tvashtarkatena Posted September 19, 2008 Posted September 19, 2008 (edited) Trip: Luahna - Poo Ledges Date: 9/19/2008 Trip Report: TR: Luahna September 16-18, 2008 It’s hard to find a peak more rotten than Luahna, Clark Mountain’s little brother, but it’s even harder to find a more beautiful area to visit this time of year. I spent a leisurely two nights out here this past week. My carpool partner Don dropped me off at the Little Giant Pass trailhead, then headed up valley for different objectives. Little Giant Pass rewards it’s pilgrims with a sweeping view of Napeequa, one of the most elegant glacier carved valleys in the Cascades. After hiking up river a bit, I ascended game trails up to Butterfly Butte, just east of Luahna. Gentian. Butterfly Butte Gentian. Buttefly Butte Buttefly Butte: amazing. I bivvied on a pumice field atop its highest point, about 200 feet above the Pilz Glacier terminus. Clark from Butterfly Butte Evening sky from Butterfly Butte Glacier Peak from Butterfly Butte The following morning I donned six point crampons and strolled up the Pilz Glacier to the col. From there, I angled upward across sandy ledges to the summit. Luahna and the Pilz Glacier Beware of quicksand The Iceman of rodents. Pilz Glacier Marmot skull fragment. Pilz Glacier [video:youtube]muKggQvn3ss Luahna summit panorama [video:youtube]bNBE1M_lyRI Fish porn: Bull (Dolly Varden) trout in the Chiwawa River Rest of TR is below.... Gear Notes: Sixpoints,poles,tennies,Im-not-a-deer-Tshirt Edited September 27, 2008 by tvashtarkatena Quote
tvashtarkatena Posted September 20, 2008 Author Posted September 20, 2008 (edited) These pics won't work in the original post, for some reason. Anyway, here's the rest of the TR: Fireweed. Butterfly Butte Clark Mountain reflection. Butterfly Butte Western anemone (seed stage). Butterfly Butte Obligatory paintbrush photo. Butterfly Butte Tachnid fly (Gymnosoma nudifrons). Napeequa Valley Find the bear. Southwest of High Pass I then headed for High Pass, camping a few hundred feet below on a pretty little heather bench. Mt Berge from just east of High Pass Popping over High Pass, I descended, trending left, through mostly open forest to Buck Creek, where I picked up the trail and headed to Trinity, where Don, finished with his three summits, awaiting my arrival. On the way down I stopped for lunch at the bridge over the Chiwawa River. I noticed what appeared to be a piece of wood slowly rising and falling in the current. It appeared, well, kind of floppy, somehow. Upon closer inspection I realized that it was a fish tail. It was a salmon; well over a foot and a half long, and it wasn’t alone. Amanita buttons. Chiwawa River Edited September 20, 2008 by tvashtarkatena Quote
wolfs Posted September 20, 2008 Posted September 20, 2008 Really neat pix! Your fish vid would be good too except that it's a pretty good test case of just how bad the youtube compression algy is. So what brand is your "I'm not a deer" t shirt? I just picked up a Cloudveil one from STP that is pretty much the brightest red anyone (deerhunter or not) has ever seen ... Quote
tvashtarkatena Posted September 20, 2008 Author Posted September 20, 2008 (edited) The fish vid would have been better if I had had a net. I get my shirts at Goodwill, so the brand is usually worn off. All I can say is that I never need to carry a headlamp with that thing on. Edited September 20, 2008 by tvashtarkatena Quote
scot'teryx Posted September 20, 2008 Posted September 20, 2008 Awesome pics. What camera do you take? Quote
tvashtarkatena Posted September 20, 2008 Author Posted September 20, 2008 These were shot with a borrowed Canon Powershot SD1000. Before I dropped it, I used a Canon Powershot 800IS. From now on, I'll be using a the next generation of the same; a Canon Powershot SD870 IS. This is a great little camera: 4x zoom, 8 MP, 3" LCD, macro. I web ordered mine from B&H Photo in NYC; one of the few reputable shops out there, for about $250 incl shipping. There are shops out there that offer a cheaper price, but they they're notorious for a) claiming the item's in stock when it's not b) sending you a refurbished unit instead of a new one, complete with crappy aftermarket battery c) call you and try to upsell you all kinds of crap you don't need and d) charge you more than the price you thought you were paying. Quote
plexus Posted September 21, 2008 Posted September 21, 2008 Damn you and your "Where's Waldo?" game!! I finally spotted the damn bear. =) Quote
Buckaroo Posted September 23, 2008 Posted September 23, 2008 NICE TR and PICS, most people don't even know about the macro setting My "were's the bear" pic is a little more obvious (south slopes of J-berg) [img:left]http://cascadeclimbers.com/plab/data/500/medium/J-BERG-BEAR.JPG[/img] Quote
JasonG Posted September 27, 2008 Posted September 27, 2008 Could your salmon have been a bull trout? It's hard to see in the video, but the coloration and the white leading edge on the pelvic fin lead me to think that it just might be . . . JG Quote
tvashtarkatena Posted September 27, 2008 Author Posted September 27, 2008 After reviewing my still photos and the video, it seems that Heinrich is correct in his ID of the fish as a bull trout, not a salmon. The aforementioned combination of spots and a the white leading edge on the pelvic fin make for a pretty positive call on this. Good 'catch'. TR edited accordingly. Quote
curtveld Posted September 28, 2008 Posted September 28, 2008 Well heinrich IS a ringer after all...check out his signature... Quote
tvashtarkatena Posted September 28, 2008 Author Posted September 28, 2008 I've caught a few lake cutthroat and rainbows, but I'm pretty much a fish dumbshit. I'm pretty sure, though, that that's the first time I've seen a Dolly Varden, which makes the trip even cooler. Quote
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