Diamond Peak 7/11/2012 - 7/13/2012

[j.j.81]

This trip report is a bit overdue, but here it is. I imagine that the snow has melted out quite a bit more in the past ten days, but heavy snow cover was at about 6200' with the white stuff showing up around 1000' before that. I didn't see any prints in the snow before mine, but there was a lot of melting even in the 40 hours I was there. Following the trail got pretty tricky, and I was essentially blaze hopping: from one tree, line up where it pointed and scan for the next marked tree.

Four years ago, I went to the Diamond Peak Wilderness and tried to climb Diamond Peak. I made a big mistake and started climbing from the eastern ridge instead of the southern, and wound up turning back after some scrambling beyond what I could handle. At one point, a rock I had just moved off from broke away and tumbled down the steep northern face. For the past four years, I've wanted to come back and do the climb right. I finally returned this summer with a lighter pack, more appropriate gear, and more experience under my belt.

I started from the Trapper Creek TH by Odell Lake at about 6pm. With that sort of start, I already scrapped my plans for a nice, big loop using the PCT. The mosquitoes were out in force, and I was wishing three things: that I had worn a bugproof shirt, that I had brought my tent instead of my tarp and homemade bivy, and that I had a headnet. Fortunately, I found a headnet dropped by some poor hiker.

I reached Diamond View Lake at around 7:20, getting chewed to pieces by the worst mosquitoes I may have ever been in.

from Diamond View Lake

I kept going, wanting to get as far as possible so that the next day I could push to the peak. I eventually reached this unnamed lake, which probably is only a lake while the snow is melting. I decided to spend the night nearby, shortly before the junction of trails 44 and 43.

I climbed a hill a ways from the trail to hopefully get up away from any mosquitoes and maybe even catch a breeze, and set up camp for the night. It was incredibly clear, so I didn't set up my poncho tarp; instead, I just laid out my bivy and gathered wood. The smoke gave me peace from the buzzing pests.

This trip, I wanted to try a few different receipes, one of which was steam baking cornbread muffins ala Mike Clelland. Worked perfectly, so I made two batches, one to go with dinner and the other I packed in my pot, hung in my food bag, and had for breakfast.

The next morning, the bugs were waiting for me to exit my bivy, and they helped me hurry up and hit the trail as fast as I could pack up. The snow cover eventually got pretty severe, but that meant far less mosquitoes. I got pretty good at picking out the trail blazes marked on trees since there was no trail to follow.

The heart shaped, unnamed lake just off the trail was in the process of melting, and had plenty of snow-free areas around it.

Shot of me via camera timer. This time around I brought my ice axe.

Not long after the lake, I broke off from the trail and headed west towards the PCT and the south ridge of Diamond Peak. I found this pebbled stream fed by snow melt.

At this point, the snow was virtually 100%, and I took very few pictures. It was actually faster to be off trail because I wasn't trying to follow a snow covered trail, but instead was just heading west.

Finally, I broke out above treeline and had my first views.

Summit Lake

I didn't cut quite as far south as I had intended, mostly because I was also trying to go uphill. That meant I had to scramble across the rock field, and traversed a couple snowfields as well. I'm glad I packed my ice axe because it made it possible to climb the snow, and of course had I slipped, I could have self-arrested.

There were quite a few alpine flowers poking out, but for some reason I didn't take any pictures. However, this little bouquet surprised me as I was making my way up; almost stepped on it.

I made it up the first subpeak, and could finally see the last stretch before the top.

Just as I started, up from the west came this hawk on the updrafts, and he hung there above Diamond Peak for a few moments.

I made it to the summit at 3:30, so the afternoon haze had settled in. Still, it was an awesome view.

Looking north:

Looking south:

(Finished in the next post.)

[j.j.81]

At the summit, I had the late lunch I saved as a reward for reaching the top after all these years. Salami and cheese bagel sandwich, fresh Fuji apple, and homemade Logan bread. Saved the UL cigar for later.

I watched the clouds roll past, and savored the view. Once last shot of the mountain before I went down; the subpeak just right of center was where I turned around four years ago.

Rather than try to make a loop with the PCT, I simply backtracked. When I crossed the PCT going up, I missed it entirely. Going back down, I stumbled across about 6' that was melted out, but only noticed it as trail because there was graffiti on a tree.

I stopped at the unnamed lake that I took pictures of before to set up camp. Went about camp chores and even got in the lake, though I couldn't work up the nerve to get immersed in the ice water. Sunset was beautiful.

Overnight, it got cold enough that the lake completely froze over.

From there, it was just a matter of hiking out. I got one last really good view of Diamond Peak with midmorning sun on the eastern face.

Thanks for looking.
-Jeff

[retired jerry]

Nice report. I don't get down there much.

Isn't it nice just sleeping under the stars...

[hlee]

Beautiful photos! That really looks like quite the hike.

I'm curious about the steamed muffins. Is there a link to a recipe on that?

Also, your hawk looks like a Broad-winged Hawk, if you were curious.

[j.j.81]

Ah, I was curious about the hawk; thanks. I ought to get a bird book to add to my home library.

As for the muffins, I used Jiffy cornbread mix and added powdered egg and milk. In camp, I mixed the dry ingredients with just a little water, enough to make a stiff dough, in my coffee cup. Then I spooned the dough into the silicone muffin cups, and placed small twigs in the pot to raise them off the bottom of the pot. Added a bit of water to the pot, lid on, and next to the fire. It took a little over 10 minutes to completely bake them, and they turned out really moist since it was steam baked.

I've since tried it with my nesting pots, and made a larger single piece of bread. It also worked very well, though I had to weigh the lid down since the inner pot wanted to float too high. You need to trap the steam since that's your indirect heat. Any sort of quick bread would work, and, of course, it works on a stove too.

The video: http://vimeo.com/772798

-Jeff

[hlee]

Very cool! Will jot this down...