buckyball1
New member
bonus hike day for me...my "season" is usually long since done, but unusually warm weather the last four days swept all vestiges of snow/ice from the lower peaks--perfect day for hiking, sunny, little wind, but 20 degrees with a fair number of gunners on the prowl-deer seem in very short supply again this year.
Elephant 2650' (near Greenville, not the NEHH peak) -I had tried this hike last Saturday, but there was enough enough snow/ice on the mountain that i felt a solo whack was unwise--You can approach Elephant in several ways, either the Scammon Rd or the turn for the "B-52" site (see below) are best. About 7-8 miles on decent dirt roads bring you within less than a crow flies mile of the Elephant summit(s). There is considerable active logging back in here and a "no motorized vehicle other than snowmobiles" on a sign before a bridge both of which you might consider (i am sure there's a way around the bridge if you choose)
You pass very near the B-52 site before coming to a parking area about 0.7 crow flies miles (almost 1000' ups) beneath the western side of the southern end of the peak. The B-52 site is a crash site of the large bomber in the early 60s-plenty of info on the web and worth the trip in if you have time--not far off the road and a bit eerie.
The first half of the hike up Elephant is decent going on old roads and thru moderate woods.I felt there might be some difficult evergreen bands higher up and hoped to avoid them by trying for the ridge south of the summit and heading north -no luck. It started to get thick (blowdown, thick small balsams, etc) about 1/2 way up and the last 0.25 miles were a bit ugly; 25 minutes to go 0.15 miles in one spot; slow & brutal even if you do this a lot-deep bend, hurdle step, slither. Elephant has a long "top" oriented pretty much N/S with the summit(s) located on the south/middle section.
I shot for the more southerly of the 2 bumps with similar contour lines which i felt was the "top" (bump #1)--very thick going. There was a small open spot at the top (no views) with only 1 or two prospective "peak" spots-no jar though i searched well and it should have been easily visible. I decided to travel the 0.16 miles NE to the other bump in case there was a quiz again this week
. The going wasn't too bad most of the way over the ridge and the bump was actually a more open, almost pleasant spot- with no views. I felt this "could" be the peak though the Thommen was inconclusive (altimeter reading identical to #1 within error)-again pretty obvious high spots and no small pill bottle?--the was some evidence of people having been on both bumps
I headed W from bump #2 and quickly came to a great view spot and a direct shot down to the road i drove in on -i'd guess only 1/2 mile, but some very steep, very thick stuff for perhaps 0.2 miles. I figured what the heck, but after 5 minutes decided this route was awfully dangerous and headed back over bump #1 and down my ascent route, still ugly, but a know, doable commodity.
Back at the car, i took a good look at my next quarry, Prong Pond Mtn-was seeing it's SE side/cliffs and my approach would be from the opposite side
Prong Pond Mtn 2408' is another long "summit" oriented SE/NW with the "top" being one of 2 bumps toward the SE end-the "top" is almost certainly the more southerly of the bumps, but again to avoid any questions, i planned to "touch 'em all". I had hoped to drive/park within about 0.75 crow flies miles of either bump, but because 9-10 culvert pipes had been pulled (i've been told the loggers have to do this when they finish cutting an area?-anyone know?), i decided to save the Forester and parked lower than planned. I walked up the road about 1+ miles and 600' to my original start spot (could have driven it, but would have been white knuckles and scrapes).
I had picked this side of Prong to ascend as there had been major logging and i use the roads/slash fields when possible. I was able to get within 0.4 miles of the top(s) fairly easily and then just hit a wall of evergreens -crazy thick--which stood in the way of my "direct" ascent route. I really didn't want a repeat of Elephant uglies, so i cheated north toward the col and while gaining altitude at the expense of distance hoped for more open woods to the top. Of course i finally had to head into the woods about 0.25 from the summits and it was worse than Elephant. These little peaks have the same genetics as their larger siblings the Lily Bays, the Bakers and the Spencers -horrendously thick in many spots near the summit. I'm glad to be finished with this area (unless i eventually go beyond 200 of these things).
Up i went, just trying push my way through the worst of it and take whatever the mountain gave me. I ended up closer to bump #2 (NW one) and man was i disoriented. I needed all my tools (compass in one hand, altimeter in the other and GPS around my neck to find this one--just NO open, breathing spots at all--hand to tree combat at every step. For those of you who eschew the tool, I really wonder if you could ever be reasonably certain you touched "bump 2" without a GPS (even our long lost Natty Bumppo like compadre Albee)---(i can feel the flames coming already )-just a flattish area, no obvious spot, but mainly so thick you can hardly move. I finally found what i am sure is "it", just a shade higher than the area around it--spot on with GPS and altimeter..however i think it is NOT the summit--crazy thick-no view of more than the next 5 feet of closely spaced small evergreen hell.
So then it was off to find the summit, bump #1, the SE one. It was about 450' away and after more dense stuff, the woods opened to a large, semi clear spot with a great view S and SW. Again no pill bottle... i suspect Prong may be just below JPs cutoff? Down through the thick stuff and back into the slash/road area, with just superb 180ish views north of surrounding lakes/peaks and what i think is Boundary Bald looming in the distance. I'm curious to know if any of you have been on Prong bump 1 and/or 2?
a very satisfying day--2 challenging small peaks to end my year
jim
Elephant 2650' (near Greenville, not the NEHH peak) -I had tried this hike last Saturday, but there was enough enough snow/ice on the mountain that i felt a solo whack was unwise--You can approach Elephant in several ways, either the Scammon Rd or the turn for the "B-52" site (see below) are best. About 7-8 miles on decent dirt roads bring you within less than a crow flies mile of the Elephant summit(s). There is considerable active logging back in here and a "no motorized vehicle other than snowmobiles" on a sign before a bridge both of which you might consider (i am sure there's a way around the bridge if you choose)
You pass very near the B-52 site before coming to a parking area about 0.7 crow flies miles (almost 1000' ups) beneath the western side of the southern end of the peak. The B-52 site is a crash site of the large bomber in the early 60s-plenty of info on the web and worth the trip in if you have time--not far off the road and a bit eerie.
The first half of the hike up Elephant is decent going on old roads and thru moderate woods.I felt there might be some difficult evergreen bands higher up and hoped to avoid them by trying for the ridge south of the summit and heading north -no luck. It started to get thick (blowdown, thick small balsams, etc) about 1/2 way up and the last 0.25 miles were a bit ugly; 25 minutes to go 0.15 miles in one spot; slow & brutal even if you do this a lot-deep bend, hurdle step, slither. Elephant has a long "top" oriented pretty much N/S with the summit(s) located on the south/middle section.
I shot for the more southerly of the 2 bumps with similar contour lines which i felt was the "top" (bump #1)--very thick going. There was a small open spot at the top (no views) with only 1 or two prospective "peak" spots-no jar though i searched well and it should have been easily visible. I decided to travel the 0.16 miles NE to the other bump in case there was a quiz again this week
. The going wasn't too bad most of the way over the ridge and the bump was actually a more open, almost pleasant spot- with no views. I felt this "could" be the peak though the Thommen was inconclusive (altimeter reading identical to #1 within error)-again pretty obvious high spots and no small pill bottle?--the was some evidence of people having been on both bumpsI headed W from bump #2 and quickly came to a great view spot and a direct shot down to the road i drove in on -i'd guess only 1/2 mile, but some very steep, very thick stuff for perhaps 0.2 miles. I figured what the heck, but after 5 minutes decided this route was awfully dangerous and headed back over bump #1 and down my ascent route, still ugly, but a know, doable commodity.
Back at the car, i took a good look at my next quarry, Prong Pond Mtn-was seeing it's SE side/cliffs and my approach would be from the opposite side
Prong Pond Mtn 2408' is another long "summit" oriented SE/NW with the "top" being one of 2 bumps toward the SE end-the "top" is almost certainly the more southerly of the bumps, but again to avoid any questions, i planned to "touch 'em all". I had hoped to drive/park within about 0.75 crow flies miles of either bump, but because 9-10 culvert pipes had been pulled (i've been told the loggers have to do this when they finish cutting an area?-anyone know?), i decided to save the Forester and parked lower than planned. I walked up the road about 1+ miles and 600' to my original start spot (could have driven it, but would have been white knuckles and scrapes).
I had picked this side of Prong to ascend as there had been major logging and i use the roads/slash fields when possible. I was able to get within 0.4 miles of the top(s) fairly easily and then just hit a wall of evergreens -crazy thick--which stood in the way of my "direct" ascent route. I really didn't want a repeat of Elephant uglies, so i cheated north toward the col and while gaining altitude at the expense of distance hoped for more open woods to the top. Of course i finally had to head into the woods about 0.25 from the summits and it was worse than Elephant. These little peaks have the same genetics as their larger siblings the Lily Bays, the Bakers and the Spencers -horrendously thick in many spots near the summit. I'm glad to be finished with this area (unless i eventually go beyond 200 of these things).
Up i went, just trying push my way through the worst of it and take whatever the mountain gave me. I ended up closer to bump #2 (NW one) and man was i disoriented. I needed all my tools (compass in one hand, altimeter in the other and GPS around my neck to find this one--just NO open, breathing spots at all--hand to tree combat at every step. For those of you who eschew the tool, I really wonder if you could ever be reasonably certain you touched "bump 2" without a GPS (even our long lost Natty Bumppo like compadre Albee
)---(i can feel the flames coming already )-just a flattish area, no obvious spot, but mainly so thick you can hardly move. I finally found what i am sure is "it", just a shade higher than the area around it--spot on with GPS and altimeter..however i think it is NOT the summit--crazy thick-no view of more than the next 5 feet of closely spaced small evergreen hell.So then it was off to find the summit, bump #1, the SE one. It was about 450' away and after more dense stuff, the woods opened to a large, semi clear spot with a great view S and SW. Again no pill bottle... i suspect Prong may be just below JPs cutoff? Down through the thick stuff and back into the slash/road area, with just superb 180ish views north of surrounding lakes/peaks and what i think is Boundary Bald looming in the distance. I'm curious to know if any of you have been on Prong bump 1 and/or 2?
a very satisfying day--2 challenging small peaks to end my year
jim
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