Forum Index > Trip Reports > Star, Courtney, Oval - 6/30-7/1 2012
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Gimpilator
infinity/21M



Joined: 12 Oct 2006
Posts: 1684 | TRs | Pics
Location: Edmonds, WA
Gimpilator
infinity/21M
PostMon Jul 02, 2012 8:31 am 
Once again, the weather forecast looked bad, even in eastern Washington. Ryan and I decided to do a trip anyway. We left late Friday night and got to the West Buttermilk trail head Saturday morning after a 3.5 hour nap somewhere in the Methow Valley. After a 10th of a mile we came to the creek crossing. The existing log crossing looked sketchy so we went up stream and added a few dead trees to another crossing. There was a lot of patchy snow before we came to Fish Creek Pass. In one creek along the way we spotted some trout. We both caught one by hand but they were hardly big enough to eat so we put them back.
Sketchy Crossing
Sketchy Crossing
Nice Catch
Nice Catch
Star Seen From Courtney
Star Seen From Courtney
Near Oval Summit
Near Oval Summit
In the Star Lake basin we set up our tent and took a half hour nap. Then we hiked up the west ridge of Star Peak. Lots of talus hopping. We ran into a solo climber from Marysville who was doing the Star/Courtney/Oval in a day. Star was his 71st Bulger. After Star we went down to cook dinner. After eating we went up to the summit of Courtney by way of the south ridge. More talus hopping. We watched several rain showers blowing around and one did hit us but it was only a light sprinkle that lasted about 10 minutes. After Courtney we hit the sack. Sunday morning we packed up camp and went over to do Oval. We followed the old way trail through patches of snow toward the tarns south of Oval. In many places the trail was difficult to see or completely covered with snow. Boot prints proved that the solo climber had indeed done all three peaks in a day. We ascended the south ridge over large talus. On the summit we found the register in a pill bottle. Oval was my 23rd Bulger peak. We got back to the car at 2:30pm for 32 hours round-trip. We carried crampons and ice axes but didn't use them.

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Eric
Peak Geek



Joined: 21 Oct 2002
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Eric
Peak Geek
PostMon Jul 02, 2012 8:40 am 
Bummer about your phone. Sounds like it was still a productive weekend otherwise. I did pretty much the same trip a few years back although we tagged Courtney on the morning of the second day while leaving our big packs at the pass. I see to recall that Star was enjoyable and Courtney was fine but by the time we were done with Oval we had greatly exceeded our daily recommended allowance of talus and scree.

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iron
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Joined: 10 Aug 2008
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Location: southeast kootenays
iron
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PostMon Jul 02, 2012 8:48 am 
cool. trout in the creek! do you think those are stocked fish from the lakes, or are they natural to the area?

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Gimpilator
infinity/21M



Joined: 12 Oct 2006
Posts: 1684 | TRs | Pics
Location: Edmonds, WA
Gimpilator
infinity/21M
PostMon Jul 02, 2012 10:32 am 
Eric wrote:
I seem to recall that Star was enjoyable and Courtney was fine but by the time we were done with Oval we had greatly exceeded our daily recommended allowance of talus and scree.
Yes, that's exactly right. Coming down from Oval, the talus hopping was really getting old.
iron wrote:
do you think those are stocked fish from the lakes, or are they natural to the area?
My guess would be wild but I'm not an expert. The one I caught tried to hide up underneath an overhanging bank, so I just reached in and grabbed hold.

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Goats Know
Gravity's Bitch



Joined: 29 Aug 2007
Posts: 194 | TRs | Pics
Goats Know
Gravity's Bitch
PostMon Jul 02, 2012 10:40 am 
Have you been watching Hillbilly handfishin on Animal Planet?! smile.gif

Here on this mountaintop...Woahoho...I got some wild, wild life - Talking Heads
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pasayten
Class of 65...



Joined: 18 Aug 2011
Posts: 536 | TRs | Pics
Location: Winthrop, WA
pasayten
Class of 65...
PostMon Jul 02, 2012 11:18 am 
Yep, the West Buttermilk log crossing and the trashed Copper Glance bridge crossing are two of my least favorites over here... lol... BTW, what camera did you use for the video? Made a good steady shot... Great report and media portrayal... I really enjoy that area... except for the talus... agree.gif up.gif up.gif

Happy Trails... pasayten
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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 Jul 02, 2012 12:21 pm 
Nice!

60 pounds lighter but not 60 points brighter.
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sooperfly
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Joined: 04 May 2003
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Location: North Central Wa.
sooperfly
Member
PostMon Jul 02, 2012 4:36 pm 
Gimpilator wrote:
We both caught one by hand but they were hardly big enough to eat so we put them back.
Oops! Might want to check the regs before posting pics of potential illegal fishing activity on the interwebs. biggrin.gif Page 16 of the state regs, " Statewide Freshwater Rules " Hook and line angling only. And.... It is unlawful to possess a fish taken from freshwater that was not hooked inside the mouth or on the head. Oh, also.. the big kicker? Umm.. That creek is closed to fishing... smile.gif 2012 regs, page 70: BUTTERMILK CREEK (Okanogan Co.), including East and West Forks. CLOSED WATERS Of course, you might have really been somewhere else when you took these pics. smile.gif

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Allison
Feckless Swooner



Joined: 17 Dec 2001
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Allison
Feckless Swooner
PostMon Jul 02, 2012 4:39 pm 
You also can't take fish out of the water to take pictures of them unless you plan to keep them. As it is, you probably killed that fish by mishandling it. Idiots. shakehead.gif

www.allisonoutside.com follow me on Twitter! @AllisonLWoods
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sooperfly
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sooperfly
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PostMon Jul 02, 2012 4:53 pm 
Allison wrote:
You also can't take fish out of the water to take pictures of them unless you plan to keep them
Not true. Let's keep comments helpful without any name calling. What do the state regs actually say? Page 13. SALMON and TROUT HANDLING RULES FRESHWATER: “It is unlawful to totally remove salmon, steelhead, or Dolly Varden/Bull Trout from the water if it is unlawful to retain those fish, or if the angler subsequently releases the salmon, steelhead, Dolly Varden/Bull Trout.”

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contour5
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Joined: 16 Jul 2003
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contour5
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PostMon Jul 02, 2012 5:03 pm 
(whoops) Great trip report in spite of all the, er, accidental felonies. Just shows how much there is to learn and know about our amazing ecosystem and all its fascinating and complex regulations. And isn't it nice that we share this valuable information, and help each other to learn and grow as the de facto custodians of our shared natural wonderland. It's NICE nice. Big happy family; a supportive community is indeed a wonderful thing! Nice pics, too!

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iron
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Joined: 10 Aug 2008
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Location: southeast kootenays
iron
Member
PostMon Jul 02, 2012 5:22 pm 
Allison wrote:
You also can't take fish out of the water to take pictures of them unless you plan to keep them. As it is, you probably killed that fish by mishandling it. Idiots. shakehead.gif
yeah! how dare you kill (assuming it died) a fish (without eating it) and then put it back into nature (where it will decompose and feed and promote a healthier ecosystem like nature intended)?!? you're such idiots! /sarcasm

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Gimpilator
infinity/21M



Joined: 12 Oct 2006
Posts: 1684 | TRs | Pics
Location: Edmonds, WA
Gimpilator
infinity/21M
PostMon Jul 02, 2012 5:54 pm 
pasayten wrote:
BTW, what camera did you use for the video? Made a good steady shot...
Thanks! For this trip I used a Nikon Coolpix AW100 I can assure you that the fish in the photo did not die. It was only out of the water for a few seconds and I watched it swim away. Furthermore, if I broke the law by picking up a trout in a creek, I couldn't possibly care less because there was no harm done. If I see an interesting bug, snake, or rock, I'm going to pick it up and look at it. I'm not going to stop and check regulations first. moon.gif And for people who enjoy controversy, here is some more material. If you have an interesting peak in your back yard and it's on private property, I'm going to be the guy that comes in the middle of the night to tag the summit. I have camped illegally but respectfully numerous times all over Washington, Colorado, and Alberta. Also, for the record, I have never once used any kind of parking pass when I'm supposed to (NWForest, Sno-park, Discover). Wow, I feel like I just did a confession.

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beaudaddy
Coast To Cascades



Joined: 25 Feb 2010
Posts: 401 | TRs | Pics
Location: Tulalip, WA
beaudaddy
Coast To Cascades
PostTue Jul 03, 2012 5:34 pm 
Awesome! I love it...

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Yet
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Joined: 23 Apr 2005
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Yet
Member
PostTue Jul 03, 2012 5:45 pm 
I love it, too! This slam is one of my favorite trips with Mark. smile.gif

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