[wildernessed]

Oaklahoma Loop

Steve and I decided to do a loop out of Oklahoma Gulch Sunday parking just up the road off 97A in the small lot we walked a short distance before heading up Oklahoma Ridge. The elevation gain pulling out of the canyon was a grinder good for Spring training, but as steep as it was I told Steve that the original ridge was steeper and Terrain Navigator Pro measured our track grade at 50% in some spots. Exercise aside the slopes were still mostly brown but we did see our first group of Buttercups, a few Yellow Bells, and a couple Shooting Stars, the ground was soft and impressionable on ascents and descents which was nice with the dirt, scree, and talus mix. I can't remember at what elevation we started encountering snow coverage, but it wasn't much until you near Goman Ridge. The partly sunny skies and temps softened up most of the snow. Goman Ridge itself can really accumulate the snow running N -S and getting blasted from the West and we have seen crown avalanches run a thousand feet down the canyon after heavy snow years so we found it easier to run the lower road below the ridge when appropriate it is just easier and gets early sun exposure S to E. We had increasingly cloudy skies and diminishing views West any further than Tyee and Baldy so we decided to eat lunch at Point 3625', from there we headed East via the ridge just South of the canyon up and over "Chop Block" and eventually after a long descent we crossed the low creek, gained the road and it was a short walk to the car. We did see a group of hikers and a dog going up from the East initially, and I had a thought that it could be Sadies Driver and her gang and behold it was so I talked with some people I hiked with in the past, and knew from the forum but never met as we maintained a brisk pace along the ridge towards Goman Peak. Quick day covered some ground and looking forward to warmer, longer days ahead, as always good to get out ! Somewhere around 10 mi, 3700' all though I am starting to question my Gaia App accuracy.

It is best to travel the road which has substantially less snow than the crest of Goman Ridge, the road down in Oklahoma Gulch is to the left.

Looking South on Goman Ridge.

Tyee

Baldy

We would descend from a highpont on Goman Ridge East along that ridge to the top of Chop Block and eventually down into Oklahoma Gulch.

From the top of Chop Block.

Look closely at this large tree the roots are flat as they grew down through the basalt and at some point the tree grew big enough that the stress of it's weight with a push by the wind probably toppled it over.

[puzzlr]

You are getting to be quite a connoisseur of these tree-less landscapes. Thanks for the report.

[Matt]

Here's the slightly extended loop I did the same day, visiting Goman Mtn and "Byrd" Peak 3755. It turned out that the much of the ridge crest in between was melted dry or had only a thin covering of snow, making for fairly easy travel.

[HitTheTrail]

[wildernessed]

[wildernessed]

[wildernessed]

👍🏻

[Sculpin]

[wildernessed]

Steve checking out one of the six avalanche areas we crossed.

Pic is not current condition but example of a heavy snow year all that from a 3000’ Ridge.

[wildernessed]

https://www.pnwflowers.com/flower/lithophragma-glabrum from my PlantSnap App.

[wildernessed]

[HitTheTrail]

OK, now my wife wants to know what the music is on the video.

[wildernessed]

The Doves a great band pre Radiohead and just as good I often run to a playlist of their best songs.

[wildernessed]

The Doves song is Word

[Jake]

Thanks for the post Wilderness, and especially for the video. My mother grew up in that gulch. It called Winesap Canyon in those days; 1917-1941. My grandfather traded a team of horses for the north half of section eight. Only a log cabin there then, but he built a pretty nice farm house, barn and garage for the family. After Mom died we found this poem she wrote back in 2004 about growing up there: The things I like remembering The carpet of flowers every spring, bird bills (shooting stars), blue bells, baby face, yellow bells and more. Hunting and finding the first buttercup, first yellow bell ect. The echoes in the summer as we –hellow-ed and called to the echo that seemed to come from the mountains across the Columbia. The snow rides, sledding, so much fun. The crust after a thaw and then a freeze, broken runners, shinned skin here and there, sledding to school two miles when snow was clear enough in the tracks. Many spills. And summertime, picnic, favorite spot on Lake Chelan before the dam and the pools on the Columbia River, favorites near the Richardsons.