Jonathan Posted August 24, 2003 Share Posted August 24, 2003 Just yesterday completed a wonderful backpack over Little Giant Pass, into the fabled Napeequa Valley, ascended slippery ferns to the unique Louis Creek pumice fields, enjoyed a scramble of Buck Mountain, traipsed up and over into the ice age landscape of Triad Lake and then out and down Buck Creek Pass. Last evening was spent at one of my little getaways, Pass No Pass. The genesis of this trip was rediscovering my sadly neglected copy of Tabor and Crowder's "Routes and Rocks" (Mountaineers, 1965), a sweetly bibliophile volume. So, to the point, which Buck Peak is actually the loftiest? Have they been actually been measured? Although armed with Becky's and Goldman's route descriptions, we were nonetheless uncertain as to what constituted the "middle peak." We first climbed what we now realize to be the south peak, a enjoyable scramble offering some invigorating exposure at points and an odd block of light greenish rock on top. It appeared to be the most massive and, from our vantage in the upper Louis Creek basin, certainly the most impressive. Finding no register, we then returned to ascend the peak featuring a prominent vertical quartz intrusion running down from a shallow notch near the tippy-top. This middle summit kindly afforded us the opportunity to memorialize our visit. The register, by the way, was placed in 1980, surprising, as the peak presents no technical difficulties (I climbed it, afterall!) and is not all that far from a TH close to town. In any case, the Buck's south peak still appears to my eye to a bit higher. Not that it matters, but does anyone know for sure? Jonathan Pryce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klenke Posted August 25, 2003 Share Posted August 25, 2003 Jonathan, I have put two pictures in the picture gallery from our last year's climb. See here and here. We climbed the North Summit. It contained a register. Apparently, the Middle Summit (the one you climbed) also has a register (and maybe a cairn at the summit). I don't really know which is higher of the two, but for sure they are both higher than the South Summit. More later. I've got to run to a dinner engagement... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Posted August 25, 2003 Author Share Posted August 25, 2003 Thanks for the photos! We initially ascended the peak you label "south," then the peak marked "middle." That's where we signed in and immortalized ourselves in the annals of alpine derring-do. Well, at least in the annals of the Buck's middle peak! Jonathan Pryce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg_W Posted August 25, 2003 Share Posted August 25, 2003 What? Nobody said, "Who gives a Buck" yet? Bwahahahahaha!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klenke Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 A couple of more pictures of Buck from the southwest: > From Clark Mountain > From Luahna's south saddle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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