More North Cascades trivia

[Dru]

there's ponderosa pines at the north end of ross lake

[Alpine_Tom]

What was the name of the big mine that was located about .1 mile from the beginning on the Boston Basin trail?

Value-mines, wasn't it? As proof that I'm a genuine geezer, I have a picture of my wife sitting in my old car right next to the old mine building. You could still drive to them in the early 1980s.

Valumines was the name of the company; I always just referred to it as the Boston Mine. They were in limited operation in the mid 70's. Finding the Boston Basin trail in those days involved finding and following the black plastic water pipe above the mine. The Cascade Pass trail started at the mine as well and was much shorter than the existing one.

 

Regarding the obliteration and "rehabilitation" of the mine site I hope there's room for another point of view: that the obliterators and rehabbers have either no sense of history or a very finely focused one, and that removal of all traces pretty much amounts to an act of vandalism. The bunkhouse had been pretty much destroyed by a snowslide but I submit that the concentrator should have been left intact. Mining, like it or not, is an important part of Cascades history.

 

This isn't meant as a troll, BTW, though I admit it's probably pretty non-PC.

I feel the same way. It's cool to see the old concentrator remains up by Monte Cristo, even if it's just a big jumble of broken boards now. I'm guessing this is part of the National Park "no permanent structure" ethos.

otoh, I bet more people would be complaining about it sitting there decaying than complain about it being gone.

[JoshK]

The old mining stuff is pretty neat, i'll admit, it tends to start looking pretty gross after a while. It seems that kind of stuff can be better preserved through pictures and the like. It's gonna be destroyed by nature pretty quickly anyway.

 

As far as Monte Cristo, what is the deal with the hotels and houses at the townsite. Were they ripped down? I can't imagine anything, even a wood building, could decay that quick.

[MisterMo]

Wood buildings vanish fairly quick. Machinery is pretty much forever. Check out Kennecott AK if you ever get near it. Fairly fascinating place. Abandoned since, I think, 1938.

[klenke]

Re: Monte Cristo buildings:

 

From Harry Majors' Monte Cristo book (p. 23):

"Monte Cristo has become a ghost town. The buildings have collapsed, rotted, or have been torn down. Mine entrances have been blockaded; and a dense stand of second-growth timber now occupies the site of the town. And what was once the forty-foot-wide main street of Monte Cristo is now but a narrow path in the forest."

 

A lot of the wood material was probably used as scrap for other construction projects elsewhere or used as firewood.

[Blake]

As I was rereading the revelation that the ptarmigans had photographed their original traverse and other FAs, I thought I'd point out that the Darrs took photographs as well on some of their FAs. These photographs seem to be largely unpublished, but the Darrs, along with Leuthold and Metzger were the first to seriously explore and climb a large area near Stehekin and the Holden Mine. Photographs existed (at least into the mid 80s and may still exist) of the FA of Tupshin peak (sept 1940), and because that climb was done on a huge trip full of other FAs in the area, it is likely that the camera would have been there for the first climbs of: Devore, Flora, Wyeast, Riddle, and White Goat Mtn as well. I may be of some help in locating these photos is Lowell, Harry Majors, or the NWMJ folks wanted them for any reason.

[ncascademtns]

Ok, this thread has not been touch for a while and I've been meaning to add to it. Now's my chance since I bored here at work. This picture was taken in the Cascades..... Not the "North Cascades" but since this is trivia, I'll put it here.

 

Name the peak in the distance and describe the photo. It's not all that hard.

 

 

 

[Alpinfox]

This one is too easy. Even I can get it.

 

I think I see a NODDER! OMG!

 

 

[olyclimber]

Ok, this thread has not been touch for a while and I've been meaning to add to it. Now's my chance since I bored here at work. This picture was taken in the Cascades..... Not the "North Cascades" but since this is trivia, I'll put it here.

 

Name the peak in the distance and describe the the photo. It's not all that hard.

 

 

Trivia

 

and for bonus points, name the peak casting the shadow.

[ncascademtns]

Like I said, this one is not all that hard.

[Weekend_Climberz]

So, is this Rainier from St Helens? Did you climb the new uber classic "Hot Slab" in the area?

[tread_tramp]

 

 

and for bonus points, name the peak casting the shadow.

 

would that be Wedge mtn. casting the shadow?

[ncascademtns]

Come on people, this ones not that hard.

Are you waiting for the Col. Klenke to answer this one?

Obviously the peak has been named.

 

Describe the Photo.

[klenke]

Oberst Klenk heir.

 

Deine antwort:

Es ist eine Abbildung von Rainier und von Spirit Lake von der Ostseite von St. Helens (nicht durchaus vom Gipfel).

[ncascademtns]

Oberst Klenk heir.

 

Deine antwort:

Es ist eine Abbildung von Rainier und von Spirit Lake von der Ostseite von St. Helens (nicht durchaus vom Gipfel).

 

Nahe aber nicht nahe genug.

Hinweis: Dieses Bild wurde auf einem Gipfel genommen.

[klenke]

Du Mittel es wurdest vom tatsächlichen Gipfel im Vergleich mit der Ostseite des Gipfels genommen? Ich sollte merken, daß das pic Eruption pre-1980 ist.

 

Die schneebedeckte Kante unten und auf der rechten Seite Rainier aussehen wie Goat Mountain zu mir.

 

[ncascademtns]

ahhh...very good Klenke. You can tell by the shape of the Spirit Lake. Pre 1980 would have put me at age 12 and living somewhere in the midwest.

This photo was actualy taken by a friend of mine.

[Skeezix]

In 1968, the same year that North Cascades became a national park, the last grizzly bear in the park was shot. Where did this occur?

[chris]

OK, this one might be easy, but its by far the funniest I've heard.

 

What peak was originally named "The Three Dicks" by the first ascent team, but later renamed?

[Marko]

The mighty Triad(s) but of course!

[chris]

The mighty Triad(s) but of course!

 

That's right (see, I knew it was easy). FA 1949 by Dick Eilertsen, Dick Lowery, Dick Scales, and Don Wilde on their way to traverse the ridge from Sibley Creek to Eldorado. Story is they got back and reported their FA to the Seattle Mountaineers, who refused to report the climb by that name in the interest of "good taste" (Beckey, Vol.2, pg 311-312).

[Weekend_Climberz]

ahhh...very good Klenke. You can tell by the shape of the Spirit Lake. Pre 1980 would have put me at age 12 and living somewhere in the midwest.

This photo was actualy taken by a friend of mine.

 

Hey, I guessed that first. Maybe I shouldn't have assumed that we were playing jeopardy though, since I phrase my answer in the form of a question

[dmarch]

In 1968, the same year that North Cascades became a national park, the last grizzly bear in the park was shot. Where did this occur?

 

Fisher Creek Basin

Edited December 8, 2006 by dmarch

[chris]

I just took the time to read this whole thread. I am so humbled.

 

And - its really cool to see how we were talking about Mox back then, now that Layton and Eric have climbed it!

[Blake]

In 1968, the same year that North Cascades became a national park, the last grizzly bear in the park was shot. Where did this occur?

 

Fisher Creek Basin

 

Which one? in a cartographicly brainless move, there are two Fisher Creeks that both flow off of the same pass (Fisher Pass), and in opposite directions.

Edited December 8, 2006 by Blake