The Mount Thielsen Wilderness runs along the crest of the Cascades from the southern end of the Oregon Cascades Recreation Area to just north of Crater Lake National Park. Last year, we did two hikes in this wilderness: one a loop from the Howlock Mountain trailhead, that because it was screaming hot that day, became known as the Beau Geste hike (TR) and another (on a much cooler day) to Tipsoo Peak and the eastern summit of Howlock Mountain, again using a piece of the PCT to make a loop (TR). An upshot from this hike was a comment from splintercat about the spring (what we're calling "Cottonwood Spring" since it appears to be the source of Cottonwood Creek) in the large pumice basin immediately east of Mount Thielsen. Based on what we learned on our previous hikes, it seemed we could get a closer look at this spring by going cross-country up canyon from where the PCT crosses Thielsen Creek at what the USGS topo map calls "Thielsen Camp." And so we gave that idea a try today. Fulls details are here, but below are the highlights.
We again started at the Howlock Mountain trailhead, took the Howlock Mountain and then the Thielsen Creek trails to the PCT and went a short way over to where it crosses Thielsen Creek. Unlike last year, when this area was bone dry by now, this time we ran into snow patches starting at 6,800' and the PCT at Thielsen Creek was completely covered by snow. But we turned east here and made our way up the sandy slopes and through the forest on the north side of Thielsen Creek, aiming for the low point – what we’re calling the “Thielsen Creek Divide” (arrow) – on the ridge just north of Mount Thielsen.
This proved to be pretty easy going, as the forest was fairly open and the sandy sections not too loose. The slope was also not greater – and less so in places – than the Thielsen Creek trail itself. We made good progress as we passed below the looming bulk of Mount Thielsen. What’s left of the Lathrop Glacier is visible in the first notch right of the summit; its terminal moraine is evident as a rounded mound of boulders and gravel.
About half way up the canyon, we moved on to the snow - which was the perfect consistency for good steps with no postholing. As we got higher, Diamond Peak appeared on the western horizon.
We soon got to the divide,
and looked out over the pumice basin that serves as the catchment for Cottonwood Spring and Cottonwood Creek.
I know splintercat is going to be disappointed but we couldn't muster the enthusiasm (this time) to hike out to the spring itself. Cottonwood Spring is supposed to enter (or create) Cottonwood Creek by first running over a casade or falls just past the point we could see from the divide. So checking out this cascade would have required going to the far eastern side of the basin and maybe a bit beyond. The slope on the eastern side of the divide is much steeper and looser than what we’d climbed up from the west, hence dropping 600 feet down to see the springs (and then having to scrabble 600 feet back up loose scree) wasn’t getting many votes. None actually. So perhaps another day – later this summer or we’ll explore a (shorther?) way in from the east. So we returned the way we'd come...
All in all, a most excellent hike (12.8 miles round trip; 2,200 feet of elevation gain) with good trails, fun snow travel, expansive views of Diamond Peak to the west, and of Mount Thielsen right overhead (or so it seemed). Next time we’ll try for Cottonwood Spring, which would add 600 feet of gain and 2 miles to the hike.
