side by side – Wild Wanderer

RT Length: 3 miles (from just below Ptarmigan Lake)

Elevation Gain: 1200’ (from just below Ptarmigan Lake)

This was my second attempt at this peak. In my quest to finish the 13ers slowly and enjoyably I planned to drive up to Ptarmigan Lake, set up a tent, and climb the next morning. Of course, this plan failed (kind of). Having attempted this peak before I knew I’d need to take a side by side up to Ptarmigan Lake, so I drove 6.23 miles up the worst 4WD road I’d ever driven in a side by side: 584/ Tellurium Creek .

There are signs as you enter saying no trucks, and there’s no way my Tacoma could have driven up the road. However, at the base of the road there are several large dispersed campsites, so feel free to park there.

Here are some pictures of the 4WD road. I think the hardest part was about 2.5 miles in, but it doesn’t let up the entire time. It started out driving up a wet and rocky creek bed, there were at least 4 stream crossings, there were large rocks (bigger than microwaves), narrow passages, and steep climbs.

I made it up to about 11880’, about .7 miles below Ptarmigan Lake, when I came to a road closure sign. Obviously the road had previously gone all the way to the lake, but it hadn’t for quite some time. So I set up camp near the road closure and was on the trail early the next morning.

There was a class 1 trail that started to the left of the closed gate. It looked like it went to Ptarmigan Lake, and indeed it did. I followed it through a couple of old mines until the trail ended, then saw the old road in the distance and followed that to the lake.

Ptarmigan lake is a great place to find a camping spot if you’re making this a backpacking trip. If not, to the left (west) of the lake is a strong game trail. I noticed it when I was hiking in and saw a herd of elk using the trail. This trail goes all the way to the ridge.

I followed the trail to the ridge

Once on the ridge I turned right and followed the class 2 ridge northeast.

At the top I turned left and continued to follow the ridge to the summit.

I summited West Tellurium Peak at 7am

West Tellurium:

In keeping with enjoying my hikes this was an out and back hike for me, so I turned around and descended the ridge the way I’d summited.

Back on the trail, I took it east towards Ptarmigan Lake

I then found the old 4WD road, and followed that back to the trail that led me to the closed gate/parking area

I made it back to the side by side at 7:45am, making this a 3 mile hike with 1200’ of elevation gain in just under 2 hours.

Here’s the entire route topo. The most difficult part about this hike was by far the drive up/down Tellurium Creek Road, which I’m coming back to hike in again very soon. I wouldn’t drive it again.

And just the hike from the parking area

On to the next trailhead!

RT Length (from Stewart Mine): 3.2 miles

Elevation Gain (from Stewart Mine): 1500’

This was my second attempt at Italian Mountain. Earlier this month (August) I hiked in from Spring Creek Reservoir and got turned around at Stewart Mine due to a summer snowstorm. Actually, it was the thunder that turned me around. If you do take the route from Spring Creek Reservoir you take 880 until it becomes a dirt road. If you have a 2WD vehicle leave it there in the parking/camping area. If you have a capable 4WD vehicle and competent driver you can take it another mile to the trailhead (at the end of the narrow road). There is one large campsite just before the trailhead on the left-hand side. You can then take the Italian Connector Trail to treeline, turn left at the only junction (the one with 4WD road 759), and follow it to Stewart Mine. It’s about 3.5 miles and 1500’ of elevation gain to Stewart Mine on a class 1 trail that starts with a creek crossing and is very easy to follow. I don’t have a lot of pictures of this part of the route because I either hiked it in the early morning dark or in whiteout conditions from the snow. Here are a few pictures of the route to treeline:

When I got to Stewart Mine a dark cloud descended from the ridge of Italian Mountain and within minutes I was in a minor blizzard. I hunkered down for 15 minutes waiting for it to pass, but when the thunder started I headed back down to treeline. Half an hour later I realized this summer storm was going to last a while and descended back to the trailhead to try again another time. It rained/hailed/sleeted/snowed the entire way back to the trailhead.

However, I hadn’t been expecting to see that 4WD road, so it got me thinking… could I drive up it? The short answer is no. My Tacoma could not drive this road, but my side by side could. So I drove the side by side from 742, turned left onto 759. There are a bunch of campsites along 742 and 759, but at the junction or near it is a great place to leave your 2WD vehicle. It’s where I left my 4WD Tacoma and started out on the side by side. From the junction it’s about 10 miles and 2300’ of elevation gain on a difficult 4WD road to Stewart Mine that follows Italian Creek and goes around private property (there are signs directing you on the road where you can legally drive). My Tacoma could not have made it to the mine. I’d strongly suggest either hiking in from Spring Creek Reservoir to the mine or taking a truly off road capable vehicle to the mine. Here are some pictures of the road in. Notice I don’t have many, because I was white-knuckling it the entire way.

I was on the trail at 6am. The trail starts directly behind Stewart Mine at 10230’, and is fairly obvious.

I followed the trail west and then northeast as it gained the ridge. The trail was very easy to follow the entire way, with no junctions. Here’s the basic route:

And some pictures of the route to the ridge:

Once on the ridge I followed the trail west. Here’s the overall route:

There was one time the trail kind of disappeared, but it was easy to see where it picked up along the ridge in the distance.

I continued following the ridge (staying just to the left of the ridge) on this class 1 trail until I made it to 13180’. Then I made the hike class 2 by leaving the trail and climbing straight up the ridge. When I hit the top turned right and hiked a short way to the summit. Alternatly you could follow the trail the entire way to the summit (something I didn’t know until I was on my descent).