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Nisquaww
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Joined: 09 Jan 2006
Posts: 1239 | TRs | Pics
Location: Red of Mond
Nisquaww
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PostTue Sep 04, 2007 7:53 pm 
Had ol pops drop me off at the I90 PCT N trailhead around 10am. Nothing spectacular going in...just a buttload of fog. Finally convinced mum to let me borrow her camera for the occasion. Skipped offtrail and down to Glacier lake around 3:30. Some fella was posted up there already with the whole lot to himself on a Friday, so I'd figure I'd keep it that way. Decided to hop the Glacier outlet down to Spectacle. Should have known better; everyone and their damn mother was there it seemed like. Whatevs. Threw back some chubs and hit the hay around 8pm. Woke up late. Took PCT down to delate and pondered whether or not to take Pete lake and pop over Waptus like I usually do or continue on with the PCT over the famed 'worthless section'. Took the latter and absolutely hated it (Gotta gripe....that trail goes friggin nowhere, on both sides! If your gonna go up trail, go up! Don't have me walking back and forth like a bumbling idiot. Look at the Waptus pass trail for instance. That trail actually gets somewhere) Jumped up to Dutch miller gap and pulled into Williams lake an hour before dusk.
sunset
sunset
Took day three to explore the chain lakes/Hinman area. Found this mine on the way up to chain.
mine
mine
tracks
tracks
Jumped up what I thought was the La Bohn gap but was actually just a saddle that overlooks Lake Rowena. Back tracked and found the La Bohn gap. Found some cool veins of what I think is Tourmaline up top.
vein
vein
vein2
vein2
Fiddled around on the Hinman glacier.
glacier summit
glacier summit
me glacier
me glacier
Scrambled the little peak just west of Hinman. Caught glimpses of 3 of the 5 volcs. (Glacier be lookin sexy...disappointed Baker didnt stick out just a little)
summit 2
summit 2
summit
summit
Headed down to chain lakes via 300 ft standing glissade (ate snow twice) on the Hinman Glacier to poke around those mines a bit more. Scrambled the unnamed 6585 NW of Chain.
mine2
mine2
blockmine
blockmine
mine3
mine3
Went back to camp, packed up, and moved down to the PCT and found a nice little spot on the Waptus River. Crashed. Woke up early and decided I didn't want anything to do with that damn section of the PCT and scooted around Waptus. Took Waptus pass over to Pete. Took a few dips...water was perfect. Moseyed up to upper Park Lake. Thought about hoofing to Gravel but decided to sit tight. Woke up to some gnarly lightening and raindrops the size of grapes it seemed like. Hoofed out today. All in all a good jaunt, just wish I could spend more time around Hinman. Anyone know anything about those mines, or where I could read up on them? I found three drift mines and two pits. Lot of gear and rubbish left behind.

"Why do you have a beard?" "I don't have a beard. It's just the light; it plays funny tricks." ~ Shel Silverstein
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PostTue Sep 04, 2007 8:38 pm 

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crustyboot
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Joined: 08 May 2007
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Location: Seattle
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PostTue Sep 04, 2007 9:09 pm 
Hey 2drx, your website (www.2drx.com) says you were up in that area a few years back. Know anything about those mines?

lets go!
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Nisquaww
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Joined: 09 Jan 2006
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Location: Red of Mond
Nisquaww
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PostTue Sep 04, 2007 9:13 pm 
Mine2 and 3 are nestled right up to chain lakes just below La Bohn gap; can't miss em. That is tourmaline though?

"Why do you have a beard?" "I don't have a beard. It's just the light; it plays funny tricks." ~ Shel Silverstein
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Stones
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Joined: 08 Apr 2004
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Location: in your soul kitchen
Stones
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PostTue Sep 04, 2007 10:27 pm 
That vein is cool! I don't think it's tourmaline. Looks like an amphibole or other mafic mineral, or even smoky quartz. Interesting light-colored quartz-like halo around the dark vein. I've never seen tourmaline in a massive form like this. But my only experience with tourmaline is down in the Pala pegmatities of San Diego County.

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PostTue Sep 04, 2007 10:48 pm 

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wolfs
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PostTue Sep 04, 2007 11:04 pm 
Hey 2drx: Cool site! I just spent a few hours checking out your TRs there. Once upon a time I was an avid caver and spurned mines, but nowadays the historical aspects of mines appeals to me more. PS Deep Purple ROCKS banana.gif banana.gif

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crustyboot
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PostWed Sep 05, 2007 9:24 am 
I have to agree about the www.2drx.com website. Excellent source of information and entertaining reading as well. up.gif Keep up the great work, 2drx!

lets go!
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SlowWalker
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PostWed Sep 05, 2007 9:56 am 
ImNotaweekendwarrior wrote:
Jumped up what I thought was the La Bohn gap but was actually just a saddle that overlooks Lake Rowena. Back tracked and found the La Bohn gap.
Just wondering, was this because you were looking at the USGS quad, on which La Bohn is misplaced? Sounds like a fun trip. My compliments to your TR and pictures.

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Nisquaww
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Joined: 09 Jan 2006
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Location: Red of Mond
Nisquaww
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PostWed Sep 05, 2007 10:07 am 
Ditto. What a fabulous collection of trips and information!! eek.gif up.gif
2drx wrote:
The digging at the Chains probably began in the late 1800's, early 1900's. The mine at Williams Lake was a later attempt (artifacts seem to suggest during/just after WWII) at attaining the minerals at the Chains from below, abandoned soon after.
Yea..I noticed there was leather scraps, rubber tubing and solid steel piping in the Williams...while the chains artifacts consisted of pretty much rusted metal scraps and tracks. Are there others on the hillside or just these three? BTW I also noticed that where ever the mystery black mineral was, there always seemed to be quartz surrounding it (I'm sold on tourmaline). At first site I thought it was coal, but found it to be waaay to heavy and crystalline to be so. doof.gif

"Why do you have a beard?" "I don't have a beard. It's just the light; it plays funny tricks." ~ Shel Silverstein
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PostWed Sep 05, 2007 3:39 pm 

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Nisquaww
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Joined: 09 Jan 2006
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Location: Red of Mond
Nisquaww
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PostWed Sep 05, 2007 3:53 pm 
SlowWalker wrote:
Just wondering, was this because you were looking at the USGS quad, on which La Bohn is misplaced? Sounds like a fun trip. My compliments to your TR and pictures.
Naw...just a goof on my part with a green trails. The saddle looked so inviting I just figured it was the gap. Thats good to know though. Where do they place it on the USGS? Thanks.

"Why do you have a beard?" "I don't have a beard. It's just the light; it plays funny tricks." ~ Shel Silverstein
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SlowWalker
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PostWed Sep 05, 2007 4:10 pm 
They put it on the ridge overlooking Lake Rowena. I had to think about that one long and hard when I was up there a few years ago. For a while there I just thought I was using the wrong magnetic declination, but I reluctantly accepted that the map was just wrong (something I never like to admit) http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=47.56336&lon=-121.23849&size=m&u=4&datum=nad27&layer=DRG ( the red cross hair is about where it should really be. )

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peltoms
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PostThu Sep 06, 2007 4:38 am 
I am with stones on this one, it does look like Tourmaline in your picture. I would suggest amphibole as well as a better bet.

North Cascade Glacier Climate Project: http://www.nichols.edu/departments/glacier/
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