Forum Index > Trip Reports > Esmeralda Basin, Fortune Pk, 8/16/03
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polarbear
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Joined: 16 Dec 2001
Posts: 3680 | TRs | Pics
Location: Snow Lake hide-away
polarbear
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PostSat Aug 16, 2003 12:52 am 
The 3 of us got off to a late start, but were on the highway at about 9:30. When we reached the trailhead for Esmeralda Basin, we met a couple climbers returning from Mt. Stuart that needed a jump. We gave them a jump and then gathered up our gear. One of us asked the unfortunate question of what the altitude was. At this point, Tom K. says, "Oh, let me check my Swiss Army Knife?" huh.gif Tom pulls out his knife which has an altimeter built into it. This was a devilish, droonish, display of gear one-up-manship and I have to say it was a low blow to the moral for the rest of us. How can you counter a knife with a built in altimeter. It made my LED flashlight look like a piker. Pulling a stunt like that should not be done in the parking lot before the hike, but rather at the summit or slightly down the other side of the summit. Poor taste indeed. down.gif Soon, though, the scenery had us more absorbed than the shenanigans of one unruly party member who was in need of attention. This is interesting country to hike in due to the lack of vegitation, the color of the mountains, and the vistas you can attain. At length we reached a saddle with a magical, enchanting view of Mt. Daniel and pretty Cathedral Rock. I've been to Cathedral Rock many times, but the distant, ghostly view of it was inspiring. The plan was to go up Fortune Peak, but first we had a bit of lunch. Tom and Steve were going to continue on to Leavenworth in the evening, and Tom kept talking about the meat platter for four at King Ludwigs. He said they were going to order so much food they would have to ask for the King himself to serve it up. I had my doubts about whether the King would do this, but either way it was bound to be a grand feast. But enough of that. All I had was a puny peanut butter sandwich and Steve didn't bale us out with any chocolate chip cookies this time. mad.gif We finished lunch and headed up the hill towards Fortune Peak. The views just keep getting better on this hike, and eventually Gallager Head Lake came into view behind us across the valley. It looks like a pretty scenic lake for one that can be driven to. The rock that leads up to Fortune Peak is spectacular--rusty orange, silver, brilliant green and red lichens. There is alot of neat color here. We got to the top of Fortune and then descended to the saddle above Lake Ann. Tom wanted to ascend the ridge a ways, while I decided to joing Steve and hike down to the lake. Lake Ann is a small, shallow lake, but has some large rocks place in it that give it a rock-lake garden type appearance. We notice two marmots in the rocks to the side of the lake. These marmots had some of the most beautiful fur of any I've seen. They were nibbling on grass and some kind of clover and were pretty oblivious to me getting up close and taking their pictures. After about an hour we headed back up the trail. When we got to the top, we looked for Tom, but there was no sign of him. We yelled his name (this is a good spot for echos), but no answer. Then we notice a large "T" and an arrow drawn in the dirt on the trail. hmmm.gif Tom, in his haste to get to King Ludwigs, had already started back down the trail. He had brought his own car and was trying to get a headstart on the meat platter. Maybe he was worried they would run out, or that the King would need help preparing it. When we got to the parking lot, the car was gonzo. lol.gif We gave a ride back to Cle Elum to a couple of guys in the lot that were having car trouble. Going back down the N. Fork Teanaway road, I spotted a black bossie grazing beside the road. It was a good reminder that this is open range land, and in your haste to get a burger, you may end up with a few hundred pounds of it on your grill. We did have to brake for deer in three separate places that were crossing the road. All in all, it was a great hike through some really colorful country.

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PostSun Aug 17, 2003 10:43 am 
Quark, I think the position of Mars may be inflluencing your thinking, now more so than usual. That whole area is pretty neat and needs more exploration. What kind of stuff have you found, or is it a top secret? If you find the keys to "the club", let me know as that is what the guys lost whom we gave a ride to Cle Elum. The huge field of rust colored boulders that descends to the shores of Lake Ann is nice. Lake Ann is worth going to even though it looks like a puddle. One thing I looked for on the drive up was the cairn breeding ground. I won't give details on where it is out of respect for the cairns, but I was able to find it again, and I noticed there were far fewer cairns than before. Some had left, and I looked for a new crop, but really didn't see any. Knowing their gestation period, I expected to see a new brood. I am alarmed at their abscence. Next summer people that used to complain about cairns may find themselves yearning for the days when there were so many wandering around that you could kick a few and never notice a drop in the population. agree.gif

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polarbear
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Joined: 16 Dec 2001
Posts: 3680 | TRs | Pics
Location: Snow Lake hide-away
polarbear
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PostThu Sep 11, 2003 9:13 pm 
Finally got a few pictures back from this hike.
fortune pk
fortune pk
lichen
lichen
backwards glance
backwards glance
ann
ann
ann2
ann2

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