Cowhorn Mtn is accessed on the Pacific Crest
Trail (PCT) and it is a relatively kind and gentle
slope for the first 4 miles or so. We had
views of Thielsen and Bailey and a couple of
viewpoints of Cowhorn itself. As long as you
didn't note how far away and how far above Cowhorn
was, it was a nice view. We also overlooked
the pair of Windigo Lakes. Mushrooms of all
kinds were sprouting on the forest floor.
After 4 miles of a steady climb up to the
base of Cowhorn, it was time to leave the PCT and
do some climbing. The first portion of the
climb was extremely steep up a pumice slope.
Halfway up Cowhorn there is a bright red saddle
which made for a nice rest stop before tackling
the summit which loomed above. If you look
at the distance shots of Cowhorn, you can clearly
see the red saddle.
The views were fantastic at this point, Crescent
Lake, Diamond Peak, Summit Lake, and Sawtooth Peak
were all prominent. Dollie and I continued
on the slog up to ridge which petered out at
jagged cliff. So we went left around it and
scrambled up to the summit, some use of hands was
required. Much to our surprise, no one was
there.
I was concerned because Ray, Mike, and Richard B
had all been ahead of me and should have
greeted me at the summit. However, they
appeared shortly below us, looking like little
ants. Ray had taken them to a viewpoint of
the Windy Lakes further on the PCT and we had
leapfrogged them in the process. Mystery
solved.
Eventually, Gaoying and Jackie straggled up making
for 7 Friends of the Umpqua that bagged Cowhorn.
We dallied and soaked in the views for about an
hour. It was bright and sunny but a chill
arctic wind was blowing and windbreakers were
donned.
So we picked our way down the slope and returned
by way of the PCT. When Linda, Gaoying, Ray
and I arrived at the Windigo Lake overlook we
discussed going down to the lake for a brief
explorative foray. Linda asked where the
trail was. I laughed and said "Trail,
what trail?" With fear in her eyes, she
left us screaming at a dead run, Gaoying in her
wake. So it was Ray and I that bushwhacked
down a steep slope to the lake. The main
problem was once we got down the slope the dense
forest prevented us from seeing any landmarks,
including the lake. Ray and I discussed
which way to go, he said left and I said right.
After wandering around a few minutes we found the
lake to the right. Ray said I was right but
he would never admit it to anyone else so I am
outing him here and now.
The lake was very pretty and had wonderful places
for campsites, it'd be a nice place to set up camp
and waste a weekend. After leaving the lake
it was back in the woods and we didn't really know
exactly where we were but knew we would hit either
the trail or the road. Turned out to be the
trail and it capped off a great hike.
Enjoy the pictures and see the album at:
