Climbing Reports

Travel using both feet and hands, whether scrambling unroped or technical climbing using rope and anchors.

Elkhorn Range Peaks, September 2014

September 20, 2014 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

In mid September I hiked and scrambled up Red Mountain and Crown Point in the Elkhorn Mountains of NE Oregon. We are blessed with many diverse and scenic destinations to explore in Oregon. I felt renewed by the experience.

I began my trip by driving from Bend to Baker City on September 16 and checking with the Forest Service there about road conditions along the North Powder River. This is the access route I planned to use for Red Mountain and it is a popular 4WD route, though reportedly quite rocky. The prospect of driving roads like this to access peaks was the reason I purchased a Jeep Wrangler last year. The people I spoke to at the Forest Service were 4-wheelers, themselves, and described driving through the flooded road with water up to the windows. They cautioned that there might still be some flooding on the road. I left expecting an adventure.

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Colorado and Utah Peaks, June 2013

July 9, 2013 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

Late June seems to be a good time to visit the high peaks of Colorado. Then the snowpack is diminishing, the days are long, and the threat of summer thunderstorms is not yet a daily concern. In June of 2013 I visited several Colorado and Utah Peaks, specifically Mount Sneffels, Wilson Peak, and Kings Peak. I had a good time exploring more of Colorado and seeing Utah’s High Uintas for the first time.

Mount Sneffels

I began by driving to Ouray, Colorado and up into Yankee Boy Basin to get access to Mount Sneffels (14150′). This was my first trip with my Jeep Wrangler, and I was glad to have its clearance and traction on the rocky and trenched access road. I camped above the “first parking area”, leaving the rest of the road up to the upper trailhead for the next day.

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Steens Mountain and Beatys Butte, Oregon, September 2012

October 24, 2012 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

In September I returned to Southeast Oregon to hike several Steens Mountain summits and remote Beatys Butte. In July I had been turned back from Steens Mountain by wildfires, and from Beatys Butte by a flat tire. Since then I had purchased new tires for my car and the wildfires near Frenchglen had died down. I was hopeful my plans would succeed this time.

Steens Mountain Summit

On Sunday, September 16, I drove to Frenchglen, then up the Steens Mountain Loop Road. The sky was smoky from fires in the Cascades if not from others elsewhere as well. I scouted out Page Springs, Fish Lake, and Jackman Park campgrounds for reference, then drove to the Kiger Gorge Overlook. Here I studied the summits lying on the ridge between Kiger Gorge below and Mann Lake to the east.

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More Northern Elkhorn Range Peaks, Oregon, July 2012

August 26, 2012 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

On Thursday, July 26, I returned to the Anthony Lakes Campground in the Elkhorn Mountains of Northeast Oregon. Two weeks earlier I had also camped here. But after one day of climbing I left the Elkhorn Range under stormy weather. This time the weather forecasts were more favorable. I planned to hike more Northern Elkhorn Range Peaks over the next three days.

Mount Ruth from Peak 8528 (Elkhorn Range)

Mount Ruth and Columbia Hill

On Friday, my first day of climbing, I hiked south on the Elkhorn Crest Trail (ECT) over Angell and Nip and Tuck Passes. The morning had started cloudy, but the skies seemed to be gradually clearing as the morning progressed.

I continued to about 0.3 mile south of Lost Lake Saddle just west below Point 8255. From here I climbed open slopes to the Northwest Ridge of Mount Ruth. I followed this ridge up over some rocky sections to the summit. The views this day were less hazy than two weeks earlier. I again enjoyed viewing and identifying the surrounding Elkhorn Range peaks, including Mount Ireland to the southwest.

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