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wildernessed
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Joined: 31 Oct 2004
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PostThu May 24, 2018 1:01 pm 
Location : Twisp Map : GTM - Buttermilk Butte Stats : 14 miles, 5500' r/t
Midnight and Three AM Mountains via Canyon Creek Ridge
Midnight and Three AM Mountains via Canyon Creek Ridge
Finally made it up North into the Twisp River Valley and NE Sawtooth Wilderness. Steve, Hit the Trail, Hannah aka Spatula, and I gained the lower part of Canyon Creek Ridge and backpacked up to the ridge high point at just over 6k'. We had wildflowers and mountain views most of the way. Steve and I did this trip 9 years ago even earlier in May and it is incredible how much snow has been knocked down looking at then and now, even comparing trips from last year the heat and rain just knocked down the snow this year. On the high point we setup camp and melted water then Steve, Hannah, and I headed out hiking and scrambling Three AM 7180' and Midnight 7480' before returning to camp. It is always a joy to get out with Hannah and share these great wild places with her, the other guys they are OK too clown.gif we had two very warm and sunny days well gone before the late tstorms on the second day. On the way home we reestablished our post hiking relationship with the Twisp bakery. Good times with a lot of side stories.
Scaffold, Duffy, Oval, Courtney
Scaffold, Duffy, Oval, Courtney
Black Ridge
Black Ridge
Duckbill sits in the middle of Oval Creek and Eagle Creek Drainages.
Duckbill sits in the middle of Oval Creek and Eagle Creek Drainages.
War Creek Ridge and Williams Butte with Reynolds in the background.
War Creek Ridge and Williams Butte with Reynolds in the background.
Hannah on break waiting on the old guys.
Hannah on break waiting on the old guys.
The forest canopy on the ridge was nice. Hit the Trail on break.
The forest canopy on the ridge was nice. Hit the Trail on break.
Canyon Creek Ridge highpoint 6100' and tent city.
Canyon Creek Ridge highpoint 6100' and tent city.
Three AM from Canyon Creek Ridge.
Three AM from Canyon Creek Ridge.
Three AM- Midnight via Canyon Creek Ridge_1568_edited-1
Three AM- Midnight via Canyon Creek Ridge_1568_edited-1
Three AM Ridge 7180' with Midnight back to the left.
Three AM Ridge 7180' with Midnight back to the left.
Hannah walking the ridge.
Hannah walking the ridge.
Alot of consolidated snow firm in the afternoon full sun below Midnight 7480'
Alot of consolidated snow firm in the afternoon full sun below Midnight 7480'
Sawtooths !
Sawtooths !
Abernathy, East Abernathy and Abernathy Ridge highpoints.
Abernathy, East Abernathy and Abernathy Ridge highpoints.
Gardner Ridge
Gardner Ridge
Storey with Milton below and in the foreground.
Storey with Milton below and in the foreground.
Duffy, Oval, North Buttermilk, Buttermilk Ridge, Courtney, and Star etc...
Duffy, Oval, North Buttermilk, Buttermilk Ridge, Courtney, and Star etc...
The melt out was just crazy from Mckinney to Lookout. Lasy year we backpacked into Little Bridge Creek which was buried up to the 7000' highpoint we stayed on and it was entirely melted out this year.
The melt out was just crazy from Mckinney to Lookout. Lasy year we backpacked into Little Bridge Creek which was buried up to the 7000' highpoint we stayed on and it was entirely melted out this year.
Black Ridge
Black Ridge
Midnights South summit.
Midnights South summit.
From Midnights South summit and lookout area looking at Gardner Ridge and Storey.
From Midnights South summit and lookout area looking at Gardner Ridge and Storey.
Section of Three AM Ridge.
Section of Three AM Ridge.
Hannah aka Spatula aka Machine. Great backpacking and peakbagging with your daughter she is awesome and has so many adventures to come.
Hannah aka Spatula aka Machine. Great backpacking and peakbagging with your daughter she is awesome and has so many adventures to come.
Big Sky Soulx2 largest, lightest(solo), CF free standing tent. Zpacks 20 bag, Thermarest Neoair, HMG Southwestern Pack etc..
Big Sky Soulx2 largest, lightest(solo), CF free standing tent. Zpacks 20 bag, Thermarest Neoair, HMG Southwestern Pack etc..
What a day. What a night.
What a day. What a night.

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HitTheTrail
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PostThu May 24, 2018 2:36 pm 
The Chelan Sawtooth’s are melting out. If you are not into snow travel it is time to get excited and start making your Sawtooth’s to-do hiking list for the summer. It helps to have two experts beside you pointing at every ridge and valley with their trekking pole giving you tips on the best route and what to expect when you get there (as they did constantly on this trip). Also, it was my first-time hiking with someone who had done the PCT. I am not surprised she blew through that hike…..takes after her dad. Good hike and company.
Up on the ridge
Up on the ridge
With Dad
With Dad
Camp below 3 AM
Camp below 3 AM
Relaxing
Relaxing
After the summit
After the summit
Setting sun
Setting sun
pre-dawn coffee
pre-dawn coffee
Up at last
Up at last
Before packing up
Before packing up
Almost back to the car
Almost back to the car

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RichP
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PostThu May 24, 2018 4:57 pm 
I bet it felt good to carry those snowshoes all the way up there. hockeygrin.gif

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geyer
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PostThu May 24, 2018 5:43 pm 
This is awesome! I was thinking of heading up that way last weekend and routing over to abernathy. Couldn't believe how melted out it was.

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wildernessed
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PostThu May 24, 2018 6:55 pm 
geyer wrote:
This is awesome! I was thinking of heading up that way last weekend and routing over to abernathy. Couldn't believe how melted out it was.
Last year we did a May 29th trip up Little Bridge Creek and by 5400’ there was feet of snow and we gained around 1600’ straight up the slope to a 7k’ highpoint every ridge and peak in the entire basin was buried I looked over there a few days ago and the entire slope was bare to the top and most of the basin.

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wildernessed
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PostThu May 24, 2018 7:02 pm 
RichP wrote:
I bet it felt good to carry those snowshoes all the way up there. hockeygrin.gif
When we did this trip 9 years ago we did it later than this trip we used snowshoes starting on Canyon Creek Ridge while Three AM was a snowshoe walk on top of cornices we were expecting much more snow. Amazing but consolidated.

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NorthwestWanderer
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PostThu May 24, 2018 8:14 pm 
awesome camping spot! Love the pics, especially of Gardner

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Brushbuffalo
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PostThu May 24, 2018 9:48 pm 
That looks like a superb ridge walk. From your pictures it seems to have no brush, unlike descriptions from your guys' hike to Milton Mountain...another site of a former LO. Speaking of that, did you find evidence of the former Midnight lookout?

Passing rocks and trees like they were standing still
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wildernessed
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PostFri May 25, 2018 5:17 am 
Thanks. It is a great ridge hike with some undulation some areas are lightly forested and there is light brush along the way until just before Canyon Creeks highpoint.

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Get Out and Go
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PostFri May 25, 2018 8:07 am 
Nice melt-out. up.gif I hope to be in the vicinity quite soon. tongue.gif

"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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Justus S.
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PostSun May 27, 2018 11:06 pm 
Looks like you had fun, also looks really nice up there.

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Abert
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PostThu Jun 07, 2018 5:43 am 
I walked up to 7480' yesterday. That really is a nice ridge. Just patchy snow from Three AM and on to Midnight Mountain. Coming down, I took a good trail that contoured around the east side of Three AM above 6600'. I wonder if it was the lookout trail?

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wildernessed
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PostThu Jun 07, 2018 3:41 pm 
I think it was Abert we saw part of the trail going around that way there were a whole network of trails that went up Canyon Creek and into Little Bridge Creek, Slate lake / ridge area.

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