hiking towards me and my tent. They whistled and said “Just so you know, there’s a bear behind you about 200 feet, behind the rock you’re set up next to.” I was thrilled with this information, but a bit upset it took them HALF AN HOUR to let me know a bear was behind me. I got up, got my trekking pole, and spent the next 2 hours looking for the bear. I never saw it. I was mentally ok and prepared for the night (bear cannister and all), but still a little upset I never actually got to see the bear. I did hear cow elk calling to their babies in the night, but no more sighting of that bear. In the morning I was off at 6:30am to attempt the ridge (orange route). I started by following the grassy area southwest towards the ridge.
I then found a small gully and gained the ridge on tundra. This was all easy class 2.
Once on the ridge it was an easy class 2 hike as I followed the ridge west/northwest.
At the top of the ridge I could see 13024 to the right. I followed the ridge on class 2 terrain to the base of the rocky area. From here it’s only 1/10th of a mile and less than 200’ of elevation gain to the summit. It’s mostly class 2 or easy 3, but there was one class 4 move I didn’t feel comfortable attempting without ropes. Where the orange line ends is where I stopped, about 100’ from the summit.
Here are some pictures of the route to that point.
This was the move that I didn’t feel comfortable attempting without ropes. It was very similar to the final crux on Jagged after the rockfall, but when I was there I had rope to help me. The rocks above this problem overhang several feet over what look like easy steps from below, and it’s steep on all sides and all the rocks are loose, making depending on them for support/balance poor judgement. The picture doesn’t do this area justice, and it wasn’t until I was under the rocks I realized the difficulty. If I saw this picture, I’d go for it, but when I was there I knew it was too dangerous for me to do solo. I could see where I needed to place my hands/feet, but I wasn’t tall enough to make the moves. Rock climbing shoes might have helped, and a rope definitely would have, but I had neither. I spent about 15 minutes trying to find a way up/around this, and in the end turned around. I’d just been on an amazing podcast (seriously, you should listen to it just to know the podcaster: it’s called “Going in Blind” and will change the way you think of your own life experiences). We talked about failed attempts, turnarounds, risk tolerance, etc. and this move was above my risk tolerance for soloing. How terrible would it have been if I’d just talked about my many, many failed attempts and turnarounds and attempted this and failed because I was overconfident? I’d look like a fool. If I’d been with a friend they could have cheerleader lifted me and I could have pulled them from above but solo I didn’t feel comfortable attempting this move. I felt there was a 75% chance I could make it up, which just wasn’t good enough, especially when going solo. However, if you can get over this class 4 move it’s an easy class 3 climb to the summit.
As I said, I turned around and headed back down to the basin, retracing my steps on easy class 2 terrain.
Back in the basin at my campsite it was only 9am. I had a quick snack and started out again, this time taking the pink route up to 13204. I started out by heading northwest up the basin towards the base of a large rock outcropping. This is choose your own adventure, and all of it is class 2, just make your way towards the large rock outcropping.
From the base of this large rock outcropping I looked for a grassy ramp in the distance to the south/southwest. It’s small, and the access point for the rest of the climb.
I hiked up the grassy ramp and came to some willows. My beta said from here to climb up the rock slab. This was obviously class 4+ and I once again didn’t feel comfortable climbing up this rock face.
So I did some scouting around. BEFORE you see this rock face and before you make it to the willows (which are obvious) there is a nicer class 3 grassy slope. Take that up and follow it to the left and it will keep you on route but keeps it class 3. There’s some exposure, but I felt much safer on this route, and put up some cairns to indicate where you ascend.
From here on out it’s class 3 choose your own adventure up the grassy slopes. There is exposure here and be extra careful if the foliage is wet (which it was during my trip). I was aiming for a notch in the mountain, heading west.
Here’s looking from below the notch, and the route I took, class 3
Once over the notch I needed to descend about 20 feet into a gully, then re-ascend to the other side.
Now I found cairns leading me north and then west to the summit. From this point on it was difficult class 2, easy class 3 to the summit. It was choose your own adventure, and the routes were obvious.
The true summit is to the left, with a small rock on top of a large boulder.
I summited 13204 at 10:50am
13204:
Now you might think I’d head back the way I’d summited, but I was curious as to if I could have made it down that class 4 route I’d attempted earlier, so I headed back the way I’d summited, then headed down southwest to try to link up my climb from earlier in the day. It was all class 2 until I got to the class 4 part, and I was glad I’d turned around.
Seeing it wasn’t any better from this angle I reascended and found a gully to head down. I could see all the way down to the valley, it looked class 2, so I decided to go for it. I started at 13100’ and descended the entire way down on class 2 terrain just below where I’d dropped down and re-ascended again on the ascent. The place just before the notch on the return. That gully goes at class 2. I could see the access point from the summit.
Here are some pictures looking down the gully. It splits at least twice, but each option is class 2, so pick the route you like the best. If I were to do this peak again, I’d take the gully. Tons of game trails, not a lot of scree, lots of elevation gain but no exposure. Just keep this as an option as a bail out point, or another way to summit this peak if you’re dividing the peaks and not doing the traverse.
From the base of the gully I paralleled the ridge I’d hiked that morning, heading west until I’d reached my camping spot.
If you’re heading up from the basin doing this class 2 route, this is how the route would look:
Back in the basin I followed the stream back down, heading Southeast, staying to the left of the stream until I was about 20 yards from the trail, then crossing the stream on an obvious area, and linking up with Lost Man Trail.
Back on Lost Man Trail I turned right and followed it back to the trailhead.
I made it back to my truck at 1pm. Total stats for this hike vary.
Parking Area to campsite/upper basin: 5.43 miles, 1600’
Campsite to first attempt and back: 2.5 miles, 1000’
Campsite to class 3 summit: 1.3 miles, 1100’
Down summit class 2 route: 1 mile, 1100’ elevation loss
I started from the Lost Man Trailhead at 5am. This trailhead has capacity for around 35 vehicles, if everyone parks nicely. The trailhead is obvious.
At the trailhead sign I went right, following the Lost Man Loop Trail.
This is a well-maintained class 1 trail that passed by Lost Man Reservoir and then continued north, paralleling Lost Man Creek.
I followed this trail for about 4 miles. If you make it to South Fork Pass you’ve gone too far.
At 11550’ of elevation I left the trail and headed north towards an unnamed pass to the right of PT 12683.
For a visual, I was headed here:
When I got to the top of this small pass I had a visual of the route before me to PT 13139.
I was disheartened. That cornice looked big. I sat on that pass for longer than I wanted, contemplating my next move. It was only July 15, and I’d already had over a dozen failed attempts already this year. Mostly due to cornices, but also due to wildfires (I evacuated twice) and getting “the knock” twice and being told I can’t park my vehicle at a trailhead overnight (even to leave it to go backpacking: it would be towed). I remembered hearing (somewhere) that the entire Williams traverse was clear of snow this week, so in my mind I figured it was possible to make it around the cornice. Needing a ‘win’ I decided to go for it. Here’s my route, dropping 620’ into the basin on an adequate game trail, staying to the right of the creek and avoiding the willows, and then climbing up the gully.
At the base of the gully I once again stopped to rest and contemplate the ascent. That cornice looked really big (it was). But it also looked like I could go around it to the right. I ascended the gully, trying to stay in the middle but drifting towards the right because the terrain there was more stable. This gully is steeper than it looks and it took quite a while to ascend.
The cornice was indeed large. At the base of it I thought I saw a line to the right that would lead me to the ridge, so I headed that way. Long story short, it did NOT go. I got myself into a very scary situation where the rocks and dirt (which was wet) caved out from underneath me and slid down, leaving me standing on a slick rock slab with no traction, and no way to go up or down. While it looks like it goes, even when standing right beneath it, it does not (at least not safely). It is much steeper than it looks from below.
I was frustrated, especially since I’d heard someone else had already done the route this year. There were no footprints to be seen (I didn’t see any at all the entire hike), and no clear line to the ridge. I was heading back when I took a different look at the cornice, this time from above. There was about a foot of space behind the cornice I could crawl through (and get wet in the process) that would lead me to the ridge. I squeezed behind it and was quickly standing on the ridge.
Once on the ridge I turned right and headed northeast to the summit. The terrain was class 2, and very rocky.
I summited PT 13139 at 10:40am
13139:
Once again I had a chat with myself on the summit. I am getting closer to finishing the 13ers, and when they’re done for me that’s it. I’m not going for 12ers, etc. because I’m starting a new phase of my life. However, I want to enjoy the 13ers for as long as possible. That’s a long way of saying I’m trying to stretch out my remaining climbs by making them multiple day trips. I’d planned on doing the Williams group in 3 days, but since if I returned the way I’d summited I’d need to gain over 600’ of elevation anyway, I figured I’d head over to Williams Mountain and summit that one today as well. So, I turned and headed southwest along the ridge towards Williams Mountain.
The ridge started out calmly, then quickly became rocky. I stayed to the ridge proper on class 2 and 3 terrain.
Until I came to this point, where I dropped down to the left and followed the scree filled slopes before regaining the ridge.
While it may look flat, there were a lot of ups and downs along the way.
Once on the ridge again I followed it south. There were large boulders to navigate, but the rock was pretty solid. This is where the ‘fun’ begins. For the rest of the route to the summit it’s intense class 3, if not class 4. It’s probably the most difficult class 3 I’ve done to date, bordering on class 4 in areas (I’m short, so a lot of the holds are a stretch). There are a few cairns in this area, but don’t rely on seeing them. This was an intense, exposed scramble, and more than once I got myself ‘stuck’ in a not so friendly position and had to backtrack (which was also not so friendly). Be sure of your holds, be sure of your moves, and please have climbing experience before attempting this climb because it only gets more difficult as you ascend. I stuck a little to the west of the ridge, heading south.
I summited Williams Mountain at 12:55pm
Williams Mountain:
After summiting I kept heading south, towards 13204.
I’d thought the difficult climbing was over, but I was wrong. Almost immediately I was greeted with a rock slab I’d need to descend. I butt-schooched down this thing.
Here’s looking back up at the rock slab
That was the worst of it though. I went left and descended and then reascended this little gully
Then I made my way down the ridge to a larger gully and followed it southeast into a basin. This gully was easily manageable, with game trails to follow. Towards the middle there were options to go left or right. Both went, but I took the right side.
From the top of the gully you can see my route out of the basin.
Here are some gully pictures
At the base of the gully I headed southeast along the basin.
At the end of the basin I followed the stream that was running pretty strongly all the way back down to Lost Man Loop Trail, staying to the left of the stream the entire time.
Back on Lost Man Loop Trail, I followed it southwest back to the trailhead.
I made it back to my truck at 4pm, making this a 15.26 mile hike with 3918’ of elevation gain, according to CalTopo. My numbers with Strava were different.
I started from the Andrews Lake trailhead at 6am. On a positive note, the bathrooms were clean this time! No toilet paper, but the seats were clean (always bring your own TP). The trail starts by skirting the south side of the lake.
I then took Trail 623/Crater Lake Trail all the way to Crater Lake. This is an easy, class 1 trail that is easy to follow with no major junctions. I hiked the 5.5 miles to Crater Lake on this trail.
Once at Crater Lake there’s a side trail that goes off to the left. This trail stops at 11750’ at a small pond. I took the trail to the pond.
The trail stops at 11750’ and now it’s time to bushwhack. I lost 400’ of elevation as I headed southwest towards a gully I couldn’t yet see. Here’s an overview of where I was headed.
Aiming southwest I skirted the hillside until I came to the end of the trees.
I now had a clear view of my path to the saddle between South Twilight Peak and PT 12932. I kept descending towards the creekbed and then ascended up 1260’ towards the saddle.
The route was obvious but not marked. I went to the left on the way up, to the right on the way down, and both were similar. The left side had larger boulders and the right side had more tundra, but both were essentially snow free and clear.
Here are some pictures of the route to the saddle
Now at the saddle I had to descend a bit to traverse towards West Needle Mountain. I descended about 25 feet to the south and found an access gully on the left that would get me around the rock outcroppings.
I ascended the class 2 gully
From the top of the gully I could see my intended route for West Needle Mountain. I would initially stay high, just under the rock outcroppings, then pick up a game trail for a while and follow it towards the base of the ridge in the distance, aiming towards just below the two large outcroppings and up a gully.
Here are some pictures of the route to the base of the gully I used.
From here it’s a great time to look at the route before you. This is choose your own adventure, and there seem to be a lot of different possibilities for gaining the ridge. All class 3. This is the route I chose, first going up the loose and rocky gully then straight up the class 3 face.
Once on the ridge it was still choose your own adventure. I stuck mainly to the ridge itself in class 3 terrain. There was one ‘sketchy’ move where I had to slide down a 10-15 foot boulder/rock slab and shimmy down. It wasn’t difficult, but there was exposure. The entire ridge for me was ‘figure it out as you go’. I just kept following it up, never cliffed out, and kept heading southwest.
Of course there was a false summit, but luckily the terrain got easier from there.
I summited West Needle Mountain at 11:40am
West Needle Mountain:
This was an out and back hike for me, so I turned around and headed towards the false summit
Then back down the ridge. Downclimbing seemed much easier than upclimbing on this route. The route was easier to ‘find’ on the way down.
And then back towards the gully. It’s easy to know when to start the descent towards the gully as the terrain gets noticeably easier and you have a line of sight as to where you need to descend.
From the base of the gully this is my route back up to the saddle. I’d be ascending about 250’ to get there.
Then it was back down the gully and up towards the saddle
From the saddle I could see my route back towards Crater Lake. I’d descend back down 1260’, then up 400’.
First to head back down the drainage
Then to head back up towards the pond at 11750’. To help me navigate I first aimed for this large boulder in the distance, then headed north through the trees.
Once at the pond at 11750’ I found the Crater Lake Trail and took it the 5.5 miles back to Andrews Lake.
I made it back to my truck at 5:30pm, making this a 19.1 mile hike with 4853’ of elevation gain in 11 hours, 30 minutes. At least according to CalTopo. Strava gave me different numbers.
Yep, it’s been a while. Those of you who follow me on my socials know what I’ve been up to, and I’ve been busy! I’m really excited to have a few months off to tackle more peaks (kind of… I still need to travel for work most of August. WHY is that my busiest climbing month, and my busiest work month???). Most of the 13ers I have left still need to ‘melt out’ before I can climb them, but when I heard Snowdon was all clear I drove down to Andrews Lake and had to see for myself.
Andrews Lake has plenty of parking, and even an overflow lot. However, that didn’t stop it from being full when I arrived. Also, the bathrooms were dirty (and bring your own toilet paper). Last time I was here the bathrooms didn’t lock. I was pleased to see they had been fixed.
I started from Andrews Lake at 5:30am, skirting the east side of the lake to the trail.
I followed this class 1 trail for about 1.3 miles to a junction with a trail register.
At the junction/trail register I turned left and followed an unnamed trail east/southeast.
This trail was well defined in the beginning, but in the marshy areas became non-existent and I had to route find a bit. There were areas with willows, marshes, and trees. There were a few downed trees along the trail, but nothing too difficult to cross. I was headed towards this gully (there’s a good trail at the base).
For reference, these are N1 and Snowdon
I followed the gully up a class 1, steep trail for 550’ in elevation.
At the top of the gully the trail ended. I went left and headed northeast towards the summit of N1. This was all class 2 and the route was obvious. It felt “too easy”, almost like it shouldn’t have been ranked.
I summited ‘N1’ at 7am
N1:
Now for Snowdon Peak. I turned and headed southwest back to the Snowdon/N1 saddle, to the right of the ridge.
Now to head up the ridge. There are several ways to do this. On my ascent I stuck to the ridge proper, which went at class 3. On the way back down I found a faint trail that kept this area at class 2 after climbing about halfway up the ridge. Here’s a picture of that trail:
And some pictures of the ridge. I was able to take the ridge proper to the next saddle until I came across the game trail, which was much easier.
If you don’t already have your helmet on now is the time to do so. There are several routes up this ridge. I took the ridge proper at class 3 all the way to 12900’ before dipping down and south, then traversing around the east side of the mountain to get to the summit (lots of cairns to help once I dipped down). However, you don’t need to take the ridge proper to this point. If you stay to the left of the ridge there are game trails that keep you about 50 feet below the ridge on class 2 terrain most of the way. Here are the routes:
Here are some pictures of the ridge route I took to 12,900’
On the ridge at 12,900’ I hit a snag, and realized I needed to drop down where I saw this gully. Directly below it I saw a cairn and headed that way. Here’s a visual of where you should go when you hit this area. Head down, not up, and continue around the left side.
From here on out there are cairns to the summit. If you don’t see a cairn, you’re off route. I kept heading left, and every time I wanted to ascend it seemed like I had to descend as well, but there were always cairns to help lead the way. This is class 3.
When I got to 13,010’ I saw this in front of me, and a cairn in the distance. Don’t head for that cairn. This is where you just scramble to the top from where you are.
It’s a short scramble, and soon I was on the relatively flat summit
I summited Snowdon Peak at 8:20am
Snowdon Peak:
Now to head back down. I took the same route back to the ridge following the cairns as I descended.
And now to follow the ridge back to the saddle. Here’s a visual of the route I took:
I found my access gully and headed back down to the trail.
I then followed the trail back through the marshes and trees towards Andrews Lake.
Once back on the Crater Lake Trail I followed it back to Andrews Lake.
I made it back to Andrews Lake at 10:30am, making this an 8.42 mile hike with 2747’ of elevation gain.
And for those of you wondering, my past few months consisted of: Getting married, buying property, Mexico, Cookie Cupboard for 2 months (I love Girl Scouts!!!), Florida, Washington DC, my son visiting from South Korea, 2 of my kids graduating College in different states during the same week (one of them Valedictorian!), Georgia for a week, South America for a month, building a ranch from the ground up (empty land, but after a few months of hard work I now have a well, a vineyard, an orchard and the animals have corrals). Raising yaks and alpacas (all the females are pregnant), a nasty tick bite that left me out of the sun for a month but gave me time to do a a couple of dozen podcasts, teaching Wilderness First Responder courses and several outdoor survival skill classes to multiple groups. Oh, and last week we got a puppy, so it’s been a little busy around here!
I drove up Eureka Gulch Road to 11930’ and parked on the side of the road. This is a dirt road but can be driven in a high clearance 2WD. From my parking spot, I could see the route before me.
On my way in I went right, which ended up giving me needless elevation gain I would lose later. Instead, head south/southwest and use the route to the left. Game trails pick up there that will lead you to McCarty Basin.
I was on the trail at 6:45am. I started out by heading south/southwest up the tundra
As you can tell, I’d ascended too high and had to lose elevation to head into McCarty Basin. However, I could now see my route to Proposal Peak
I dropped down into McCarty Basin, and followed the tundra southwest
I came to a game trail, that brought me to the upper basin
I could now see my route to the ridge. If you want to keep this hike class 2, ascend to the saddle on the left, and skirt around the south side of the peak. This will include steep scree, but it will remain class 2. I chose to gain the ridge (the class 3 option).
I was able to follow the tundra all the way to the ridge
Once on the ridge I could see the true summit of Proposal Peak to the southwest.
I continued following the ridge south. This was all class 2.
Until I came here. There’s a short difficult class 3 section here. I would dare to say it borders on class 4 (if you’re short like me). It was much harder to navigate down than up, and so steep I couldn’t get a good picture of it looking down (I have a better one on the way back). I turned and faced the mountain and headed down. Be careful here: the rocks break off, so make sure you have a solid hand hold before committing your weight to a move. The ridge proper goes here at class 3, and it’s a very short section.
Here’s looking up at what I downclimbed:
Now for another short class 3 section, sticking to the ridge proper, before an easy class 2 hike to the summit.
I summited Proposal Peak at 8:15am
Proposal Peak:
Now to head back. I took much of the same route on my way back down. I followed the ridge to the class 3 section
And then climbed back up the class 3 chimney. This was much easier to navigate climbing up.
I now followed the ridge northeast, and then descended the gully back down to the basin.
Here’s a look at my route through McCarty Basin
On the right side of a small pond I found a game trail that would lead me almost all the way back to my truck.
With the road in sight, I followed the tundra north back to my truck
I made it back to my truck at 9am, making this a 3.4 mile hike with 1652’ of elevation gain in 2 hours, 15 minutes.
I drove up Eureka Gulch on a 4WD road. This is a dirt road, but a high clearance 2WD can make it all the way. I parked at 12275’ and was on the trail at 3:15pm. This was a quick and easy hike. From the parking area I could see the peak.
I know I’d already summited V5 earlier that morning, and after heading to town, putting together a trip report, hassling with Verizon being down and having a few work meetings (which luckily were over Zoom, not a phone call), I drove to the next trailhead. When I got there it was 3pm, and I noticed how quick the summit route looked. I bet I could get it done in an hour or so, and why put off for tomorrow what I could do today? I put on my hiking boots and went at it.
I started by heading west up the tundra to the ridge
Once on the ridge I turned left and followed it south to the summit. The ridge started out with game trails below the rock outcroppings, and then turned rocky, but this entire hike was class 2.
I came to an area filled with scree and headed straight up.
This is where the terrain became rocky (still class 2). I followed the ridge south to the summit
I summited Bonita Peak at 3:55pm
Bonita Peak:
Now to head back down. I followed the rocky ridge north
I continued following it as it turned to tundra. Here’s where I descended:
And then to descend down the ridge, heading east back to my truck.
I made it back to my truck at 4:20pm, making this a 1.62 mile hike with 1009’ of elevation gain in 1 hour, 5 minutes. Yep, it was a quick and easy hike.
I parked a little ways up Clear Lake Road at a dispersed campsite. The road is 4WD, but I could have driven all the way to Clear Lake. If you have a 4WD vehicle, this is an easy road to navigate all the way to the end. There’s just one obstacle: A boulder taking up half the road about a mile up. After that, it’s pretty straightforward.
I was on the trail at 5:30am. I followed the road for 3.5 miles up to 11820’
At 11820’ I left the trail, and headed northeast up this tundra slope, towards a mining road
When I reached the mining road I followed it west, then east, then west as it switchbacked to 12530’. Here’s an overview of my route:
At 12530’ I left the mining road and headed northeast up the tundra. The tundra eventually changed to scree, but this was all class 2.
At the top of the scree I was now on the ridge. If you don’t already have on your helmet, now is the time to put it on. This next section is a class 3 gully.
While not entirely solid, it’s much easier to navigate than it looks. This is the route I took to access the gully:
Here’s a look at the class 3 gully. It’s easier to navigate than it looks.
At the top of the gully I turned left and hiked the class 2 ridge northwest to the summit
Here are some pictures of the rocky (but class 2) ridge
I summited V5 at 8:10am
V5:
This was an out and back hike for me, so I turned around and headed back down the ridge.
Then it was back down the gully
And back to the scree, which turned to tundra, which took me to the mining road
I followed the mining road back to 12220’
And then hiked down the tundra to the road I could see below.
Once on the road, I hiked it back to my truck.
I made it back to my truck at 10am, making this a 9.05 mile hike with 3128’ of elevation gain in 4.5 hours
I parked at the Hayden Trailhead at Crystal Lake and was on the trail at 6:45am. This is a very popular trailhead, especially during the fall color season. There’s room for about 40 vehicles if everyone parks nicely, but this area does fill up. The beginning of the trail is obvious, marked by signs and a gate.
Before you start your hike, you should take a look at where you’re going. There are plenty of game trails to get you there, but that’s just the problem: There are SO MANY game trails, it’s easy to go the wrong way. I’m sure most of them meet up at times, but it’s a good idea to know where you’re going. Here’s the overall route to treeline:
I took the well established trail around the lake, then looked for the obvious avalanche slide area. There are two or three trails that pick up here and lead you into the trees.
The hardest part about this hike is making it to treeline. I picked up the most solid game trail I could find and followed it as it switchbacked up to Half Moon Basin. Every time I came to another game trail (there were dozens) I tried to follow the most established one. I was heading west until I hit 13125’, then I headed north to treeline.
Once above treeline, the rest of the hike was straightforward, but don’t be fooled by all the game trails here as well: They don’t lead to the summit. Also, I saw a ton of deer this morning, and a few bighorn sheep, which are most likely responsible for all the trails. I followed the tundra up this drainage
At the top of the drainage I needed to get up this little ridge. There was a game trail to the left I took to get there
From here I knew I could go either left or right. I chose left to make it to the ridge, as the right side had a gully and I’m not a fan of gullies (although on my way down I saw there looked to be a game trail up the right side of the gully, so it probably wouldn’t have been too bad). Here’s what going left (west) looks like:
Now I was at the base of the ridge. I hiked up the tundra slope, then followed the ridge northwest as it became manageable scree. This was all class 2.
Now I was on top of the ridge. I turned and followed it north to the summit. This was rocky, but the route was obvious and all class 2. Stay below the ridge proper, on the class 2 terrain. I took the third gully to the right. All of the gullies went, and they are all easier than these pictures make them look.
From the top of the gully I could see the summit. It was an easy hike to get there
I summited Hayden Mountain North at 9am
Hayden Mountain North:
Hayden Mountain North was my only peak for today, so I turned around and re-traced my steps. First, the rocky section headed south, down the gully and back to the ridge:
Then the scree/talus ridge down to the tundra
I now made my way back to the drainage
And followed it back to treeline
Once at treeline I had to find my access trail. This was more difficult than I’d imagined, but I kept heading south/southeast and I came to it.
Back on a robust game trail, I followed it back to the trail I knew was below me that would lead back to Crystal Lake. A note about this trail going down: It’s steep, and I was sliding on the small rocks on the trail. While I had no problems hiking up, I had to take it slow as I descended so as not to slip and fall down.
Back on the main trail, I followed it back to the trailhead
I made it back to my truck at 6:45am, making this a 6.51 mile hike with 3534’ of elevation gain in 4 hours.
Wild Wanderer 