+WeightMan Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 All in all a very interesting day and eventful day. Sorry to hear about this TL. Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted March 24, 2007 Author Share Posted March 24, 2007 (edited) Hey it wasn't all bad! I had a great day with Landrover, SquareBear and Criminal. Even though I had to turn back 1/3 of the way up, I made it a 1/3 of the way up! Edited March 24, 2007 by TotemLake Quote Link to comment
+...The Girl Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 I'm so sorry to hear about your back, TL. As if the day wasn't bad enough with the Jeep being stolen. Quote Link to comment
+hydnsek Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 TotemLake - SO sorry to hear about your stolen Jeep, GPS gizmos and coins; strained back; and not being able to reach the caches. You sure keep a good attitude in bad times! Can't wait to see the pics and trip report from the rest of the guys. Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted March 25, 2007 Author Share Posted March 25, 2007 Criminal and I determined the Jeep is doing everything it can to not participate in the HOTM. Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted March 25, 2007 Author Share Posted March 25, 2007 Back Tweak Slope My last view of them A closer look - Profile looks like SquareBear My refuge The final steep descent down Quote Link to comment
+Prying Pandora Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 What a rotten morning, TL! Sorry you had to go through all that. The photos are beautiful, though! I'm going to have to try snowshoeing one of these days... Quote Link to comment
+Square Bear Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 I got a late start Saturday morning had been working on the Jeep the night before and it took me longer to get the top back on than I thought I was heading out the door thinking that I would be an hour late getting to the top and the rest of the group would be long gone. I gave Totem Lake a call figuring they would almost be heading up to the pass all ready only to find out that he was still at home. That’s when I heard about the Jeep being stolen and that Criminal and Land Rover were on the way to pick him up, the still beat me to the summit and then I see them getting out of the TL’s Jeep that’s when I find out that the system shut the fuel off down the road and they had found it. TL didn’t miss much after getting to the spot were the cache was at I tried digging down and ran in to a big block of ice and wasn’t making much head way, then Criminal tried with out much luck either. With out knowing if we were in the exact spot or just how deep the ice was we called it a day and headed back down jumped in the vehicles and headed to the nearest bar for a couple of cold ones. Quote Link to comment
+hydnsek Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 TL didn’t miss much after getting to the spot were the cache was at I tried digging down and ran in to a big block of ice and wasn’t making much head way, then Criminal tried with out much luck either. With out knowing if we were in the exact spot or just how deep the ice was we called it a day and headed back down jumped in the vehicles and headed to the nearest bar for a couple of cold ones. From the photos, it looks like you were digging in the same spot we did, which is supposedly correct (cache ahead had done it before). I figured with Criminal's metal detector, you'd be able to confirm. We dug down about two feet in those trees, but maybe the intervening weeks had removed the evidence. I've been watching for logs on Skyline View, the cell tower with our trench - I take it y'all didnt go up there? It's quite close to Skyline Lake cache, less than .2 away, if I recall. I was really eager to see if you'd be able to reach the cache there. Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted March 26, 2007 Author Share Posted March 26, 2007 TL didn’t miss much ... I guess I'll beg to differ for a couple of reasons. Sitting in that car watching traffic and people go by was not my idea of a fun time. Missing the challenge of making it up to the lake was a big disappointment and it's going to be a targeted hike next winter because of that. I'd rather DNF being up there than DNF having to turn back even if it was the right thing to do. As an update, I'm moving around a little bit with the help of a cane. I'll probably take tomorrow off. Quote Link to comment
+Square Bear Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 TL didn’t miss much ... I guess I'll beg to differ for a couple of reasons. Sitting in that car watching traffic and people go by was not my idea of a fun time. Missing the challenge of making it up to the lake was a big disappointment and it's going to be a targeted hike next winter because of that. I'd rather DNF being up there than DNF having to turn back even if it was the right thing to do. As an update, I'm moving around a little bit with the help of a cane. I'll probably take tomorrow off. You know I was talking about not finding the cache We did miss you on the hike up. Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted March 26, 2007 Author Share Posted March 26, 2007 TL didn’t miss much ... I guess I'll beg to differ for a couple of reasons. Sitting in that car watching traffic and people go by was not my idea of a fun time. Missing the challenge of making it up to the lake was a big disappointment and it's going to be a targeted hike next winter because of that. I'd rather DNF being up there than DNF having to turn back even if it was the right thing to do. As an update, I'm moving around a little bit with the help of a cane. I'll probably take tomorrow off. You know I was talking about not finding the cache We did miss you on the hike up. Yah I know. Sorry I missed you in chat... pain pills put me out. Quote Link to comment
luckykoi Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 TL didn’t miss much ... I guess I'll beg to differ for a couple of reasons. Sitting in that car watching traffic and people go by was not my idea of a fun time. Missing the challenge of making it up to the lake was a big disappointment and it's going to be a targeted hike next winter because of that. I'd rather DNF being up there than DNF having to turn back even if it was the right thing to do. As an update, I'm moving around a little bit with the help of a cane. I'll probably take tomorrow off. You know I was talking about not finding the cache We did miss you on the hike up. Yah I know. Sorry I missed you in chat... pain pills put me out. Sorry to hear about your troubles. What kind of GPS are you thinking about getting now? I suppose another of the same brand so you can use your maps? I sure could have used a topo map of the trail I took today. I lost the trail for an hour... Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted March 29, 2007 Author Share Posted March 29, 2007 Sorry to hear about your troubles. What kind of GPS are you thinking about getting now? I suppose another of the same brand so you can use your maps? I sure could have used a topo map of the trail I took today. I lost the trail for an hour... I was already looking at upgrading to somethig a bit newer. This one is due out this summer that I want to take a serious look at. In the meantime, I'll probably pick up some cheapie to get me by. If the Bushnell doesn't meet certain needs, I'll probably go to the Delorme PN-20 for the USGS mapping capability. Fwiw, the mapping isn't going to help much if the trail has been maintenanced and changed. About the best you can hope to do is to look at the lay of the land and decide which way to bushwhack from your current position. I can recall where SquareBear and I lost track of the trail and had to do the same. Quote Link to comment
luckykoi Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 Sorry to hear about your troubles. What kind of GPS are you thinking about getting now? I suppose another of the same brand so you can use your maps? I sure could have used a topo map of the trail I took today. I lost the trail for an hour... I was already looking at upgrading to somethig a bit newer. This one is due out this summer that I want to take a serious look at. In the meantime, I'll probably pick up some cheapie to get me by. If the Bushnell doesn't meet certain needs, I'll probably go to the Delorme PN-20 for the USGS mapping capability. Fwiw, the mapping isn't going to help much if the trail has been maintenanced and changed. About the best you can hope to do is to look at the lay of the land and decide which way to bushwhack from your current position. I can recall where SquareBear and I lost track of the trail and had to do the same. The 24K National Parks Topo would have helped me yesterday. I really like my GPSMAP 60csx. Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted April 10, 2007 Author Share Posted April 10, 2007 (edited) April's hike is finally planned out thanks to Ray for I was stumped. It is scheduled for April 21 for the Oyster Dome. Bookmarked ...and it looks like I'll be using my own GPS unit. Recovered today. Edited April 10, 2007 by TotemLake Quote Link to comment
MarcusArelius Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 (edited) ...and it looks like I'll be using my own GPS unit. Recovered today. So tell us the story. How did they recover it? So I guess you won't be getting a real GPSr instead of that Maggie. Edited April 10, 2007 by MarcusArelius Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted April 10, 2007 Author Share Posted April 10, 2007 (edited) ...and it looks like I'll be using my own GPS unit. Recovered today. So tell us the story. How did they recover it? So I guess you won't be getting a real GPSr instead of that Maggie. Its as real as it needs to be for my purposes. However, I'm still planning on my upgrade and I had permission to do that before the MeriPlat was stolen. As for buying a Garmin, its on my short list but definitely not on the top of the list. On top of the list is the Bushnell Onix 400CR due out in June. Long story short, I ran into the good fortune of an honest man living in the same house as the dishonest man. He also involved the Everett Police Department to inspect the rest of his household for any stolen goods. In the meantime, he made an extra effort to get my GPS units back to me last night. Now here's the difference between a real GPS and a toy. The hack to add personal information onto the start up screen is what allowed him to call me and make the arrangements. (The only recommendation I would add is use your cell phone instead of your house phone. It'll alleviate a few worries about testing the phone to see if anybody is home or not.) He surmised if I were getting rid of the GPS as his roommate declared, I would have wanted to remove my personal information. Lucky me he called to verify that and the rest is history. Edited April 10, 2007 by TotemLake Quote Link to comment
+Dgwphotos Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 The hack to add personal information onto the start up screen is what allowed him to call me and make the arrangements. (The only recommendation I would add is use your cell phone instead of your house phone. It'll alleviate a few worries about testing the phone to see if anybody is home or not.) He surmised if I were getting rid of the GPS as his roommate declared, I would have wanted to remove my personal information. Lucky me he called to verify that and the rest is history. Sounds like it's a good idea for me to use that hack. Quote Link to comment
+LandRover Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 Now here's the difference between a real GPS and a toy. The hack to add personal information onto the start up screen is what allowed him to call me and make the arrangements. It's a feature on my Garmin, no need for a hack, of course that also means it's pretty easy for a thief to delete the information also. Quote Link to comment
+-Hawk- Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 Congrats on getting your stuff back TL. Its gotta feel good that there are honest people still out there! Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted April 10, 2007 Author Share Posted April 10, 2007 (edited) Now here's the difference between a real GPS and a toy. The hack to add personal information onto the start up screen is what allowed him to call me and make the arrangements. It's a feature on my Garmin, no need for a hack, of course that also means it's pretty easy for a thief to delete the information also. Nice feature. The beauty of the older Maggie is you have to have the software. That's the difference between toys and tools. But seriously, on the newer Maggies, I think I read they locked that ability out. Edited April 10, 2007 by TotemLake Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted April 10, 2007 Author Share Posted April 10, 2007 Congrats on getting your stuff back TL. Its gotta feel good that there are honest people still out there! Yah it is nice. That's half the amount lost so far and he's keeping an eye out for the remainder but I'm not holding my breath on that stuff. I'm lucky I got what I did. He's a nice guy that has a history of doing nice things like this and it felt good to give a little cash back in his direction for his efforts. Quote Link to comment
+Square Bear Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 Valley View GC61EE is also on the trail near the beginning, and the listed coordinates for Night Creatures GCNPVA is the parking lot. Done this hike several times and looking forward to doing it again. Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted April 11, 2007 Author Share Posted April 11, 2007 Valley View GC61EE is also on the trail near the beginning, and the listed coordinates for Night Creatures GCNPVA is the parking lot. Done this hike several times and looking forward to doing it again. Thanks! I'll get those added in. I haven't had much chance to look at the trail yet. It's taking a little time for my eyes to get past the strain of focusing. since the lasik. Some days are good, some days are not so good. Quote Link to comment
+Dgwphotos Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 But seriously, on the newer Maggies, I think I read they locked that ability out. The eXplorist series has a user information page. You don't get the Lawyer screen either. Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted April 14, 2007 Author Share Posted April 14, 2007 Valley View GC61EE is also on the trail near the beginning, and the listed coordinates for Night Creatures GCNPVA is the parking lot. Done this hike several times and looking forward to doing it again. The bookmark has been updated. Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted April 16, 2007 Author Share Posted April 16, 2007 Valley View GC61EE is also on the trail near the beginning, and the listed coordinates for Night Creatures GCNPVA is the parking lot. Done this hike several times and looking forward to doing it again. The bookmark has been updated. Meeting at the Trailhead at 9AM at the following coordinates: N 48° 37.012 W 122° 23.131 =-=- I'll add a note here the Memorial Day Weekend hike/camp for French Peak is bookmarked. Quote Link to comment
+Square Bear Posted April 16, 2007 Share Posted April 16, 2007 If any one wants to look at the trail map it can be found here Blanchard Hill Map Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted April 17, 2007 Author Share Posted April 17, 2007 If any one wants to look at the trail map it can be found here Blanchard Hill Map Good pointer. Thanks! The Delorme USGS maps lose sight of the trail. Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted April 20, 2007 Author Share Posted April 20, 2007 Valley View GC61EE is also on the trail near the beginning, and the listed coordinates for Night Creatures GCNPVA is the parking lot. Done this hike several times and looking forward to doing it again. The bookmark has been updated. Meeting at the Trailhead at 9AM at the following coordinates: N 48° 37.012 W 122° 23.131 Bump. See you there! Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted April 22, 2007 Author Share Posted April 22, 2007 It was just SquareBear, my geopuppy Penny, and I today on a great day and a 9.2 mile hike by my GPS. No DNFs to speak of and we rain into the PNT maintenance crew for that part of the trail fixing what the windstorms wrecked. There are new bridges and repaired trails. This was an easy to moderate hike with the most difficult part going up and over the top of the dome. You'll know it when you hit it and it's a take your time part of the hike. We clearly went 1 MPH up that section. Pictures to follow later. Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted April 23, 2007 Author Share Posted April 23, 2007 View from the dome SB making coffee for our lunch View of Lizard Lake from the camp site Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted April 24, 2007 Author Share Posted April 24, 2007 Memorial Day Weekend hike/camp for French Peak is bookmarked. This is an extreme hike with intentions to camp overnight, possibly for 2 nights. The agenda follows: Original plans called for taking the Boulder River Trail to camp near the Boulder River cache. Instead, we're going to take the old Jeep Trail to a point on the ridge where an old blazed trail begins and work our way by following the blazes to a pond Criminal has named TotemLake Lake with intentions to set up camp there. The following morning, bright and early, we will follow a narrow ridge trail towards French Peak in the attempt to bag this on the 2nd day out to return back to the camp site. This trail will end soon enough and we will be bushwhacking our way to the peak. In addition to the overnight stuff, you will want to have a way to carry your day's supply of water and food to the peak and back to the camp. Based upon what time we get back to camp, a decision will be made to stay for another night or make a go for hiking out. The blazes are few and difficult to see under the best of conditions. I will not hike after sundown and risk losing the way out. Contact by cell phone will be iffy. I will have a HAM mobile with me along with a long range FRS/GMRS. Everybody planning on going, please count up here so we know what to expect at the trailhead. For those wanting to do the Boulder Falls and Boulder River caches, the trail does have a slide, washouts and downfalls to contend with. Normally rated easy, I would call this a moderate to difficult trail until conditions improve. Quote Link to comment
+CurmudgeonlyGal Posted April 28, 2007 Share Posted April 28, 2007 Wowser. Permission was granted?! I'm excited to hear you're going again, TL! I can't wait to read the trip reports... it's beautiful in there and quite a wonderful challenge! -=- michelle Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted April 29, 2007 Author Share Posted April 29, 2007 Wowser. Permission was granted?! I'm excited to hear you're going again, TL! I can't wait to read the trip reports... it's beautiful in there and quite a wonderful challenge! -=- michelle I think she's hoping to collect on the insurance... Actually, I think she knew I was going to go back to that peak sooner or later. Now that I have a few more hikes under my belt (and insurance), she's a bit more willing to let me pursue my hobby. Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted May 7, 2007 Author Share Posted May 7, 2007 Bump. This is a challenge to your mettle. Quote Link to comment
+Bull Moose Posted May 19, 2007 Share Posted May 19, 2007 What's the headcount on this attempt? Mulling it over. Quote Link to comment
+ruck Posted May 19, 2007 Share Posted May 19, 2007 Recomend a good supply of bug spray. After the bushwhack to Last Will a couple weeks back, I ended up with three ticks, (two attached). Can't help but think you'll find similar conditions on French. Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted May 19, 2007 Author Share Posted May 19, 2007 So far the headcount is officially 2. I have heard rumors of another, but he hasn't stepped up to the plate here or with me yet. Quote Link to comment
+Criminal Posted May 20, 2007 Share Posted May 20, 2007 So far the headcount is officially 2. I have heard rumors of another, but he hasn't stepped up to the plate here or with me yet. 3. I'm going, I'm still deciding on the approach. Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted May 20, 2007 Author Share Posted May 20, 2007 So far the headcount is officially 2. I have heard rumors of another, but he hasn't stepped up to the plate here or with me yet. 3. I'm going, I'm still deciding on the approach. My thought process was you were on a different mission to meet up with us at the peak. I'm talking about AndrewRJ. Not that I'm trying to put pressure on him after all this time. I hear he might have new responsibilities. Quote Link to comment
+Criminal Posted May 20, 2007 Share Posted May 20, 2007 So far the headcount is officially 2. I have heard rumors of another, but he hasn't stepped up to the plate here or with me yet. 3. I'm going, I'm still deciding on the approach. My thought process was you were on a different mission to meet up with us at the peak. I'm talking about AndrewRJ. Not that I'm trying to put pressure on him after all this time. I hear he might have new responsibilities. It won't be a party without him! Quote Link to comment
+Criminal Posted May 20, 2007 Share Posted May 20, 2007 (edited) A few words about this hike. The route TotemLake is intending to take is really not too bad. By no means is this an easy hike, but it is certainly doable. Making it an overnighter (or two if necessary) is a smart decision by TL, not only because it gives more time to get there, but more time to enjoy this beautiful forest. The real allure of this trek is going off trail, into the wilderness, and away from the crowds. There’s really not much virgin forest remaining in the lower 48, but this is as close as you may ever get. When we did it the first time, hiking the spine of the Boulder Ridge, it is hard for me to express the excitement and wonder I felt moving through the dense forest. I felt like I was ten years old again! I would encourage anyone who may be interested in this hike to pony up. It’s an experience you won’t forget. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to contact TotemLake or me either here or by PM. Edited May 20, 2007 by Criminal Quote Link to comment
+AndrewRJ Posted May 21, 2007 Share Posted May 21, 2007 (edited) So far the headcount is officially 2. I have heard rumors of another, but he hasn't stepped up to the plate here or with me yet. 3. I'm going, I'm still deciding on the approach. My thought process was you were on a different mission to meet up with us at the peak. I'm talking about AndrewRJ. Not that I'm trying to put pressure on him after all this time. I hear he might have new responsibilities. Still trying to work the bugs out of my schedual. So is the plan to hike up to the lake on Sat? then the peak sunday morning? Edited May 21, 2007 by AndrewRJ Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted May 21, 2007 Author Share Posted May 21, 2007 That was the plan. We're in the IRC right now discussing a backup plan. It appears the snow level is still too deep at 4000 feet in the surrounding area. That'll make it impossible to watch for the blazes that are low to the ground on this trail. Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted May 21, 2007 Author Share Posted May 21, 2007 (edited) Update: We're still working on a backup plan for a hike for this weekend. Although the thrust is towards a camping hike, we're not overlooking a day hike. Surrounding snow reports of the French Peak area indicates the snow is too deep, between 32-100 inches making the 4000 foot elevation ridge a pretty tough thing to tackle. Particularly with the new snow that came in last night. The lower Boulder River trail is now open and cleared and the trail is rated back to Easy although there is a drop-off next to the trail at some point. Edited May 21, 2007 by TotemLake Quote Link to comment
+Criminal Posted May 21, 2007 Share Posted May 21, 2007 I'm studying a trail in the Olympics for an overnighter with possibly a new hide if I can pry some information out of someone about a cool location there. That doesn't really fit in with HOM because there won't be a find, but it's open if you want to do that. Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted May 21, 2007 Author Share Posted May 21, 2007 It is geocaching related.... Quote Link to comment
+Criminal Posted May 21, 2007 Share Posted May 21, 2007 As an alternative (for those who don’t like the long drive) is the threefer, Lake Serene Mine, The Bride's Booty at Bridal Falls, and Welcome Houston!. The last one might still be under the snow, but I can bring the metal detector. Even if you don’t find the Welcome, the Lake Serene area is awesome this time of year. There are almost constant avalanches that you can hear and feel. I might go along just because I want to explore the mine some more. Quote Link to comment
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