A big group climbs beautiful Paymaster Peak with views into Big Basin
- October 19, 2008
- Team: Big Dan, Zach, Art, Eric, and Mariel
- Summits:
- Peak 10292 (aka Paymaster Peak)
- 7.5 miles, 3350' gain, 6 hours car-to-car
Big Dan invited me on a trip up the East Fork, and I was game. Dan had snagged a condo in Hailey, which was great because I was tired from yesterday. He and Zach drove up from Boise and met me there. We were watching a football game when Art finally rolled in. We were four mountaineers, but four fairly relaxed mountaineers as we sipped beers and snacked on popcorn. The next morning we were still fairly relaxed, leaving the car at about 8:30. The sky was blue and the temperature was surprisingly mild. |
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Here's our peak, Peak 10292, from the trail up Paymaster Gulch. There had been several cars at the trailhead, so we were wary about deer hunters. We picked up Mariel and Eric on the trail, making it a party of six. |
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Near the top of the gulch, we got an awesome view of Jacqueline Peak. |
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Above the gulch, the terrain opens up and moderates some in steepness. The sheep had been up here, so it fairly reeked, and you couldn't put a foot down without stepping in some shit. But hey- there's our peak! We switch-backed through the sage brush to gain the (steepening) ridge on the right. |
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Once atop the ridge, you are looking down into Big Basin. That's Old Hyndman on the left. Art and Zach are naming some of the many other peaks that are visible. |
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Looking the other direction, you can see our goal for the day. We were intending to walk up the gully, but Eric wanted to climb the slabs to the right. |
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We did both. The slabs were pretty good rock, and because of frequent ledges they were not exposed. But every ledge was loaded with loose debris, and with six of us together, there was potential for rockfall. We dispersed across the face to stay out of each other's fall line. |
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We got to the summit ridge around noon, and had a lengthy lunch. Then we casually descended back to the car, all the while watching big black clouds roll in behind us. When we got to the highway, it was sprinkling lightly (briefly). Ah, fall. |
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