Forum Index > Trip Reports > Horseshoe Basin-Pasayten, 10-4 to 10-7-03, pictures
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Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!



Joined: 27 Mar 2003
Posts: 16874 | TRs | Pics
Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!
PostTue Oct 07, 2003 11:51 pm 
I left the downtown REI Saturday at 6:30 pm with my Golden Eagle Hologram firmly affixed to my NP pass, and headed up I-90. I arrived at Iron Gate camp, the trailhead, at 1 am, after stopping for a total of only 30 minutes in 6 1/2 hours, after working all day, of course. I saw nothing of the drive since it was dark. To my surprise and delight, the entire area was completely deserted. I slept in the car from 2 until 11 am Sunday. I had breakfast and listened to some of the Seahawks debacle on the radio, and hit the trail promptly at 1 pm. The hike up to Sunny camp is the easiest 4+miles, 800 VF-hike around. I was halted temporarily about three miles in by a herd of cattle "hogging" the trail. They looked huge and kind of mean-ish, and they didn't like me circling around uphill of them. They didn't budge for my air horn, nor my brazen "marching forward while singing loudly" stategem. Eventually they "mooved" aside, and I snuck by, always aware of the distance to the nearest climbable tree (too far!). Once I got past the death cows, the views opened up and I got the first taste of "horseshoe", that certain something that this area has. The trees melted away, and grassy chaparal dotted with granite boulders and the occasional larch formed a park-like panorama of beauty. Sunny camp was reached in four easy hours, and I chose the camp right in the central, open, clump of trees, great views both up and down valley. I set up camp, made dinner and a beverage, grabbed some warm clothes, my camp chair, CD player, etc, and went up to Sunny Pass to eat dinner and watch the sunset. Wow. When I die, please bury me at Sunny Pass. Views in all directions, every color of the fall palate, even the rocks and ground itself are colorful. The complete solitude amplified my feelings of oneness with nature. I flashlighted my way back to camp, though the moonlight would have sufficed. I had dreams of cows and their mysterious master, the cowboy in black. Monday was a day of joy and beauty. I got an early start and had breakfast at the pass, enjoying the views in the different light from the night before. Just after the Albert camp trail junction, I headed off trail at a shallow angle to the right, up towards Horseshoe Mtn. I climbed steadily up, angling over to "little horseshoe" for the views into the basin from there. I stopped halfway up at the rocky outcropping put there for just that purpose. I could see a few small fires burning over to the west, north of Windy peak. I kept going up, and reached a saddle between Horseshoe Mtn and little horseshoe. The veiws to Smith Lake and its valley were amazing. The pattern of downed trees, the golden larches, the surrounding mountains, it was breathtaking. The higher up I went, the more vistas opened up. Parkland of the perfect toasty color, dotted with green trees or yellow larches, Louden Lake looking forlorn, bereft of water. All deserted except for me. The top of little horseshoe gave great views of Armstrong Mtn, Arnold Mtn, Rock Mtn, and others. I could see down into the basin, but a lower shelf blocked the view straight down, so I decended to it, and the another shelf was blocking, so down again, and again, until I could look down on the entire area. The wind was blocked as well, so I had lunch and listened to some music. I didn't want to climb back up to the summit, only to have to detour south and then north on the trail, just to get to a place right below me, so I picked out a line that seemed OK and headed straight down the mountain. I was forced to go left of my original line, and the shifting rocks almost got me a time or two, but eventually I hit the trail about 100 yards from the Smith lake junction. Looking up, I couldn't believe I had just come down that. It looked like a cliff with some trees on it. I wandered over towards Smith lake aways, just absorbing the feel of the place. By then it was 4:30, so I hot-footed it over to Louden lake. What a cool place! The sides of Armstrong Mtn are grassy, bouldery, colorful invitations saying "climb me!" Louden lake at sunset (almost) is a photographer's paradise, with the trees and their shadows standing like sentinels at attention. I headed back about 5:45, stopping at the best water around, a little stream reached just before H. Basin. Sunny pass at sunset was a second treat in two days! I had not seen any other person since passing through Loomis on Saturday night. It rained Monday night, but I set a tight camp, so I was snug and warm. The first real cold of the trip was Tuesday morning's wind. I did something I usually don't: I packed up right away and headed out. I wanted to go up to the pass again, but the long drive home weighed too heavily on me. I left at 9:30 am, and got back to the car at 11:40, two hours and ten minutes to go over four miles. I didn't leave until 1 pm, and made it home in an easy 8 hours, stopping often and enjoying the views. Some things I forgot to mention in the narrative: The weather was perfect, mild breezes (mostly), daytime highs around 70 with low humidity, sunny skies with just the right amount of puffy white clouds for dramatic effect, nights cool but not cold. I saw no bugs of any kind. The trail is the smoothest, nicest, least eroded, easiest-to-walk-on that I have ever encountered. On the drive out, I finally got to see the whole area. Outstanding! The part from Toats coulee road to Loomis is the nicest, coolest, most scenic stretch of road I have ever driven. I could have taken many cool shots of Washington landscape, if my cards weren't all full. Here are some pictures:
Unhappy encounter
Unhappy encounter
Sunny Pass Evening
Sunny Pass Evening
Camp in clump of trees
Camp in clump of trees
Fires away west
Fires away west
Horseshoe Mtn Morning
Horseshoe Mtn Morning

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Allison
Feckless Swooner



Joined: 17 Dec 2001
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Location: putting on my Nikes before the comet comes
Allison
Feckless Swooner
PostWed Oct 08, 2003 12:56 am 
Most excellent TR, old boy!

www.allisonoutside.com follow me on Twitter! @AllisonLWoods
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Dean
(aka CascadeHiker)



Joined: 02 Mar 2002
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Location: ex Kennewick, Wa & Lehi Utah
Dean
(aka CascadeHiker)
PostWed Oct 08, 2003 5:25 am 
Love these trip reports and this one brought back a fairly recent memory of a similar encounter with big animals known as cattle. We were on the Red Mountain trail in Oregon and the trail took us through a summer high mountain pasture and a herd of cattle. One bull made me very nervous but I was with Bob (SMMSLT) and Dennis and I had a red bandana I was prepared to throw on Bob's pack if mr. bull decided he didn't like us. I wish I had taken some pics of these guys but I had my camera in my pack at the time. Again, nice trip report and very enjoyable pictures. up.gif

Dean - working in Utah for awhile and feeling like it is a 'paid' vacation. http://www.summitpost.org/user_page.php?user_id=1160
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kiliki
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kiliki
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PostWed Oct 08, 2003 9:56 am 
I'm so glad you made it there and had a good time. Thanks for the pics!

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MooseAndSquirrel
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PostWed Oct 08, 2003 12:09 pm 
Your good vibes from the trip were palatable while reading the report. up.gif That area is definitely on my to-do list. The death cows looked menacing in the picture, as if they were plotting how to attack you. You were lucky to escape without harm.

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Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!



Joined: 27 Mar 2003
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Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!
PostWed Oct 08, 2003 9:19 pm 
I'm not sure what the danger level was. Are these cows agressive/defensive? Can they outrun a slow person carrying a heavy pack? On the drive out, I saw a massive range bull lounging in a field on the side of the FS road. I probably wouldn't have had the courage to slip by him in a field like I did the death cows. I am going to call the rangers and ask them if this is proper cattle grazing, or do they need to fix some fences or something. I don't recall anything on the NFS website about cattle grazing and the danger/lack of danger posed by the cows. I would have felt better if I had known what to expect. All part of the adventure, I guess. As was dodging the "pies" littering the trail. Thanks for the nice words, all!

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kleet
meat tornado



Joined: 06 Feb 2002
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Location: O no they dih ent
kleet
meat tornado
PostThu Oct 09, 2003 6:12 am 
Slugman wrote:
I'm not sure what the danger level was. Are these cows agressive/defensive?
You were lucky. See the thread on poor Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard. Oh, wait. That wasn't cows. Did you ever catch that movie with Robert Redford where he whispered to troubled cows? Now that was a classic.

A fuxk, why do I not give one?
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Alan Bauer
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Alan Bauer
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PostThu Oct 09, 2003 8:28 am 
Cows are not a threat in any real sense...other than to slow down a drive up a FS road to a trailhead and get behind them. They aren't the smartest apple in the bag when it comes to the animal kingdom and will simply walk up the road in front of you forever. I spent 17 years of my life with cows on the Oregon farm. The only thing close to aggressive behavior could come from bulls and even then I have only seen it when they are a little hyper if we were being aggressive with some of the heifers with the bull close (i.e. trying to get cows out of a wheat field they got in to and the bull didn't like my dad and I yelling and throwing things at them to get them to move). The Kettle Range has a lot of them...I'll have to show a photo of the trailhead to head up Mount Leona last August---cows camped out all over and my border collie really, REALLY wondering what the heck she should do about it!!! I walked smack into a group of 15-20 of them that were surrounding the trailhead signpost and they just get all worried and get out of the way. That said, now I'm sure you all will encounter cattle and all be attacked since I said not to worry about them! smile.gif

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Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!



Joined: 27 Mar 2003
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Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!
PostThu Oct 09, 2003 8:37 am 
Its true, Quark, that without your ranting and raving about this place I wouldn't have known it was cool enough to be worth the drive. Thanks. I think you're jealous that I had the whole area to myself for three days. Now where is this Grand Coulee place...? As far as the cattle, I am familiar with farm cattle, and I know they are generally not dangerous, or swift in either sense of the word. I just didn't know if range cattle were the same, or maybe had turned feral due to being on their own. This is what makes solo hiking so much fun: always having to rely on your own judgement without the advice of anyone else.

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Alan Bauer
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Alan Bauer
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PostThu Oct 09, 2003 9:18 am 
But Slugman, didn't Daisy have plenty of opinions on what would have been FUN to do in this situation? I figured you maybe had plenty of advice coming from your pooch! I know when I've had this happen this past summer my border collie had PLENTY of opinions on things that could be done to remedy the situation and get on with our day! smile.gif Just kidding.

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MooseAndSquirrel
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PostThu Oct 09, 2003 1:04 pm 
Yeah, watch out for wild feral cattle out there- the ones with the wild mustangs roaming the hinderlands!! eek.gif I got a bit nervous just having a mtn. goat with kids getting too close up in the Enchantments. You do tend to forget that these are wild beasts after all. I was washing my face and put my glasses down on a nearby flat rock and the whole family walked right over them! They just gingerly stepped over them like they knew they were important to me.

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Backpacker Joe
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Backpacker Joe
Blind Hiker
PostThu Oct 09, 2003 4:00 pm 
COWMAN, huh I mean Slugman, you could have had yourself a GOOD steak that night! Glad you didnt get trampled, or loved to death..... hockeygrin.gif TB winksmile.gif winksmile.gif winksmile.gif winksmile.gif

"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide." — Abraham Lincoln
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Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!



Joined: 27 Mar 2003
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Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!
PostThu Oct 09, 2003 7:46 pm 
BPJ, they did look mighty tasty! Alan, at the last minute, literally, Tanja declared that she would be lonely without the dog (or me, I hope), for three nights and days. She asked if I would leave the dog home, and I agreed. I like camping with the dog, because she is fun companionship without sacrificing my solitude. However, she is also a distraction sometimes, and she whines whenever I stop for more than five minutes, which is often. I think Tanja made the right choice, because even though the area is dog heaven (no leash required, open fields everywhere), I had a much more relaxed and contemplative trip without her. I was glad the idea to leave her home was Tanja's, since then I was guilt-free. I have never taken the dog on more than a single night trip, but that is partly coincidence. I hope to get in a few more trips this year, so maybe she'll get her chance. October is the best month of the year for backpacking, so I'm kind of surprised so many "pack" it in after summer ends.

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Alan Bauer
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PostThu Oct 09, 2003 8:26 pm 
Ah, that's good then how it worked out. For myself I have found that it is easier for me to request being away overnight...or 2-3 nights...as long as I take the dog along. With two young kids in the household it really does make a huge difference if you have an 18 month old border collie to deal with also--kids are pretty easy when just them! I **REALLY** know what you mean in the nice freedom w/o having the dog along. While I love every moment fully when mine is with me...and the incredible companion she brings in her presence (and she never talks back, just looks at my random ramblings and moves along!) she also keeps me from doing exactly as I might. Of course this was mostly all during incredible heat trips to NE Washington and Idaho this hot summer we had and I do look forward to trips now when she won't roast! She will be an easier hiker then too when I don't need to try to make sure I don't kill her on the hot trails. The one long trip I didn't take her along was the wifes choice as well as she was concerned over the heat forecasted and just said to go alone. Boy, I really know what you mean by guilt-free on that one--felt great! Of course I got to enjoy the 102 degree days near Colville myself.....it was a crazy summer. Next week I'm hoping to fulfill my need to get to Idaho/Western Montana for 4-nights/5 days...and the pooch will be in tow. Should be fun but hopefully we won't get too distracted with it being opening week modern firearm hunting season. Got my orange hat to put atop my tripod, orange vest for the dog. We're set! Ridge of nice weather looks to rebuild for mid-week next week and beyond in the inland NW so I'm pretty pumped. That said...now two kids and a wife will all get sick Tuesday night and i'll be grounded.

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Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!



Joined: 27 Mar 2003
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Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!
PostThu Oct 09, 2003 9:08 pm 
Let's hope not! I'm glad you're still planning and doing trips. The year isn't over yet. I just counted my picture folders, and I have done 9 backpacking trips so far this year. I only took the dog on three, to Twin Sisters lakes, Thunder Creek, and Duckabush river, all single-nighters. Of the six I didn't take her, all except Cape Alava/Sand Point (ONP) were multiple nights. Royal Basin was also ONP, and Dutch Miller/Williams lake was with another person. Snowgrass Flat, Horseshoe Basin and my PCT trip were multi-nighters where I could have taken her, but just didn't. Here's a secret: If you want to go without the dog, plan a trip to the Olympics. Tell your wife "I know this means you will have to watch the dog, so I will go somewhere else if you insist". This might make her feel guilty enough to relent. Once a year is all that I try this ploy to avoid suspicion. devilsmile.gif

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