Forum Index > Trip Reports > Schaefer Lake/Sylvester Mountain 7 oct 2018
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kitya
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kitya
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PostTue Oct 09, 2018 3:02 pm 
I wanted larches, I wanted solitude, and I didn't want to drive far or walk forever. So I had to compromise on little larches (as often is the cases larches habitat is being invaded by the lodgepole pine making it less than perfect larch only area), but it was very pretty anyway.
Sylvester peak (don't know why???) is unofficial name of a little peak between also unofficial Bandit peak and Crook Mountain at the southern end of Chiwawa ridge. Because the only access is from the forest road on the east bank of Chiwawa river and Chiwawa ridge is on the west bank, with no bridges across the river, the hikes to Chiwawa ridge are a great place to not see other people. And autumn is a great time to do it. I remember crossing Chiwawa river once in spring, when it was fast-moving and at minimum waist deep, i.e. Great Dane level. This time of year Chiwawa river is at a dachshund at best. It is cold as ever though. Combined with near freezing air temperature in the morning, freezing river ford makes for a chilly welcome.
At the trailhead I was greeted by a sign about salmon eggs in the river. Don't know if it is real or forest service is just cruel and wants me to walk longer in cold water, but I did make the detour just in case. In the morning I parked the only car at the trailhead and in the evening my car was still the only one there. Sylvester peak doesn’t have a trail to it, but it is a relatively straightforward bushwhack from Schaefer lake, adding about 3 mile r/t to Schaefer lake trail. I started climbing up the ridge from just after the GP wilderness boundary. At first it is very steep with a lot of brush and/or bands of steep rocks. Fresh snowfall made rocks extra slippery. But this part is only about ½ mile and after that the ridge becomes a pleasant walk though open forest of golden larches (invaded by some number of lodgepole pine), fresh snow and pumice fields. Views to Crook and Bandit are spectacular. Both little and big Schaefer lakes are pretty too. Lots of wildlife, lots of mushrooms and lots of solitude. As usual Napeequa river valley is amazing. It maybe not as dramatic as North Cascades and distant views to Entiat were hidden by the stormy weather, but I’ll take that over crowds any day. It was snowing, but just a little. My amazing water shoes are crocs and I used them to wade the river and left them on the other bank for the way back. There were no people and nobody took my crocs :0 https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/3073200060

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RichP
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PostTue Oct 09, 2018 3:54 pm 
kitya wrote:
Sylvester peak (don't know why???)
I assume named for this man who himself named many features in the Central Cascades. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Hale_Sylvester

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Damian
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PostTue Oct 09, 2018 4:59 pm 
Great stuff Kitya up.gif

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kitya
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kitya
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PostTue Oct 09, 2018 5:15 pm 
RichP wrote:
I assume named for this man who himself named many features in the Central Cascades.
Is it evidence based or just a guess though? I would guess the same, but it feels like it doesn't fit. We already do have a couple a features named after Albert Hale Sylvester - lake Sylvester and Sylvester creek. Lake Sylvester is particularly fitting name, because it sits right next to Lake Alice, that AH Sylvester named himself after his wife. AH Sylvester is mostly known for his thematic/group names, whenever he was choosing names, all names he would give to a certain area would be somehow 'connected'. However in case of Sylvester mountain, its name sticks out of the theme - while every other peak on the same ridge seems to be connected - McCall, Crook and Bandit are. Additionally this particular part of Chiwawa ridge was not named AH Sylvester, while many nearby ranges are. If we were to have a mountain named after him, wouldn't it be more fitting for the mountain to be near to 'his' names? There was an attempt to rename Snowgrass mountain (named by him) to Sylvester mountain, which would be more fitting, since it would be near to the place of his death and surrounded almost entirely by his placenames, but this attempt was denied by US Board of Geographic names. I just don't see how having Sylvester mountain named after him above Schaefer lake makes sense.

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dave allyn
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PostTue Oct 09, 2018 5:37 pm 
According to Fred Beckey's Cascade Alpine Guide it was named for Albert H. Sylvester.

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kitya
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kitya
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PostTue Oct 09, 2018 5:55 pm 
dave allyn wrote:
According to Fred Beckey's Cascade Alpine Guide it was named for Albert H. Sylvester.
Thanks. I was wrong to be suspicious about this than. Sorry.

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fourteen410
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PostTue Oct 09, 2018 6:17 pm 
up.gif

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Brushwork
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PostTue Oct 09, 2018 7:33 pm 
You're getting some great trips!! Besutiful pictures!

When I grow up I wanna play.
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cascadetraverser
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PostFri Oct 12, 2018 12:38 am 
Great October trip and nice Bollette!

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Mike Collins
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PostFri Oct 12, 2018 6:44 am 
kitya wrote:
There was an attempt to rename Snowgrass mountain (named by him) to Sylvester mountain, which would be more fitting, since it would be near to the place of his death and surrounded almost entirely by his placenames, but this attempt was denied by US Board of Geographic names.
The US Board on Geographic Names has established guidelines for action. Page 11 on the link concerns itself with name changes. https://geonames.usgs.gov/docs/PPP%202016.pdf

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kitya
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kitya
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PostFri Oct 12, 2018 7:50 am 
cascadetraverser wrote:
Great October trip and nice Bollette!
King Bolete! Also chanterelles. It is nice to have good dinner from the forest after the hike!

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