Andrew gets his first taste of Payette bushwhacking, but declares Burnside is worth the work.
- August 30, 2014
- Team: Tom, Andrew, Art & Carol & Tegan
- Summit: Burnside Peak, 8614'
- 5.2 miles RT, 2194' gain, 6:30 total time
Note: click images to see a larger version in a new window
After a fairly uneventful drive (other than the ATV rider who passed us, then stopped in the middle of the road and would not let us by until all his buddies had passed, which took a few minutes), we were parked at Lick Creek summit and walking out past Summit Lake. |
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There is a trail for a bit- almost 50 yards. From there on, this is full Payette bushwhacking It's slow going, and doubly slow when you stumble into a big patch of huckleberries. That's our peak, on the extreme right. |
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Our route was cross-grain to the intense rock ribbing of the area. So tons of up-and-down or around the boulders. Even so, very scenic. |
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| Eventually we finished the approach and made it to the foot of the real climb. From here on, it would be easier. |  |
| We aimed for a slight saddle in the east ridge. When we crested the saddle, the view to the north was outstanding, revealing Duck Lake, North and South Loon, etc. |  |
Then it was up the ridge. That's the Lick Creek drainage in the background. |
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. Like many of the summits in this area, the upper mountain is defined by a huge pile of granite boulders. |
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| This one, however, has sort of a thrilling summit. Andrew is doing the cowboy, and right behind him (or actually, right below him) is about a 70 foot drop. Due to the pointy nature of the summit, I couldn't get a camera angle to show it. |  |
| Here's Tom on the same spot, from another direction. Again, the drop is below the camera frame. |  |
| There is another summit that is debatably a bit lower. Much better photo, though. That's Art. |  |
| From the top, with awesome views, there was lots of peak identifying going on. Here's two favorites: Rain Peak just right of center, and just past Rain you can see Paintbrush. |  |
| After our summit tower shenanigans, we settled into a sheltered spot and had a leisurely lunch. We still had appetites despite all those huckleberries. |  |
| This shows the route we had taken, or at least the terrain we had to traverse. Click for a bigger version, which has a red dot marking the cars. |  |
Map of our hike.
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