[wildernessed]

Oxide Canyon - Gold Ridge East Peak Loop

We set off to get a recon of the lower East Methow roads / access / snow conditions with the hope of driving up Libby Creek Rd. and doing the Little Hornet - Hornet Ridge Loop. We made it up Libby Creek in Steve's 4x4 about 2-3 miles if that and were repelled by snow / ice on the road with 1-2 miles to go to our take off point. There was no plan B, but I thought maybe if we drove back to SR 153 then up Gold Creek Rd. we might make it up far enough to get access to the open South sun exposed ridges coming off Gold Creek Ridge. We attempted this and drove maybe 4 miles until we hit a mile of deeper snow and compact snow and ice which requires some clearance and probably 4WD / AWD. I did the Gold Ridge Loop last year with Bryan K in April so knew where the abandoned forest road we needed to head up was. My thought was to try and hike up Oxide Canyon just to the East and below the ridge we ascended last year to check it out just because it was different and supposedly at one time the road went up the canyon turned into a trail went over Gold Ridge and dropped into Hornet Draw on the Libby Creek side. I speculated that if the trail were still there we might end up at the Pass then turn East to Gold Ridge's East Peak and loop out. (We eventually would find no signs of a trail in the burn and a small stream was flowing down the canyon bottom). While bringing gaiters and microspikes we never used them we were able to go around or through the shallow soft snow. We headed up the abandoned road which is mostly grass and pine needles now with burned areas mostly to our left it was odd, but pretty how the recent fires had burned the under story completely to the dirt but left the living and dead trees charred but standing. At some point while talking and gawking it also seemed odd we got up the road so far without seeing a side road I remembered. What's happening ?

Oxide Canyon abandoned road.

Maybe it was lost in the recent wildfire, but we missed it and headed into a canyon one ridge over (we didn't know it yet) and kept going until we hit a trail then lost whatever trail there might have been in the burn. When in doubt go up and get an accounting of the landmarks so we headed up the steep burned ridge navigating around snow, mud, downfall etc... until we got to the top and looked over at our destination to the West.

Grind out of the canyon.

Destination left.

End Mtn.

Then it hit me this was the down ridge portion of the loop we did last year so we made our way over following the ridge in reverse direction vs. 2014. We did have nice open views the rest of the way, the summit was cool with gusting winds, but layered up it was tolerable and occasionally the sun came out.

North Navarre

Unnamed 8k' peak above Crater Lake.

Martin Peak 8373', Sawtooth Ridge

Switchback

Steve looking East with binoculars.

Huddled in the rocks with intermittent sun and a cool SW wind.

The ridge down was scenic.

Bryan Butte

Gardner Ridge

Mission Peak

Abernathy - Three A.M. - Midnight Mtn. and more.

Looking back at the ridge coming down West from the summit.

Ridge down.

East end of Ravens Ridge with the East Peak 8208' route we went up last Spring.

You might be able to make it to The Foggy Dew CG in a high clearance 4WD maybe a mile further up the road but the CG was snowed in as far as we could see. Good time exploring, good exercise, and as always good company it was Steve's 64th birthday hike. Stats : 6 mi, 3400'.

[HitTheTrail]

[wildernessed]

No I just sent you the route on a topo jpeg for the Hornet - Little Hornet Ridge Loop which we couldn't access. This loop was using the canyon and ridges on the South side of Gold Ridge. Basically the Hornet ridges come up to Gold Ridge further West from the North we came up to Gold Ridge further East from the South.

[HitTheTrail]

Congratulations, this is Wildernessed 500th trip report. Not quite like doing the T100's but not bad.

[Distel32]

Thanks Wildernessed; always appreciate your visual snotel data.