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wildernessed viewbagger
Joined: 31 Oct 2004 Posts: 9275 | TRs | Pics Location: Wenatchee |
Location : South of Rimrock, Wa.
Maps : Goat Rocks - William O Douglas Wilderness GTM, TOPO
Stats : 27 mi, 7000'
South Fork Tieton Loop - Warm Lake - Gilbert Peak 8184'
Steve and I made the drive from Wenatchee Tues. morning to the Conrad Meadows parking lot. I had sifted through my Goat Rocks Guidebook and quite a few TR's from all over to get a feel for the best route and on the ground conditions from previous trips this time of year. The weather outlook was sunshine and heat.
We were backpacking by 0930 hr. and though there are many accounts of multiple trails, roads, and paths crossing the area it was better than advertised and we made our way through the large meadows and the welcomed forest canopy with it's wide path to the South leg of the South Fork Teiton River Trail without any problems. The section up to Surprise Lake was great trail again under a cool forest canopy. The lake was clear and beautiful and the fish had us wishing we had brought our poles.
Conrad Meadows. South Fork Tieton River Surprise Lake, very clear with some good sized fish.
Just beyond the lake we went through several small meadows which gave us a good wildflower show, the wildflowers would be appreciated the higher we went. We eventually headed to our left up the old primitive trail seen on USGS Quads, it is pretty eroded and very rocky, but it was there, and it lead us into the upper basins. Having never been up there I can say there are multiple trails all over and the way we initially went in was a trail that became a side hill through vegetation. For what it's worth once you are leveled out and entering the basin the trail going West will take you to Cold Lake and Conrad Meadows, if your heading South to Warm Lake you would probably be best to stay on that trail until it intersects with a lower basin trail to your left and follow it up the beautiful basin to it's head arcing towards Warm Lake. Any how we made it pretty tired and in full sun, set up camp, then went down into the basin meandering over to the Meade Glacial Moraine then had supper in the middle of the basin among the wildflowers and water flows from the glaciers.
Surprise Lake from Warm Lake. Looking North towards Devils Horns. Hey Dudes ! Supper on the move in the basin below Meade Glacier.
I crashed around 2030 hr. and slept pretty well, morning coffee at dawn and sunrise was nice we were in a great spot all though it was quite windy during the night.
Nice spot for Morning Joe.
In short order we put on our summit packs and made good time up a spur ridge to Klickton Divide and a long the cranky old eroding ridge towards Gilbert. Left side, right side, top, narrow, wide a little bit of everything. Google Earth once again didn't do the route any justice when I viewed it. We had great views a long the way of Adams and St. Helens and the surrounding area.
Steve gaining Klickton Divide. Adams Campsite near Warm Lake. Warm Lake and the ridge out to Gilbert.
Once at the back side of the mountain the scramble route became just that there was loose scree and talus, but also a lot of good slab rock, ledges and hand holds. Definite class III and the views were awesome.
Upper scramble route. Looking back at the summit area from the trail. Arrrgh ! Conrad Glacier and Cold Lake Basin. Cold Lake Looking West towards Old Snowy. Looking South of the summit.
Not much room at the top, but nice. I followed the ridge doing a descending traverse SE back down to the trail. On the way back we saw some mountain goats on the Meade Glacier. We made good time back to camp, broke it down, packed up and headed out lower in the basin than we entered. We reversed our route hitting the South Fork Teiton Trail and closed the loop there were at least 10 down falls a long the way, but we ran into a work crew that was going to clean it out. The switchbacls down were very nice. Then the four miles and we were back at the truck. Quite a bite for an overnighter from Wenatchee, but most excellent !
Goats ! Basin Gilbert - Meade Glacier - Moraine from across the basin. Looking down ridge West to Rainier. Meade Glacial Basin - Warm Lake and the spur ridge to the Klickton Divide Ridge. Nice views of Rainier. Section of wide ridge shortly before Gilbert Peak 8190' Warm Lake at dawn.
Geologic History of the Goat Rocks
Living in the Anthropocene
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HitTheTrail Member
Joined: 30 Oct 2007 Posts: 5452 | TRs | Pics Location: 509 |
Wow, what a scenic area! All these pretty pitchers make me regret not joining you guys. Then I look at the stats and it brings me back down to reality. Had it been a two nighter maybe. Great trip.
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ActionBetty Im a dirty hippie!
Joined: 06 Jul 2003 Posts: 4807 | TRs | Pics Location: kennewick, wa |
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ActionBetty
Im a dirty hippie!
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Fri Aug 29, 2014 7:14 pm
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good job Rob!
"If you're not living good, you gotta travel wide"...Bob Marley
"If you're not living good, you gotta travel wide"...Bob Marley
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wildernessed viewbagger
Joined: 31 Oct 2004 Posts: 9275 | TRs | Pics Location: Wenatchee |
I agree with you Hit the Trail but if we had stayed a second night in this case I would have been flown out after taking 3 times the dose of my b/p medication by accident both days.
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RichP Member
Joined: 13 Jul 2006 Posts: 5628 | TRs | Pics Location: here |
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RichP
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Fri Aug 29, 2014 8:20 pm
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Glad you made it, Rob. I forgot about this one for a while and hope to hit it this year.
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HitTheTrail Member
Joined: 30 Oct 2007 Posts: 5452 | TRs | Pics Location: 509 |
wildernessed wrote: | I agree with you Hit the Trail but if we had stayed a second night in this case I would have been flown out after taking 3 times the dose of my b/p medication by accident both days. |
Whoa, in retrospect then I am glad I did not pressure you guys to extend by one night! We need you around for more great trips. Watch them meds ok?
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wildernessed viewbagger
Joined: 31 Oct 2004 Posts: 9275 | TRs | Pics Location: Wenatchee |
RichP wrote: | Glad you made it, Rob. I forgot about this one for a while and hope to hit it this year. |
Now is the time shaded trails in great shape, wildflowers, water sources, no snow gear needed, no snow travel.
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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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Fri Aug 29, 2014 9:43 pm
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Cool story. I think I would appreciate this as a two-nighter.
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wildernessed viewbagger
Joined: 31 Oct 2004 Posts: 9275 | TRs | Pics Location: Wenatchee |
ActionBetty wrote: | good job Rob! |
Denise I am still looking at E. Lostine to Eagle Cap, but need good weather and preferably a post labor day weekday trip 3 days. Still have b/p problems. I have to break some new boots in also.
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Get Out and Go Member
Joined: 13 Nov 2004 Posts: 2127 | TRs | Pics Location: Leavenworth |
That's a nice looking area, Rob. I've only peeked into Goat Rocks from the top of the White Pass ski area. It's not that bad of a drive from here....pretty mindless by now, as we usually head down there several times a winter. I've been wanting to do summer trip down there. Oh well, always next year for me.
"These are the places you will find me hiding'...These are the places I will always go."
(Down in the Valley by The Head and The Heart)
"Sometimes you're happy. Sometimes you cry.
Half of me is ocean. Half of me is sky."
(Thanks, Tom Petty)
"These are the places you will find me hiding'...These are the places I will always go."
(Down in the Valley by The Head and The Heart)
"Sometimes you're happy. Sometimes you cry.
Half of me is ocean. Half of me is sky."
(Thanks, Tom Petty)
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wildernessed viewbagger
Joined: 31 Oct 2004 Posts: 9275 | TRs | Pics Location: Wenatchee |
Steve mentioned you were looking back in there from Crystal Pass. This was my first trip in there. Steve knows his way around there now, there were some good sized fish in Surprise Lake and he was interested in the Cold Lake area as a trip. Very nice.
Living in the Anthropocene
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iron Member
Joined: 10 Aug 2008 Posts: 6391 | TRs | Pics Location: southeast kootenays |
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iron
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Sun Aug 31, 2014 8:57 am
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nice. good to see the skies cleared up!
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YWCHiker Member
Joined: 11 May 2021 Posts: 1 | TRs | Pics
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YWCHiker
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Tue May 11, 2021 12:13 am
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Hey, hopefully I can get a response!!!
I was researching Warm lake and discovered that it was stocked with several hundred Golden Trout in the early 2000's. Has anyone been up there and caught/seen evidence of these trout. I'm itching to get up there and see if I can catch one!
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fffej50 Member
Joined: 13 Oct 2007 Posts: 65 | TRs | Pics Location: poulsbo |
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fffej50
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Tue May 11, 2021 10:04 am
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We were there maybe 5 years ago and there was no sense of any thing trout like happening...sorry.
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Opus Wannabe
Joined: 04 Mar 2006 Posts: 3700 | TRs | Pics Location: The big rock candy mountain |
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Opus
Wannabe
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Tue May 11, 2021 4:09 pm
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I was there last July and didn't see any evidence of trout. I did see fish in Surprise Lake.
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