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Trappers Peak

July 15, 2007. Just a hike to Trappers Peak (5964 ft.) above the Thornton Lakes in the North Cascades with Sergiu and Andy. Although it looks cloudy, this was relatively good weather compared to most of the weekends this summer. :P The view was still pretty good with the three Thornton Lakes (third being frozen) and Mount Triumph, though the clouds around the Picket Range never cleared. We also did a short cross country to the peak just north of Trappers via the saddle. You get a pretty good view of Trapper's shear face from that vantage point, making it look much more impressive. You also get a better view of Triumph and the upper Thornton Lake. A few of these photos were taken by Andy. (10+ miles round trip, 3364+ ft. gain)

Thornton Lakes Trail

[To the Overlook]
[To the Overlook (1)][To the Overlook (2)][To the Overlook (3)]
To the Overlook: View of lower Thornton Lake from the overlook. The trail to this point is a bit long and boring, but the views are excellent from this point on. (1) Another, showing the flowers around. (2) Sergiu creatively crossing Thornton Creek where the bridge was out. (3) Andy, having made the crossing.

Trappers Peak

[The Trail]
[The Trail (1)][The Trail (2)]
The Trail: Awesome views all around. (1) A tiny bit of scrambling here and there. (2) Hanging on a cornice just below the summit.
[The Summit]
The Summit: Group panorama. I may have risked my life in order to get this kind of distance with only a 10 second delay. :)
[Portraits]
[Portraits (1)][Portraits (2)][Portraits (3)]
Portraits: Andy chillin' out. (1) Everyone. (2) Me. (3) Sergiu.
[West]
[West (1)]
West: Lower Thornton Lake and the surroundings of Mount Triumph. (1) A 360 panorama.
[East]
[East (1)]
East: Picket Range covered in clouds. A strangely moody panorama. (1) A 360 panorama from later in the day.
[Close and Far]
[Close and Far (1)][Close and Far (2)][Close and Far (3)][Close and Far (4)][Close and Far (5)]
Close and Far: Pink heather on the trail. (1) More. (2) White heather on the summit. (3) Another shot. (4) Newhalem from the summit. (5) Newhalem and the surrounding peaks under a layer of clouds.

Unnamed Peak

[Down to the Saddle]
[Down to the Saddle (1)][Down to the Saddle (2)]
Down to the Saddle: Short detour to this awesome ledge over lower Thornton Lake. (1) Same. (2) Hiking down through the brush.
[The Saddle to the Summit]
[The Saddle to the Summit (1)][The Saddle to the Summit (2)][The Saddle to the Summit (3)]
The Saddle to the Summit: The saddle between Trappers and the unnamed ~5900 ft. peak (shown here) just north of it. The vertical drop off on the east side is impressive, though the west face is not nearly as steep as it looks. The orange and blue dots are Sergiu and Andy. :) (1) Another view of the saddle. (2) Sergiu peering over the edge at the summit. (3) Me too. :)
[Triumph]
[Triumph (1)][Triumph (2)][Triumph (3)]
Triumph: Mount Triumph from the unnamed peak. Nice lighting effects from the clouds. (1) Triumph Glacier, close up. (2) Upper Trappers Lake from the peak. Still not thawed yet. (3) Neat lighting over upper Trappers.
[Heading Back]
[Heading Back (1)][Heading Back (2)]
Heading Back: Sweet lighting on the way back to Trappers. Here's us on the saddle with Trappers and lower Thornton Lake, along with much pink heather. (1) Trappers from the North. (2) The shear face of Trappers with Sergiu and Andy.

Last modified: Fri Oct 26 23:40:00 CDT 2007