Forum Index > Trip Reports > Tower and Golden Horn - Moose Sighting [Oct 6,7 2012]
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Gimpilator
infinity/21M



Joined: 12 Oct 2006
Posts: 1682 | TRs | Pics
Location: Edmonds, WA
Gimpilator
infinity/21M
PostMon Oct 08, 2012 7:13 am 
Matt and Colleen invited me to join them for a climb of Tower and Golden Horn. These peaks have been on the most wanted list for awhile. We hiked over Cutthroat Pass up to camp at Snowy Lakes. We encountering Just Todd and Wamtngal along the way. After setting up shop we went over to Tower using the cave ledge to access the main west gully. We followed the zig-zag ledge system along the right side up to the "brown gully" and then scrambled to just below the "white V". From there we followed another complex set of ledges to the southern ridge crest and then the summit. There was a lot of loose rock on the route.
The Needles
The Needles
Golden Horn and Tower
Golden Horn and Tower
Hardy (look closely for Matt and Cartman)
1 label
Hardy (look closely for Matt and Cartman)
Lower Snowy Lake
Lower Snowy Lake
Camp
Camp
Tower West Face
9 labels
Tower West Face
Gully Action
Gully Action
Ledges
Ledges
Colleen
Colleen
Loose Rock
Loose Rock
In The "Brown Gully" Section
In The "Brown Gully" Section
Nearing The White V
Nearing The White V
Tower Summit
Tower Summit
Golden Horn
Golden Horn
Forest Fire Smoke
Forest Fire Smoke
Hardy, Glacier, Mesahchie, etc.
Hardy, Glacier, Mesahchie, etc.
Azurite, Ballard
Azurite, Ballard
The Lakes
1 label
The Lakes
Baker, Shuksan, Jack, etc.
Baker, Shuksan, Jack, etc.
The White V
The White V
Cave Exploration
Cave Exploration
In The Very Back
In The Very Back
Tower Reflection
Tower Reflection
Fading Light
Fading Light
Alpenglow
Alpenglow
On our descent we ran into Iron and Hotpantz who were on the way up. It's funny because our same group ran into them the previous year on the summit of Black Peak. Back on the cave ledge I took a moment to explore the cave, which goes back surprisingly far. At camp we were amazed by the mob of people coming up to camp at the lakes. Outside of the Alps I've never seen so many people deep in the wilderness.
First Light On Golden Horn
First Light On Golden Horn
Hardy From Upper Snowy Lake
Hardy From Upper Snowy Lake
Hardy Looking Good
Hardy Looking Good
Scree Slog
Scree Slog
A Smurf High On Golden Horn
A Smurf High On Golden Horn
Matt
Matt
Summit Tower East Face
Summit Tower East Face
SW Gully
SW Gully
Tricky Spot
Tricky Spot
The Summit Mantle Spot
The Summit Mantle Spot
Golden Horn Summit
Golden Horn Summit
Some Exposure
Some Exposure
The following day we rose early to climb Golden Horn. There was a long scree slope and then we came to an impressive vantage of the summit tower. I was glad we didn't have to climb the east face. We circled around to the gully on the southwest side and then I belayed Matt while he climbed up to the summit. From there he belayed Colleen and I up. It was an exposed spot. When we were done with the views, Colleen was belayed for her down-climb and then Matt and I rappelled down. Once again we saw Iron and Hotpantz near the summit. It makes me wonder where we will see them next fall.
That's Not An Elk
That's Not An Elk
Our Epic Moose
Our Epic Moose
Tower
Tower
Silver Star
Silver Star
Porcupine
Porcupine
Golden Horn was my 30th Bulger peak, although Matt and Colleen both have a lot more than that. While we were packing up camp, Colleen looked up at the ridge above the lake and said "Is that a dog? What is that?". It was a moose! Bears are a dime a dozen in Washington but this was a bona fide moose. None of the other parties around the lake took any notice. It was our moose and we weren't going to share it.

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belowfellow
Transplant



Joined: 22 Feb 2009
Posts: 260 | TRs | Pics
Location: Seattle
belowfellow
Transplant
PostMon Oct 08, 2012 7:23 am 

"Wilderness is bliss"
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silence
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Joined: 25 Apr 2005
Posts: 4420 | TRs | Pics
silence
Member
PostMon Oct 08, 2012 7:59 am 
up.gif up.gif up.gif looking forward to the moose footage too ... that's awesome

PHOTOS FILMS Keep a good head and always carry a light bulb. – Bob Dylan
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Redwic
Unlisted Free Agent



Joined: 23 Feb 2009
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Location: Going to the Prom(inence)
Redwic
Unlisted Free Agent
PostMon Oct 08, 2012 8:16 am 
You also have 1/5 of the steepest mountains in Washington, now, too. Good job! Oh, and I see someone found my moose costume. clown.gif

60 pounds lighter but not 60 points brighter.
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wamtngal
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wamtngal
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PostMon Oct 08, 2012 8:20 am 
Hey Gimp -- nice to somewhat meet you. smile.gif Looks like you guys had a successful trip - we're envious you got to see a moose! Especially with so many people (I'm assuming since we passed so many). And it looks like your route up Tower was what we all thought would be a route -- the "brown gully."

Opinions expressed here are my own.
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iron
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iron
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PostMon Oct 08, 2012 9:00 am 
good to see you guys again. my vote for next fall's random encounter: something in the entiat. smile.gif

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Matt Lemke
High on the Outdoors



Joined: 15 Jul 2010
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Location: Grand Junction
Matt Lemke
High on the Outdoors
PostMon Oct 08, 2012 10:44 am 
You didn't take the crack 5.6 route anyway on Tower...which is what I would have wanted to do. Looks like a great trip... @Matt, I am very good at keeping rocks in place while climbing biggrin.gif

The Pacific coast to the Great Plains = my playground!!! SummitPost Profile See my website at: http://www.lemkeclimbs.com
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Matt Lemke
High on the Outdoors



Joined: 15 Jul 2010
Posts: 2052 | TRs | Pics
Location: Grand Junction
Matt Lemke
High on the Outdoors
PostMon Oct 08, 2012 10:46 am 
iron wrote:
good to see you guys again. my vote for next fall's random encounter: something in the entiat. smile.gif
Ack! why doesn't anyone invite me along! embarassedlaugh.gif

The Pacific coast to the Great Plains = my playground!!! SummitPost Profile See my website at: http://www.lemkeclimbs.com
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IanB
Vegetable Belayer



Joined: 21 Jul 2010
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Location: gone whuljin'
IanB
Vegetable Belayer
PostMon Oct 08, 2012 11:01 am 
One tough-looking mountain after another - you make it look so easy! borank.gif

"Forget gaining a little knowledge about a lot and strive to learn a lot about a little." - Harvey Manning
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puzzlr
Mid Fork Rocks



Joined: 13 Feb 2007
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puzzlr
Mid Fork Rocks
PostMon Oct 08, 2012 11:40 am 
Bumped these peaks closer to the top of my list. Great report and pictures.

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Go Jo
of the lykkens



Joined: 08 Jun 2003
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Go Jo
of the lykkens
PostMon Oct 08, 2012 8:43 pm 
up.gif up.gif

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olderthanIusedtobe
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olderthanIusedtobe
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PostMon Oct 08, 2012 8:54 pm 
Gimpilator wrote:
Hardy Looking Good
Hardy Looking Good
That's such a cool looking peak from that vantage. I climbed the back side of it many years ago. Similar to Golden Horn, mostly a scree slog with a little scrambling at the end.

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Magellan
Brutally Handsome



Joined: 26 Jul 2006
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Magellan
Brutally Handsome
PostMon Oct 08, 2012 8:59 pm 
Looks super fun. up.gif A moose is a real treat to see in this part of the state.
The clear winner!
The clear winner!

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Matt
Tea, Earl Grey, Hot



Joined: 30 Jan 2007
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Location: Shoreline
Matt
Tea, Earl Grey, Hot
PostMon Oct 08, 2012 9:27 pm 
ditto.gif regarding the previous photo. Great job on the colors and the depth of field from the foreground red blueberries to the golden larches to Porcupine Peak in the background. I can't believe you saw a moose in that area. Which ridge was it on? Sorry I missed seeing you among the crowds there. Cartman and I carpooled with Mike & Carrie and scrambled up Hardy.

“As beacons mountains burned at evening.” J.R.R. Tolkien
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Traildoggie
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Traildoggie
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PostTue Oct 09, 2012 11:09 am 
We did Heather /Maple on monday early way down at the start of the trail we saw tracks in the dust which I thought were moose tracks. I measured the size of the prints and the distance between them with my hiking poles. but I'd never heard of moose anywhere near Rainy pass so was sure I must have been mistaken.... but maybe not! I was going to take a picure but theyy were obliterated by other hikes by the time we got back down.

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