Coldwater Peak 6/6/12 - success!

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Eric Peterson
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Re: Coldwater Peak 6/6/12 - success!

Post by Eric Peterson » June 10th, 2012, 2:31 am

Awesome Romann! :)

What kind of camera are you using? Excellent pictures 8-)

ttaosh
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Re: Coldwater Peak 6/6/12 - success!

Post by ttaosh » June 10th, 2012, 4:09 am

sasquatch22 wrote:Congratulations, Romann! 8-)
Your summit approach qualifies this TR as an "Off-Trail" Report as well (I would think). Pretty ballsy route, too...
Any sign of trail disturbances on the Devil's Elbow?
I trust images from your expedition will also appear in one of your Picasa galleries in the future?
if iget heathly enough by falll whitter is a must to do if not the lakes trail is on my radar.

your trip was impresise nice job my friehd i bet you were all alone to.

deftenty a specical place to hang out.

tom

mcds
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Re: Coldwater Peak 6/6/12 - success!

Post by mcds » June 10th, 2012, 8:19 am

Well done romann, with bonus points for the long running perseverance! Could you expand a little about the type of footwear you used? Thank you for the great TR and spectacular photos.

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Waffle Stomper
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Re: Coldwater Peak 6/6/12 - success!

Post by Waffle Stomper » June 10th, 2012, 9:02 am

Great shots all of them. Love the progression of the day's light.
"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." - John Muir

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Bosterson
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Re: Coldwater Peak 6/6/12 - success!

Post by Bosterson » June 10th, 2012, 10:56 am

romann wrote:I remember Peder's and your reports from Whittier - the terrain is so rugged, with open views, just fantastic to explore!
The first time I did it we did a loop around the Lakes trail for about 14 miles. Last year we did the Coldwater canyon sided loop for 25 miles.

Either way, go in mid September for maximum huckleberry ripeness!
#pnw #bestlife #bitingflies #favoriteyellowcap #neverdispleased

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romann
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Re: Coldwater Peak 6/6/12 - success!

Post by romann » June 10th, 2012, 8:49 pm

Thanks all for compliments!
Eric Peterson wrote:What kind of camera are you using?
Eric - I use Nikon D40 with the kit lens it's usually sold with (Nikkor 18-55MM). I thought my sun-less pics from this trip (about 3/4 of them) were crappy, but the views somewhat made up for it :)
mcds wrote:Could you expand a little about the type of footwear you used?
Well it was brown hiking boots from WalMart ($30 variety, I don't remember the make or anything), they are actually quite good and already carried me for 500+ miles. My new crampons are 10-point aluminum Stubai crampons (bought on sale for $88); added plastic/scotch anti-balling plates of my making - they performed great!
sasquatch22 wrote:Any sign of trail disturbances on the Devil's Elbow?
I trust images from your expedition will also appear in one of your Picasa galleries in the future?
There was a rough spot about mid-way through Devil's Elbow, where tread gets dangerously thin. The rangers were working on it as I passed (thanked them for their work). I didn't see any evidence of big slides or anything significant from my hike back in the fall.

Uploading photos in Picasa - I'm not sure yet... I keep my photos in nef/raw format and will need to convert them to jpeg in order to upload. But I'll try to upload those I converted for this TR, when I get some time.
ttaosh wrote:i bet you were all alone to.
Yes I was alone on that trip, thought about inviting someone along but decided I had a better choice to take the risk - or back off if needed - without making others disappointed.
Lakes trail seems very interesting hike, I completely overlooked it.

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Guy
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Re: Coldwater Peak 6/6/12 - success!

Post by Guy » June 11th, 2012, 6:05 am

Romann, I just caught up with this post! Great TR & fantastic photos, I really need to make the effort to get up into that area.

Cheers.
hiking log & photos.
Ad monte summa aut mors

trailworkMSHI
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Re: Coldwater Peak 6/6/12 - success!

Post by trailworkMSHI » June 14th, 2012, 2:21 pm

Congrats on getting up to the top of Coldwater Peak! Those pictures are breathtaking. When the sun goes down on Helens on a clear day, you always leave happy. Thanks for sharing your adventure!

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Easyrider
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Re: Coldwater Peak 6/6/12 - success!

Post by Easyrider » July 8th, 2012, 8:34 am

Coldwater Peak is an excellent and very scenic hike. Julie and I have been out here several times including Friday (7/6/12). We'd love to do this one early/late in the season... the gorgeous pictures you posted are ample motivation for doing so. If you happen to head back there in late fall or early next Spring, we'd love to tag along with you if you're willing.

http://www.theoriginaleasyrider.com/coldwater_2012.htm
Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from surviving bad judgment. ~Rita Mae Brown

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romann
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Re: Coldwater Peak 6/6/12 - success!

Post by romann » July 8th, 2012, 9:50 am

Easyrider wrote:Coldwater Peak is an excellent and very scenic hike. Julie and I have been out here several times including Friday (7/6/12). We'd love to do this one early/late in the season... the gorgeous pictures you posted are ample motivation for doing so. If you happen to head back there in late fall or early next Spring, we'd love to tag along with you if you're willing.

http://www.theoriginaleasyrider.com/coldwater_2012.htm
It looks much more summer-like in your trip report! I always try to visit the area in the first or second week of October - when huckleberry leaves turn red and orange but still plenty of berries.

You're right when you mention off-trail restrictions in your report, but once you get to the foot of Coldwater Peak (and above Boundary Trail), you're out of "on trail" area and may pick any route that looks good. St Helens Lake is below Boundary trail though, so its still in restricted zone.

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