Sun Oct 15, 2006 4:50 pm Tieton Pk, Cold Lk (Goat Rocks) 2006-10-14
Pics from the trip up to Cold Lk.
The plan was to scramble Tieton Pk. At the lake Tazz and I decided to call it a day leaving the peak for the others. Brad headed off to the saddle to explore the glacier. Tom, Randy and Don headed off for the summit. On one of the bumps we saw one of the 3 heading back (Tom). He returned to tell us Randy and Don planned to head for the summit and would meet us back at the car. They ended up not making the top but they got pretty darned close.
-------------- I found it. I found it! I found what comes after the "..."
Nice pics PIB. I'm glad I turned back early as Randy and Don indicated the SW ridge just below the summit block was falling apart. Must have been pretty bad for them to get that close and give up the summit. Doesn't look like the NE ridge would be any safer. Here's a terraserver shot.
Wow, you certainly aced the C's test - color, clarity and composition. Looks like a geologically interesting area that I've put on my 'to do' list.
-------------- The ground's a long way down but I need more
Is the nightmare black
Or are the windows painted?
Will they come again next week
Can my mind really take it?
Here are my pics. Looks like 18 miles according to Topo which tends to understimate mileage, and that's just to the viewpoint where I bailed and turned around. No wonder I decided to and and instead of last night.
18 miles, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. Hey, walking around the lake you guys probably did the same distance. BTW, Tazz looks like she's running pretty fast in that first pano showing up twice!
Thanks to Tazz for spearheading the effort to get folks out on a hike together, pretty cool destination too. It was fun to stomp around the trees and choss with Tom, Tazz, and PiB again and to get out with don b and WBS for the first time.
A special thanks to don b for the ridge ramble over to the summit, the good laughs in the choss below the summit block, and the jog back to the car.
Here's a rather undetailed, mini TR to supplement PiB's thread and to hopefully dissuade folks from trying to approach the summit the way donb and I did
I think we all parted from the cars around 0815 and walked the road a ways coming to a gate not too long after. There was lots of talk of an earlier start, but not even a healthy dose of Emer'gen C could knock the hangover out of some of us Just past the gate we dipped down to the left then crossed a couple streams on boards and twigs. The next few miles were through a mix of open forest and meadow and one marsh. The trail became faint in places but then would magically reappear to lead us on. We managed to stay with it and followed it most of the way to Cold Lake. Yet, we all agree that the key to getting us to Cold Lake was all the blue spray paint!
Anyhow, from the lake Tom, Don and I headed up lake 150 yards before turning up slope into choss world. We booted up the rocks to the ridge then hoofed it over to the top of a red bump easily seen from the lake below. We stood and stared at Tieton for a while trying to self motivate. Eventually, it was decided that Tom would slide back down to the lake and head out with the others and Don and I would run the ridge and try and tuck in the peak. We dropped 150' to the NE down easy sand and scree to a little saddle at the base of some rotten crags. There were goats running the ridge just a few minutes in front of us and we used their well worn track to pick around and over the crumbling stacks of rock. On the other side, more open ridge got us up to a false summit of sorts where all we could see were piles of loose rock and crumbling crags. We dropped down 50' off the false summit to a saddle then discussed options. The goats had humped across a 70º rock face littered with scree just above some cliffs. We stopped following them at this point. Instead, we traversed left (~7500') on really loose golf ball and softball sized talus sending rivers of rock down the mountain as we went. When we came to an ugly little gully we swam our way up 50' or so until faced with piles of rock perched on more crumbling crags. We had a good chuckle at just how worthless and unmotivating the terrain was then traversed back over to the ridge just a couple hundred feet below the summit at a notch between two dogtooth spires. We found that handholds were removable on the up slope spire and decided there were better things to do with our time and headed out.
We headed back along the ridge a bit then dropped down 1200' to Conrad Creek. After tanking up on some water and getting the headlamps on standby we decided to make a loop trip out of the day and go back to the car via trail 1120. It added some miles to the round trip, but at least we'd get to see some new scenery. We jogged most of the 8 or so miles back to the cars making it back around 1830.
BTW, it became apparent that for the scree and choss fans out there the easiest route to the summit is via the east ridge. Don't waste your time with the SW ridge.
We were SO close to the top that it was hard to turn back but this was some of the worst rock I've ever seen and I've seen a lot! Thanks so much to Tazz for organizing our little walk and thanks to the other participants. Randy forgot to mention the 2 groups of elk we chased. 14 in the first group and several in the second bunch. It always amazes me how long the "smell of elk" lingers in the air after they take off!
This was my first time meeting members of this great group and I really enjoyed putting names and faces to all the posts I've been enjoying. Thanks to all and I look forward to getting to know you all better.
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Doesn't look like the NE ridge would be any safer. Here's a 
I like the Cold Lake pano one the best 
and 
and 
instead of 
last night.
BTW, Tazz looks like she's running pretty fast in that first pano showing up twice!
