Three Peak McCall Weekend

An overnight hike in the Grass Mountains with three peaks and fun off trail route finding.

Date: August 25-26, 2018.

Objectives: In order of ascent - Hard Benchmark 8,216. Grass Mountains High Point 8,180. Grassy Twin Peak 8,156.

Partners: Deez, Landen and Ketchum.

Stats: 12 miles and 3,400ft gain. Strava track.

Links: Grass Mountains overview on Idaho: A Climbing Guide.

I did some digging around the McCall area looking for an easy overnight hike with some peaks.  We were to use this a training mission for taking Landen to the White Cloud Peaks soon.  A few good ideas had popped up, but I referred to Splattski who is pretty much an expert on this region.  He had suggested Grass Mountain Lakes and the surrounding peaks; an area that I hadn't yet researched.  His advice was taken and that's where we headed.

I was pleasantly surprised with how good the road access was as we drove past the Brundage Ski Area and toward the trail head.  We were on the trail about 1:30 and didn't see a soul after leaving the parking lot.  It was about 1.7 miles to the camp site we found on the north shore of the first, eastern most lake.  The hike in was not difficult.  Skies were on the hazy side with a hint of smoke in the air.  We were expecting cooler and breezy conditions overnight and into the next day and that raised my confidence that the air would clear.

Signs at the trail head.

On the trail.

Hazy skies on the hike in.

Grassy Twin Peak.

Grassy Twin above the lake. Photo taken from camp.

We found a suitable site and got set up.  It wan't long unit the dog was whining to play chase the stick so Landed obliged.  After a short convo we decided to go for Hard Benchmark, a quick bonus peak that we had already passed on the hike in.  Dog was in and out of the drink quicker than you could say "come on, lets go"!

Dog in the lake.

Hiking up Hard Benchmark.

USGS marker on the summit.

Summit pic.

Seven Devils Mountains.

Getting up Hard Benchmark wasn't too hard.  We went round trip in two hours and were back in camp with plenty of time to relax and save energy for the next day.

The next morning was cooler, overcast, breezy and smoke free.  Time to hike!

As we set out for the peaks and headed to the saddle, I realized I didn't pay attention to the fork in the trail before the lakes as we hiked in the day before.  The fork to the right is the one that will take you over the pass, towards Coffee Cup Lake.  We followed the left fork to the lakes, then to the head of the valley before I realized that I'd missed something.  We hiked up the slopes to where the trail was indicated on the map but somehow missed it.  Eventually we reached the saddle After some not super difficult off trail hiking.  From the saddle we headed south to Grass Mountains High Point.

Trail past the lakes.

Nearing the saddle with Grassy Twin Peak in the background.

Grassy Twin Peak.

There was an occasional trail to follow but the terrain was easy enough to navigate.  There is a fun class 2/3 section on the narrow ridge on the way to Grass Mountains HP.  I guess I was having too much fun hiking because I didn't take many pictures here.  The other thing I did not get a picture of is the "Ramp" section that is an important part of the route up Grass Mountains HP.  Take the ramp furthest left and you'll be in business.

Grass Mountains HP.

Frog Lake.

After the Ramp the route is easy to follow class 2 terrain to the wide open summit.

Wide open summit of Grass Mountains HP.

Selfie.

Grassy Twin.

Skies were gray and appeared to be getting lower so we didn't hang too long.  We reversed our route to Grassy Twin.  I aimed to side hill a bit of the false summit.  From there it's another fun and narrow ridge to the summit slope.  Easy class 3ish stuff to the small summit perch.

Metamorphic rock.

Looking back to the false summit on Grassy Twin.

Base of the summit slope.

Lower Grass Mountain Lake. Our camp site was in the clearing on the left side if the shore.

Hard Benchmark.

Grass Mountains HP.

Summit shot.  Kissy face used in conjunction with kissy sounds to entice the dog to face the camera.

I think we spent all of 5 breezy minutes on top.  I don't think anyone really wants to get rained on, so lets hit it.

Hiking along the ridge back to the saddle.

I was pretty sure I could see the trail cut into the hillside.  After 14 seconds of investigating the area that we marked were we reached the saddle I sound the trail, 30 feet above us.

Trail signage.

Hiking down the trail.

The trail was in pretty good shape here.  We passed one mountain biker on his way to Coffee Cup Lake.  That was the only other person we saw since we let the trail head.

Grass Mountain Lakes and Grassy Twin Peak.

We made it back to camp and packed up without a rain drop.  The sky was considerably darker now and the wind had picked up.  With rain jackets at the ready we pointed our boots toward the car and hiked out.

Hiking out.

Hiking out.

It was right about the moment that we got back to the car and took our packs off that the rain finally started.  Nothing like being in the right place at the right time!

Happy Trails!

Crater Lake, Oregon

We took a few days and tagged a few peaks at Crater Lake.

Date: July 31 - August 3, 2018.

Partners: Deez.

Objectives: Listed below with stats.

Stats: Listed below with Strava links.

Notes: Trip is broken down by day.

Day 1.

With the weather looking good and the smoke from wildfires looking not so good, we were on the fence about this trip. We had planned it 6 months ago and were determined to give it our best shot. Step 1 was to drive to Bend, hike Pilot Butte and visit Deschutes Brewery. If the smoke at Crater Lake got too bad, our plan B was to camp and hike in the Mt. Bachelor area for a couple days.
We checked into our hotel and took a little break from the road before heading off to hike Pilot Butte.

Pilot Butte. 2 miles and 440ft gain. Strava.

Pilot Butte is in a nice park just east of downtown. There were a lot of people out on the trails, but rightly so. It's a nice walk with plenty of views. To the north though the haze we could see Mt. Jefferson and Mt. Hood (my old hood) in the distance. To the northwest, Mt. Bachelor and the Sisters, as well as several other nearby peaks. The view over the city isn't bad either.

Jefferson and Hood.

Sisters.

Summit marker.

Summit view.

Summit.

Summit view.

 We topped off the day with dinner and drinks at the Deschutes Brewery. Pricey but recommended. There are so many great breweries in town that I almost couldn't decide. We called it an early night to get some rest and and get a jump on heading to Crater Lake.

Day 2.

As we headed to Crater Lake we accepted the fact that the smoke was going to be factor. The plan was to get out early and call it when it got too bad. Our first view was indeed hazy but we were just happy to be there.

Deez taking in the "view".

We headed over to the visitor's center to park and get to work.

Garfield Peak. 3.5 miles and 1,000ft gain. Strava.

As with most peaks in the park, Garfield was a short hike with a trail. Some water would have been nice but we didn't bother. The hike right along the rim of the caldera was pretty cool. The summit was broad and open with very little shade. Views were limited but oh well. It was a fairly uneventful walk but we definitely tell that the smoke had gotten pretty bad before we were down.

Trail head.

Trail up Garfield.

Trail up Garfield.

Garfield Peak.

Caldera rim.

Summit.

Phantom Ship from the summit.

It was only 3pm, but we decided that would be the end of the days hiking. We ended up at Mazama Village store and grabbed some snacks and cold drinks as we planned the next day.

Pre-dinner beers and snacks.

Day 3.

An early start yielded slightly clearer skies as we headed out to hike Mt. Scott, the highpoint of Crater Lake National Park.

Mt. Scott. 4.5 miles and 1,200ft gain. Strava.

We were on the trail a little after 7:30 with high hopes of a clear view of the lake from the summit. As we started to gain elevation it became clear that it would not be clear. Upper level skies were clear, however the smoke had settled in the valley's as well as onto the lake. Nonetheless we kept our stoke up to be on the highest peak of a national park.

Mt. Scott trail head.

Mt. Scott in the haze.

Haze over Crater Lake. Yes there should be a view of water here.

Nearing the summit of Mt. Scott.

Helicopter and Mt. Scott's high point. 

The hike was easy and went quick until we were stopped by a wild land firefighter who disallowed our final summit push about a quarter mile short due to a helicopter crew preparing to take off. We took the forced break in stride while just about everyone else called it quits and headed down. "Well, I guess its obvious who has a Lists of John profile and who doesn't". 

When it looked like the bird was about to take off we got packed up and got our cameras out for the airshow. The wait was longer than anticipated. I've seen a lot of helicopters land and take off up close on flat ground, but this was the first takeoff from the top of a mountain.

Once the bird was in the air we continued to the lookout on the highpoint. The heli-crew had removed radio equipment from the building, but the building itself is not in service and was unmanned. On a clear day I bet the view would be unbeatable but we could barely see nearby Mt. Thielsen through the smoke.

More haze.

Selfie at the summit marker.

Summit marker.

Deez on the summit of her first National Park high point.

Looking over Cloudcap and the lake.

We hung out a bit and "enjoyed the view" from the top of Mt. Scott. Fun fact - this was Denise's first national park highpoint! The trail was more busy on the way down so we were glad that we had the summit almost completely to ourselves. From there we headed to the Cloudcap overlook to tag an extra credit peak.

Cloudcap. 0.88 miles and 190ft gain. Strava.

From the overlook, we walked though the forest to the highpoint. And that's about all I have to say about that...

Summit of Cloudcap.

Summit of Cloudcap.

We continued counterclockwise along the loop road from Cloudcap. After lunch we decided which peak to hit next. Rough life... Llao Rock was off limits due to being closed to hikers when snow free, so we set our sights on Hillman Peak, the highest point on the caldera rim. I should have done more homework on this peak but I didn't. It took a minute to figure out the approach. From the trail it was a straight forward hike that was steep in places. I knew the summit bock was supposed to go at class 3 so I didn't think too much about it.

To keep it short, I got within 15ish feet of the top and was stumped. I backed off and tried a couple of times but I just couldn't feel the route out. Aahhh... this must be the class 3 crux! I also think I may have let the exposure off the side get to me. It wasn't the most exposed place I've ever been, but it was a long way down in the possible but hopefully unlikely event of a fall. The view down to the lake was dizzying from the side of Hillman. I was slightly frustrated but at the end of the day, its just a mountain so we decided to bag it. That magical time of day had come when the smoke was getting bad so the decision to retreat to the gift shops and cold drinks was not hard to make.

Hillman Peak.

Day 4.

The two peaks at the top of the A-List were Mt. Scott and Wizard Island. We had one, now we had to figure out the other. The only way to get to Wizard Island is on an expensive boat ride. Another fun fact - the boat tours had been canceled due to the smoke. All we could do was hope they would be in operation when we tried to go. We got to the kiosk as soon as it opened and were able to secure the shuttle that allows a 3 hour window on the island. The only problem was that the early tours were full due to the previous cancellations and the earliest we could catch a ride was 11:30. The only problem with that was we had to check in an hour before that and this left an awkward window of time. It wasn't long enough to really do anything else, but not so short we would be rushed. The Watchman was still on our list so that's where we headed.

The Watchman. 1.74 miles and 394ft gain. Strava.

The morning was clear and cold. We were blessed with a shift in the wind that blew the smoke out, rather than in. The Watchman is a short and easy hike but the views were unlike anything we'd had thus far.

The Watchman.

Trail sign.

Mt. Shasta, Mt. Mcloughlin and Union Peak.

Wizard Island from The Watchman.

Lookout on The Watchman.

Hillman and Thielson.

Watchman summit. Chilly!

Dutton Ridge, Applegate and Garfield Peaks.

Wizard Island from the rim.

Mt. Scott.

Another view of Thielson.

It was chilly and breezy but we were in no hurry. We had a bit if time to kill before the boat ride. After The Watchman, we revisited the lookouts on the north side of the lake and enjoyed the clear views that we didn't have until today. It was truly fantastic.

We hiked down to Cleetwood Cove a bit early to hang out lake side. Next stop, Wizard Island!

Lakeside view.

Deez by the lake.

Wizard Island. 3 miles and 820ft gain. Strava.

This had been a highly anticipated hike on this trip so the stoke level was off the chart as we disembarked. There was a great view of Llao Rock along the way.

Llao Rock.

We had three hours of shore leave to tag the peak; surely more than enough time. It was another straight forward hike that was reminiscent of Craters of the Moon, We were on a crater, in a crater. A volcano inside a volcano.

Boat dock though the trees on Wizard Island.

On the trail.

Naturally, we decided to go for the summit first and visit Fumarole Bay in whatever time we had left.

On the trail.

Most of the trail was quite forested and the shade was welcome. The day was heating up and the wind had changed direction so the smoke was starting to close in.

Views from the trail.

Close to the summit.

The Watchman and Hillman Peak.

This is such a unique area and we wanted to take our time and snap a lot of pictures. There was no reason to be in a rush but we were also excited to top out.

On the summit.

Looking across the crater.

Summit view.

Summit view.

I think the views speak for themselves.

Summit.

Looking across the lake to Mt. Scott.

Trees on the summit.

After walking around the crater rim we found a nice spot to chill, snack and enjoy the moment. We started down the trail to Fumarole Bay which was rocky  but easy to follow.

Hiking down.

As we neared the bay we decided that we might was well just walk back to the dock and hang there for the thirty minutes we had left.

Summit cone from the trail.

Enjoying the cool water. Note the haze.

It didn't take Deez long to hop out of her boots and put her feet in the water. My feet were still tender, blistered and a little swollen so it took me a bit of persuasion. The cool water was welcome relief to my barking dogs while we waited for our boat. The smoke had once again settled in thick and the reduced visibility on the lake was eerie.

On the way back to Cleetwood cove we were able to get up close and personal with the Old Man of the Lake; a vertically bobbing tree that has been there for around 200 years.

Old man of the lake.

We had stayed the two previous nights in the cabins at the Mazama camp ground due to the smoke. They are a bit pricey but decent. Instead of tossing out another Franklin on anther night in the cabin, we decided the smoke wasn't as bad as it had been at that elevation and decided to tent camp at Lost River camp ground for $6, instead of $22 at Mazama. After we had to drive from our camp to Mazama Village and back, we realized we could have payed a few more dollars and just stayed at the "nice" camp ground. Whatev's!

Chilling in camp.

After dinner we rolled (me loosing) a few games of Yahtzee and sipped some wine and planned the next morning. We didn't necessarily have to leave early, but I was reluctant to do a long hike before the very long drive home. There were a few other peaks on the list we hadn't tagged, but we decided to see a couple other sites instead. 

Palikni Falls.

We took the 2 mile walk to Palikni Falls. Beautiful.

The Pinnacles.

Next stop was the short walk to the Pinnacles. I tried to keep my mouth shut and enjoy the walk but I ended up giving a Geology talk.

The Pinnacles.

Pacific Crest Trail.

One last thing to do. A short walk on the PCT just for kicks. We had to drive right by it anyways, so why not? That short walk was enough to tip the scales from talking about one day hiking a section, to full on planning it for next year.

PCT signage.

We were glad that we didn't call of the trip and head somewhere else. There are always those things that come up; smoke, weather, etc. Just be like water and go with the flow.

Happy trails!