Romancing the Cone - Chapter Two! 2015/10/11

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Guy
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Romancing the Cone - Chapter Two! 2015/10/11

Post by Guy » October 12th, 2015, 4:46 pm

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Opening pic

Back in June 2013 VanMarmot wrote a great report titled Romancing the Cone about his journey across the Big Lave Bed to the summit of the unnamed cone at it's center. To date this is still the only report I can find for such a trip so I've decided to steal Van's great title and just write a second chapter :)

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Yesterday, Chiyoko, Chizuru, Don, Jamie & I set out to tag first the summit & then the crater bottom of Big Lava Bed Cone. While Van had tackled it from the North West side we decided on an approach from the South East.

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As already written there is no quick way through the lava bed. We just slowly picked our way forward sometimes the going was easy, sometimes a little tougher.

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There were a few holes along the way that of course had to be thoroughly investigated..

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It took us about 2 hours to reach the base of the cone. The trees suddenly returned to full size and there was evidence of deer and elk everywhere. We hadn’t seen any such evidence out in the lava fields.

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The climb up the side covers a 1000’ in about half a mile to the Summit.

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After tagging the summit we decided to head down about 150’ or so to the Crater bottom. When we got there though it didn’t look right.

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There was another ridge in front of us, we climbed that and then we saw the true crater bottom another 200’ below us. There is a crater within a crater! Before beginning the second decent we decided to stop for lunch in the sun, it looked very gloomy & cold down below! We then walked around to the North West side of the rim to begin our decent where passage down looked easier.

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We soon found ourselves walking on the small round meadow at the base of the crater. It was indeed cool, & gloomy! We found the remains of an old fire pit and to our surprise a geochace box! Placed there in 2004 it looks like about 4 or 5 people a year make it through the lava to sign the register.

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Soon it was time to climb out & head back, we took a different track on the way out in the hopes of reaching some meadows.

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We did manage this but the Lava pushed us an extra mile out of our way to get it done!

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We found a dry creek bed that at times carries lots of water towards the Lava bed where we can only assume it disappears into the rock! Based on the lines left by floating pine needles it looked like it could have had 4' of water in it just the day before.

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The Cotton Wood meadows could not have been more different than the Lava Fields we had struggled through. Open grassy almost parkland type walking.

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Some of the Cottonwoods were truly huge.

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Eventually we made our way back to the road about a mile away from the car.

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All told the hike came at a touch over 8 miles 3 up & 5 back with about 2300’ of EG. It felt like a lot more!

A few more pics here & a map below.

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hiking log & photos.
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adamschneider
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Re: Romancing the Cone - Chapter Two! 2015/10/11

Post by adamschneider » October 12th, 2015, 5:06 pm

Good god, y'all are masochists. I just drove by part of Big Lava Bed yesterday (west of Goose Lake) and was saying to my friend, "that would NOT be a fun place to go cross-country."

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Eric Peterson
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Re: Romancing the Cone - Chapter Two! 2015/10/11

Post by Eric Peterson » October 12th, 2015, 5:10 pm

Best picture ever of DN!

I miss hiking/adventuring with you guys! :)

Looks like you had a great time out exploring!

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CraigG
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Re: Romancing the Cone - Chapter Two! 2015/10/11

Post by CraigG » October 12th, 2015, 5:44 pm

Well done! Nice adventure!

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Don Nelsen
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Re: Romancing the Cone - Chapter Two! 2015/10/11

Post by Don Nelsen » October 12th, 2015, 6:55 pm

Guy,

Thanks for posting the TR and also thanks so much to all of the other victims - er, hikers, for your company and enthusiasm on this epic adventure!

Here are some of my photos:

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dn
"Everything works in the planning stage" - Kelly

"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller

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jaimito
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Re: Romancing the Cone - Chapter Two! 2015/10/11

Post by jaimito » October 12th, 2015, 7:03 pm

Thanks again Guy, Chizuru and Chiyoko it was great to catch up with you all again. Don, well you know…

I've got some other peaks to run by you so I'll ping you later about them. :D

Guy I hope your boots can be repaired? Guy literally cut his heel off his boot from the Lava rocks…

Anyways thanks for posting, till next time.

J

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Koda
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Re: Romancing the Cone - Chapter Two! 2015/10/11

Post by Koda » October 12th, 2015, 7:22 pm

it wouldn’t be my first choice, but it would have to be a unique experience to camp overnight in such a depression as the crater of a vent. It does sound like a perfect spot for a geocache.

Fun adventure hike, those cottonwoods look beautiful. I hear there is a map hidden somewhere in the cone that shows the way to a stolen emerald buried by an outlaw gang in the early days of NW immigration.... :ugeek:
lightweight, cheap, strong... pick 2

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Don Nelsen
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Re: Romancing the Cone - Chapter Two! 2015/10/11

Post by Don Nelsen » October 12th, 2015, 8:20 pm

Koda wrote:it wouldn’t be my first choice, but it would have to be a unique experience to camp overnight in such a depression as the crater of a vent...
There are at least three other places like it in the county and I camped in one of them this summer. These three are bigger so better light and less gloomy plus lots easier to get into.

The one I camped in is an elongated crater depression about 60 feet deep from the lowest exit point:

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Here are pics of another two:
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And:
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dn
"Everything works in the planning stage" - Kelly

"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller

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romann
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Re: Romancing the Cone - Chapter Two! 2015/10/11

Post by romann » October 12th, 2015, 11:56 pm

Fun report and narrative, but all those holes in the ground just cry "Not a good place to hike alone". If there was a place that has last of the large undiscovered lava caves, that probably would be it.

Cotton Wood meadows look really nice right now, I may head there in the coming weeks.

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Guy
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Re: Romancing the Cone - Chapter Two! 2015/10/11

Post by Guy » October 13th, 2015, 4:25 am

Thanks Everyone!
romann wrote:Fun report and narrative, but all those holes in the ground just cry "Not a good place to hike alone". If there was a place that has last of the large undiscovered lava caves, that probably would be it.

Cotton Wood meadows look really nice right now, I may head there in the coming weeks.
Well at least not without a good Swiss Army Knife Romann to cut your foot off should you get it stuck in a hole ;)

"Romancing the Cone" who will be writing Chapter 3?
hiking log & photos.
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