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Bryan K Shameless Peakbagger
Joined: 29 Sep 2005 Posts: 5129 | TRs | Pics Location: Alaska |
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Bryan K
Shameless Peakbagger
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Wed Jul 29, 2009 5:40 pm
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What the heck were we thinking!!!!!!!
The weather was hot!!!!! The elevation gain was epic!!!! The route was steep!!! And one of us already had a broken arm!
Gimpilator and I found ourselves pulling off the Mountain Loop Hwy and driving down road 49 to the N Fork Sauk Trail #649 by 7:20am.
The TH had a few other cars belonging to folks presumably climbing Glacier Peak.
At the trailhead
About 1/4 mile down the trail we connected with the Red Mt #651 trail and we were hiking through a dense forest that offered us some very nice shade from the blistering sun and heat. The route starts to get steep and doesn't let up very often as we gained elevation quite rapidly. There was a nice viewpoint to Sloan Peak to our west that made for a decent spot to stop for a moment and answer the call of nature.
Took this at the first vantage point of Sloan
We continuted up with our feet covering pine needles all over that were rather slippery. We knew that more than a few wipeouts would ensue on our way back down later in the day. Gimpilator has a broken arm so his right arm/hand was useless for him as he can't lift more than 2 pounds, so when he fell when trying to get over a large fallen tree I was hoping that he hadn't re-broke what had started to heal already.
After a while we broke out of the trees and were in the sun . Looking up we saw a nice heather filled gully lined by trees on either side.
Looking up the gully about 45 minutes from the summit More wildflowers than you can shake a stick at!!!
We first tried to skirt the edge of the trees to avoid the heather and possible falls but soon decided to just head straight up and take our chances. The views got really good very quickly.
Keyes Peak, Columbiam Peak and others Sloan Peak is so photogenic from this angle
We approached the summit ridge and got our first glimpse of Glacier Peak to our east.
Our first view of Glacier Peak
We took turns leading up the ridgeline with the summit in full view above us.Hiking up the final ridge to the summit.
Photo by Gimpilator
By high noon we arrived at the summit and the local welcome commitee , the resident bugs started to swarm around us as we snapped photos of the area.
Beautiful Glacier Peak and her surrounding terraine My summit shot. You can see all the bugs since a few managed to get into the photo with me. Boy it was buggy up there!! Such a beautiful day with spectacular views all around
Adam decided to check out the small ridge to our northeast.Adam ventures out along the ridge to get a different perspective That's me on the summit with Sloan to the right and Ruby Lake far below.
Photo by Gimpilator
After some quality time on the summit with the bugs we headed down to Ruby Lake to take a dip and escape the heat.
Looking down at Ruby Lake
At the lake the bugs were even worse!!! They'd follow us into the water and hover over our heads in hopes of sucking a meal from our skulls.
Me swimming in the very cold but refreshing water in Ruby Lake.
Photo by Gimpilator
The swim felt so good after getting over the initial shock of the cold water it felt so good to cool our bodies down.
Waterfall coming down into Ruby Lake
The last bit of elevation gain to get out of the lake basin pushed our overall elevation gain for the day over 5000'!! No wonder we were so tired!
We descended the heather slope and by butt found the fastest way down after I slipped. I tell you what, the ground around there is quite bumpy when one's butt gets to feel the way down.
As we got lower the temps got higher. The temperature at the summit was probably about 75 degrees with a bit of breeze. One could almost feel the air temp go up as we made our way back down the trail.
My butt made a few more appointments with the ground as we headed over the pine needle covered trail under the big trees.
We were back to the car by 4:20 and I was really looking forward to driving through Granite Falls and getting a nice cold Pepsi-Cola. We cranked up the A/C and were very happy and excited about our great trip.
The rest of our day is summed up in this
thread.
Thanks for a great hike idea Gimpilator and I look forward to what you come up with for us next!!
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WxMan Member
Joined: 18 Jul 2008 Posts: 30 | TRs | Pics Location: Verde Lake |
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WxMan
Member
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Wed Jul 29, 2009 5:58 pm
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Nice work fellas. Sloan looks like a different peak altogether from that angle.
"Nature is orderly. That which appears to be chaotic in nature is only a more complex kind of order." -- Snyder
WxMan= 'Weatherman' for those unaware
"Nature is orderly. That which appears to be chaotic in nature is only a more complex kind of order." -- Snyder
WxMan= 'Weatherman' for those unaware
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Redwic Unlisted Free Agent
Joined: 23 Feb 2009 Posts: 3292 | TRs | Pics Location: Going to the Prom(inence) |
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Redwic
Unlisted Free Agent
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Wed Jul 29, 2009 6:02 pm
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Great job, although the G-Man was taking a risk with his "gimp" arm. It appears he came out of the adventure fairly unscathed.
I love the photos, and wish I was there (without the bugs, of course).
60 pounds lighter but not 60 points brighter.
60 pounds lighter but not 60 points brighter.
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Vertical Smile Member
Joined: 21 Jul 2009 Posts: 27 | TRs | Pics Location: Great Northwest |
Cool trip.
Any wildlife hanging around in that heat.
We passed on that hike on sunday because of the heat.
Re-duce,
Re-use and
Recycle
Re-duce,
Re-use and
Recycle
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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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Wed Jul 29, 2009 6:37 pm
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One of my favorites! I missed the dip in Ruby though. We will have to get it when do the Painted Traverse.
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lopper off-route
Joined: 22 Jan 2002 Posts: 845 | TRs | Pics
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lopper
off-route
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Wed Jul 29, 2009 7:11 pm
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"There was a nice viewpoint to Sloan Peak to our west that made for a decent spot to stop for a moment and answer the call of nature."
*************
funny you should mention "the call".
That spot you describe is the site of the Red Ridge lookout built 1936, destroyed 1967. Here is the outhouse that was still standing (and open for business) in September 1984. A picture window on the west (lit) side would have been perfect.
84RedRidge_outhouse
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lopper off-route
Joined: 22 Jan 2002 Posts: 845 | TRs | Pics
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lopper
off-route
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Wed Jul 29, 2009 7:31 pm
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Painted Mountain also offers a flattering 'view angle' of Mt Pugh.
"you mean there's a trail up that thing?"
88_Pugh_frm_Pntd
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Bryan K Shameless Peakbagger
Joined: 29 Sep 2005 Posts: 5129 | TRs | Pics Location: Alaska |
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Bryan K
Shameless Peakbagger
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Wed Jul 29, 2009 7:58 pm
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Thanks for that tidbit of info on the lookout location. The pano that I took of Sloan was taken where the lookout must have been then.
I knew that it felt right to find a nice spot to squat when we stopped there
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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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Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:15 pm
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That outhouse was in fine shape in that picture. I wonder what happened to it.
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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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Wed Jul 29, 2009 10:46 pm
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YouTube | SummitPost
Saw the depths of despair. Now I am salvaging what time I have left on Earth.
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fishonjoe Member
Joined: 13 Feb 2006 Posts: 278 | TRs | Pics Location: Marysville, Wa. USA |
Nice report & pics!
Any signs of fish in Ruby? I think it is barren?
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moosefish I am the fish
Joined: 02 Jul 2004 Posts: 1210 | TRs | Pics Location: monkey herder |
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moosefish
I am the fish
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Thu Jul 30, 2009 7:19 am
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Is there an actual trail to Ruby Lake? What's the distance and gain from the TH?
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Bryan K Shameless Peakbagger
Joined: 29 Sep 2005 Posts: 5129 | TRs | Pics Location: Alaska |
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Bryan K
Shameless Peakbagger
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Thu Jul 30, 2009 11:29 am
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The only wildlife that we encountered was a small grass snake who's slithering in some leaves spooke the crap out of us. That was near the lookout location.
We did not see any fish in the lake, but there were plenty of flys on the water to support a large school of fish.
Total elevation gain for the trip was over 5000'. The TH sits at 2100' and the summit at 6975'. The journey down to the lake and back to the "trail" was about another 300'. I don't know the distance as I don't have my TOPO disc 3 with me right now to draw up the route.
As for a route to the lake, there is a slight trail for about the first few hundred feet along the route then it's just pick your way through.
This trip is worth a repeat sometime, granted next time I'll wait for the air temp to drop and the bugs to subside a bit.
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