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GeoTom Member
Joined: 19 May 2005 Posts: 3215 | TRs | Pics Location: Earth |
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GeoTom
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Sun Aug 09, 2009 3:16 pm
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Trip overview:
Crew: yukon222, Schmidt Alti-Babe, Kiefer & Rowena, GeoTom, Jasper and Soapy
Access: Interstate 90 > SR 903 > Salmon la Sac Road > FR 4315
Maps: Green Trails #208 Kachess Lake and #209 Mount Stuart plus a TOPO! creation
Trails/Route: Sasse Mtn. #1340 > Jolly Mtn. #1307 > Jolly Creek #1355> Skookum Basin 1393.2 and some off-trail travel
Mileage: ~8?
Elevation Gain: 2,800 total
Summits: Mt. Skookum, aka The Louvre (6,394), Unnamed Point 6,050
Full flickr photo set (many included below)
Trip Details:
With an iffy weather forecast for the west side, Schmidt AltiBabe and yukon222 talked me into joining them for another journey east, to a peak that we had viewed last November during our adventure following the Yellow Hill Trail.
We were able to 'cheat' a little bit by driving up FR 4315, thereby shaving off about 3 miles each way and ~2,500 feet of gain. We parked just before some trenches in the road, and walked 193 feet before intersecting the Sasse Mtn. Trail. The trail and decommissioned road joined again for a short while before we finally settled down on a decent trail.
I huffed and puffed trying to keep up with yukon and the AltiBabe while Jasper kept trying to annoy the whippets. After a few ups and downs we veered sharply left on the Skookum Basin trail and descended straight down to the low saddle between Jolly and Skookum. Soon we left the official trail and followed a decent bootpath until it disappeared. We then continued along the ridge towards our goal.
We had read slightly varying accounts regarding the difficulty of the final false summit and summit blocks, so I was prepared to stop if the going got too tough for Jasper. However, none of the dogs had serious issues with the rocks, and soon we all found ourselves standing on the summit. The actual highest point (~2 feet higher) was a few feet away, yukon and AltiBabe headed over to touch it while I waited with the dogs. Upon their return, Soapy and I headed over to touch it. Apparently there is some debate as to whether or not Soapy actually summitted. Yukon has the photographic evidence.
After some rest, snacks and liquids, we retraced our steps back to the waiting vehicles, with a short side trip to another 'summit', Point 6,050, which is confusingly called Skookum Peak on peakbagger.com.
As we got close to the 'trailhead', we had thoughts of a quick side trip to Sasse, but I had to return to the west side by 6:00, and it really didn't look all that appealing on this day. We'll probably save it for a snowshoe trip.
Some photos:
Our route and goal At the low saddle Final slopes and a Wild Mountain Jasper sighting Mt. Stuart and friends Heading for the highpoint Smiling Skookum Summit Steve Steve points out Tisha's false summit Tisha touches the top Restrained whippets Summit sign Soapy reminisces on Skookum Peak Descending Horny snags More snags Log and dog Point 6,050 Still more snags D300's in action
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Go Jo of the lykkens
Joined: 08 Jun 2003 Posts: 2248 | TRs | Pics Location: Around The Bend |
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Go Jo
of the lykkens
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Sun Aug 09, 2009 3:30 pm
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GeoTom wrote: | Log and dog |
This depth of field (or is it size ratio?) is very flattering for your stout companion
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Jasper Cascade Snow Pig
Joined: 13 Apr 2008 Posts: 350 | TRs | Pics Location: Burrowing in the snow |
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Jasper
Cascade Snow Pig
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Sun Aug 09, 2009 3:54 pm
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Jo- I growl in your general direction.
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Ingunn Hiking Viking
Joined: 01 Feb 2008 Posts: 1751 | TRs | Pics Location: Redmond |
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Ingunn
Hiking Viking
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Mon Aug 10, 2009 4:08 pm
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Jasper, are you going to be sneaky and count this as a summit even though you were two feet off?
No offense to the photographer, but I miss Alti-Babe's photos..
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yukon222 Member
Joined: 12 Mar 2007 Posts: 1893 | TRs | Pics
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yukon222
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Mon Aug 10, 2009 4:11 pm
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Go Jo of the lykkens
Joined: 08 Jun 2003 Posts: 2248 | TRs | Pics Location: Around The Bend |
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Go Jo
of the lykkens
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Mon Aug 10, 2009 4:21 pm
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Jasper wrote: | Jo- I growl in your general direction. |
I have treeeaaaatttssss...
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yukon222 Member
Joined: 12 Mar 2007 Posts: 1893 | TRs | Pics
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yukon222
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Mon Aug 10, 2009 9:38 pm
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The 4315 access road gates at 3400' and 4800' were both open so we just kept driving up the narrow roads until reaching an abrupt end on the side of the mountain at 5100'. Trenching cut off the access to the Jolly-Sasse TH intersection and very, very little room to do a 8 pt turnaround with a fullsize truck. Would have been much better if they would have cut the road access 200' farther up the road at a nice big flat parking area.
Nice day up there, breezy with ZERO bugs. Hopefully the recent rains will clear up the skies a bit; quite a bit of haze in the sky.
DSD_3375 GeoTom going for the Skookum summit DSD_3382 GeoTom tops out on Skookum DSD_3384 Soapy's "summit" - he said he touched it with his tongue when his back was turned to us DSD_3389 GeoTom climbing down off Skookum summit DSD_3413 Mt Stuart thru the 29 days of rain-free haze DSD_3422 yelling is effective way to get people and dogs to look back ;-) DSD_3426 Pt 6050', Skookum and Stuart DSD_3428 Pt 6050' DSD_3448 Summer at 5700' DSD_3449 decommissioned road and extra 1/2 mile road walk pano
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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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Mon Aug 10, 2009 10:18 pm
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Nice!
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Ingunn Hiking Viking
Joined: 01 Feb 2008 Posts: 1751 | TRs | Pics Location: Redmond |
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Ingunn
Hiking Viking
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Mon Aug 10, 2009 10:40 pm
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You always take great photos Yukon, but those doggy pics are even more excellent than usual!
Looks like a great trip - now I feel inspired to go somewhere more adventurous than the lazy hikes I've been on lately.
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GeoTom Member
Joined: 19 May 2005 Posts: 3215 | TRs | Pics Location: Earth |
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GeoTom
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Tue Aug 11, 2009 7:03 am
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yukon222 wrote: | Would have been much better if they would have cut the road access 200' farther up the road at a nice big flat parking area. |
Ahem. It was 193 feet up the road.
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yukon222 Member
Joined: 12 Mar 2007 Posts: 1893 | TRs | Pics
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yukon222
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Tue Aug 11, 2009 8:15 am
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