[Gimpilator]

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.


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.


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.


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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http://www.summitpost.org/user_page.php?user_id=25744
http://www.peakbagger.com/climber/ClimbListC.aspx?cid=2650&sort=elevft&u=ft&j=-1&y=9999

Keep climbing mountains and don't slip!

[belowfellow]

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"Wilderness is bliss"

[silence]

   

looking forward to the moose footage too ... that's awesome

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PHOTOS: http://www.flickr.com/photos/33792231@N00/
FILMMAKING: http://www.crestpictures.com/

Keep a good head and always carry a light bulb. – Bob Dylan

[Redwic]

You also have 1/5 of the steepest mountains in Washington, now, too. Good job!

Oh, and I see someone found my moose costume. 

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Highpointers Aren't Born... They Ascend.

[wamtngal]

Hey Gimp -- nice to somewhat meet you.    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."

[iron]

good to see you guys again. my vote for next fall's random encounter: something in the entiat.

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"the trouble with quotes on the internet is that it's hard to determine whether or not they're genuine." - abraham lincoln

[Matt Lemke]

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 

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

[Matt Lemke]

[IanB]

One tough-looking mountain after another - you make it look so easy!   

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

[puzzlr]

Bumped these peaks closer to the top of my list. Great report and pictures.

[Go Jo]

 

[olderthanIusedtobe]

[Magellan]

Looks super fun.    A moose is a real treat to see in this part of the state.

[Matt]

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.

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“As beacons mountains burned at evening.” J.R.R. Tolkien

[Traildoggie]

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.