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Mesahchie Mark A Lerxst
Joined: 10 May 2005 Posts: 700 | TRs | Pics Location: In Wonderland |
On a typical cool and overcast August evening, TNAB ventured out the I-90 corridor once again for a night in the hills, this time setting our sights on McClellan Butte. We numbered thirteen: Alexei (Magellan); Chris M and his friend Jim; Chris S (CHR15) - first time out since injuring his back (good to have you "back"!); Dale (onetwolaugh); Don (Malachai Constant); Jim S; Joseph; Kirk (sospeso); Larry (and Digger); Steve (Yukon222), Yet and Yours Truly. The main group started out by 5:55 PM.
As many of you know, the trail is undergoing "renovation". The recent damp weather has left portions of the trail kinda goopy where the ground is soft. On the long, eastside traverse, a couple pieces of equipment denote the line of progress. The gully crossings seemed strangely small without snow to negotiate.
After 100 minutes of hiking around the forested ridge, we arrived at the Butte with its requisite summit scramble. The suddenness of being able to stare down at I-90 without obstruction makes the scramble feel very exposed. Still, it is a simple affair, no more than borderline class 3.
In due course, our party was on the summit by 7:45 PM. Some sunbreaks added color, but it was chilly and a bit windy on top. Larry spotted a trip of mountain goats on the ridge south of us, their shifting white bodies contrasting with the thick greenery. Wild life, two weeks in a row!
We stuck around for about 20 minutes, then started our descent. About halfway out, it was necessary to use headlamps. We exited the trail by 9:45 PM. A half dozen of us then made our way to the North Bend Bar & Grill, where the service was subpar (apparently our waitress had a hot date and was eager to get off shift). Expecting more from our party to show up, we ordered WAY too many nachos - oh well!
Overall, good hike!
6.2 miles round trip
3.4k elevation gain
Cheers,
-Mark
(In the right place now! )
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Yet Member
Joined: 23 Apr 2005 Posts: 2634 | TRs | Pics Location: Happily Ever After |
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Yet
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Fri Aug 10, 2007 6:38 pm
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What a fun night.
We're back in sync once again!
Joseph and I watch yukon in action as we debate the summit scramble.
TNAB descends.
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Yet Member
Joined: 23 Apr 2005 Posts: 2634 | TRs | Pics Location: Happily Ever After |
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Yet
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Fri Aug 10, 2007 6:40 pm
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Mesahchie Mark wrote: | Chris S (CHR15) - first time out since injuring his back (good to have you "back"!); |
Hehe...Mark made a funny!
Ditto.
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joker seeker
Joined: 12 Aug 2006 Posts: 7953 | TRs | Pics Location: state of confusion |
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joker
seeker
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Fri Aug 10, 2007 7:01 pm
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She was on top when I got there, so she made the scramble.
Thanks for being nice to a newbie! It was a pleasant evening to be up on a summit with a view out toward the sound.
Here are a few pics:
Chris playing "name that peak"
chris-points
Chris getting a shot from another vantage point
chris-shoots
A few views of the waning evening light
sound-sunset sun-setting-over-North-Bend
Folks packing to go, demonstrating the characteristic TNAB sense of motion (from what I can gather from TRs and one outing)
time-to-go
Heading down...
heading-down
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Mesahchie Mark A Lerxst
Joined: 10 May 2005 Posts: 700 | TRs | Pics Location: In Wonderland |
Yes, welcome to TNAB, joker! Of course, I didn't make the connection until now.
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huron Member
Joined: 13 Sep 2004 Posts: 1038 | TRs | Pics
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huron
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Fri Aug 10, 2007 7:52 pm
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Its good to be BACK!
5 x-rays and a CT scan to find two broken vertebrae. Resting on Mclellan Butte summit pyramid Climbing for summit Trail up East ridge
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Mark Griffith (Embrace yourself)
Joined: 14 Mar 2005 Posts: 853 | TRs | Pics Location: Issaquah |
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yukon222 Member
Joined: 12 Mar 2007 Posts: 1893 | TRs | Pics
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yukon222
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Sat Aug 11, 2007 8:59 pm
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Trail improvement work is still underway but they are making good progress. Didn't check the elevation but they are probably halfway up.trail improvement.jpg chester morse lake.jpg
Caught up to Yet and Joseph at the summit base. I wasn't too anxious to look at the rock face and drop for very long so I grabbed a handful off sound rock and went up. It looks worse than it really is. The rock is very stable with multiple grab points.joseph & yet debate butte.jpg mc clellan rock scramble.jpg yet's scramble.jpg summit hug.jpg
Cool temps with light wind on the summit but interesting sun beams lit up the valley floor and pushed thru the slots in the nearby ridges. Stayed up on top as long as possible to watch the sun slip away. Summer (what there was of it) definitely seems to be leaving.
magellan on the edge.jpg mc clellan rock descent.jpg chris's back.jpg ghost tree.jpg mc clellan sunset pano.jpg
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Magellan Brutally Handsome
Joined: 26 Jul 2006 Posts: 13116 | TRs | Pics Location: Inexorable descent |
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Magellan
Brutally Handsome
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Sat Aug 11, 2007 9:04 pm
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Great stuff guys!! I will get some pictures and video posted tommorow. Yet rocked that rock! Joker, good to meet you. Chris, you the man!
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Yet Member
Joined: 23 Apr 2005 Posts: 2634 | TRs | Pics Location: Happily Ever After |
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Yet
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Sun Aug 12, 2007 9:50 am
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Magellan, thanks! I wasn't sure I was going to do it. When Mark got there, he said let's go, and I did it before I could overthink it and lose my nerve. It turned out to be really fun! (I didn't look down.)
Joker, I didn't realize that was you, either! Nice to meet you.
Nice pics, joker, Chris, and yukon - love the summit hug.
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joker seeker
Joined: 12 Aug 2006 Posts: 7953 | TRs | Pics Location: state of confusion |
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joker
seeker
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Sun Aug 12, 2007 5:12 pm
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It was nice to meet you guys too!
I took this shot last night on the way home from being leashed at Snow Lake. The view of the left skyline near the peak gives a small sense of the A-I-R exposure that you have behind your butt as you feel somehow more cautious along the scramble to the top of the Butte than you do on a typical 3rd class stretch of similar difficulty.
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Magellan Brutally Handsome
Joined: 26 Jul 2006 Posts: 13116 | TRs | Pics Location: Inexorable descent |
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Magellan
Brutally Handsome
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Sun Aug 12, 2007 10:42 pm
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Another great night out with TNAB. Our upper road start placed us between a shooting gallery and an ATV course. No problem, it's a multiple use forest. I dropped down just below this road to inspect some relics. I believe they are from an old loggers camp.
Ancient ore crusher Foundation for house Radiator of some kind?
The newish trail is not quite as steep as the old. It seemed like we avoided a couple of the gullies that have snow well into spring. The raw earth of the trail proved the work is fresh. What appeared to be ATV tracks were in fact the trail machine. Kind of interesting to see a mini-track-hoe a couple of miles up the trail.
Peekaboo Raw trail Easy way up the mountain Steepish look at I-90 Why the trail wraps around
With fast in fronter and faster behind, I had no time to rest, and barely took pictures. Somehow we made it to the scramble area very quickly. I did not realize how cold it was until I touched the rock. Multiple layers were needed on top.
The sun was not shining on us, but for us. A few goats appeard on a knob nearby. The group ate, hugged and even posed. It was sure nice to see Chris back after his vertabrae bashing. It was sad to wish Kirk 'Bon Voyage' as he travels back to NY with his family. Dale and Chris (Joker) were the new faces to me.
Chris is not broken Three blurry goats The gang Chris on the edge Queen of the mountains Nice light
We did not stay long. The lure of NBBG was too much for some to resist. Headlamps came out, and I think I even saw my breath! Brrrr! Approximately 7 miles R/T, 3150' of cumulative gain, 1:55 up, 1:30 down.
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Yet Member
Joined: 23 Apr 2005 Posts: 2634 | TRs | Pics Location: Happily Ever After |
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Yet
Member
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Sun Aug 12, 2007 11:20 pm
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Wow, Magellan! Those videos are cool as heck. I even look like I knew what I was doing.
Thanks for sharing them!
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H. Hound Member
Joined: 09 May 2003 Posts: 1205 | TRs | Pics Location: Exit 32 |
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H. Hound
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Mon Aug 13, 2007 5:40 pm
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Magellan wrote: | I dropped down just below this road to inspect some relics. I believe they are from an old loggers camp. |
Actually that's the site of the Last Chance/Alice claims. You walked right past one of the Adits. It looks like a culvert for the road above, but if you look, it's a flooded Adit.
There used to be an ore car sitting on rails in front of the mine, way back in the 70's. Additionally there used to be a steam cylinder, and other junk around as well.
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EastKing Surfing and Hiking
Joined: 28 Mar 2007 Posts: 2082 | TRs | Pics Location: 77 miles from Seattle! |
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EastKing
Surfing and Hiking
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Mon Aug 13, 2007 7:00 pm
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That look like a good scramble!
YouTube | SummitPost
Saw the depths of despair. Now I am salvaging what time I have left on Earth.
YouTube | SummitPost
Saw the depths of despair. Now I am salvaging what time I have left on Earth.
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