Forum Index > Trip Reports > Cowboy Mtn & Big Chief Mtn - 7.12.2008
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ragman and rodman
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ragman and rodman
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PostMon Jul 14, 2008 1:51 pm 
These two mountains differ in height by five feet, with Big Chief being the taller of the two... Big Chief is a walk in the park compared to Cowboy, especially if you plan to cross over Cowboy and make a loop trip out of the hike. We parked at the Stevens Pass ski area (4063') on the south side of US 2 near the PCT trailhead... using a ski area road to wind our way up to the top of the Barrier Mtn chair-lift... where we continued beyond the chair-lift... soon passing a small pond and shortly after that starting towards Cowboy on fairly steep terrain... reaching the Cowboy summit (5853') in short order. Leaving the Cowboy summit we continued east... where we had to give back 600 feet of elevation on the south side of the ridge to get around a rock outcropping... then regained 200 feet of elevation to get back to the ridge separating Cowboy from the PCT... and then it was clear sailing over to the PCT. Crossing over the PCT we took the easy path (~1.5 miles) out to the Big Chief Mtn summit (5858')... retracing our steps back to the PCT and using it to return to the car. ~8.5 miles roundtrip... gaining ~2850 feet of elevation. Both summits have some trees on them; however, views can be had in all directions by maneuvering a bit... if you only have the time for one of these summits, Big Chief is by far the easier of the two. Map and photos of our Cowboy Mtn and Big Chief Mtn hike. Historical Footnote: Three or four miles on the west side of Stevens Pass there is an interpretive center that provides information on the Great Northern Railroad and the 1910 Wellington avalanche that killed 96 people... Jim Hill was the owner of the railroad and the mountain above Lanham Lake bears his name. A compelling account of this tragedy can be found in "The White Cascade: The Great Northern Railway Disaster and America's Deadliest Avalanche"... authored by Gary Krist in 2007... Warning - once you begin reading this book, it will be difficult to set it aside. ..

"Teanaway 70" Peaks List... a guide to hiking and scrambling in the Teanaway Area. ----------------
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Sadie's Driver
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Joined: 24 Apr 2006
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Location: Welcome Pass
Sadie's Driver
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PostMon Jul 14, 2008 2:39 pm 
ragman and rodman wrote:
These two mountains differ in height by five feet, with Big Chief being the taller of the two... Big Chief is a walk in the park compared to Cowboy, especially if you plan to cross over Cowboy and make a loop trip out of the hike.
R - were you out of the snow most of the way? Does it look like most areas up that way are melting out? Thinking about a hike up the Tunnel Creek and across to Surprise Lake/Mountain this weekend. s.d.

Four-paw buddy lets me tag along!
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ragman and rodman
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ragman and rodman
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PostMon Jul 14, 2008 2:57 pm 
Suzanne... we were 99 percent out of the snow on Cowboy and Big Chief... still a few patches on the upper part of the crest trail... and some patches on the east side of Cowboy over to the crest trail. Generally speaking, it looked like there was still plenty of snow on the east facing slopes of Thunder, Surprise, and Spark Plug... and considering how Surprise Lake and Glacier Lake are surrounded by these mountains, I would still expect some snow in that area.

"Teanaway 70" Peaks List... a guide to hiking and scrambling in the Teanaway Area. ----------------
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