Barrett Spur Scramble, 8/2/2020

[retired jerry]

I've seen them on Mt Hood, the Wallowas, Trinity Alps

Found a dead mammal in one of them? That's pretty good evidence to support the mammal tunnel theory

[BurnsideBob]

"Sweet Dreams are made of this" --Eurythmics


A very awesome trip report to a marvellous area. Thanks for sharing.

Up Gladd Ridge and down your ridge: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=20182&p=150218&hil ... tt#p150218

Pic from this trip:

For justpeachy, a room with a view and windbreak:

Cheers,

BurnsideBob

[wnshall]

Up Gladd Ridge and down your ridge: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=20182&p=150218&hil ... tt#p150218

Great trip report! I don't remember seeing it specifically, but it's probably one of the ones that convinced me it wasn't insane to try the route. So I guess Gladd Ridge isn't quite so narrow in the middle as it appears? Maybe the lower temps and frozen ground of an October hike provides surer footing?

[wnshall]

On this web site, we DO call it Glisan Creek.

I almost did refer to it as Glisan Creek. I like it better than the fork terminology, and as Tom said, it helps keep the Glisan name alive as the glacier disappears.

Isn’t Gladd Ridge the one to the south of him that he took pics of? He went up the one on the other side on the north which I’m unfamiliar with its name. (Ladd Ridge? Laddcoe Ridge? Haha)

So, any consensus on a name for this ridge? Ladd? Laddcoe doesn't seem quite right since there are additional ridges between the Ladd and Coe glaciers. Not that it really matters, but it beats saying
"go up that ridge North of Gladd that goes to Barrett Spur".

I’ve done the Gladd both ways and crossed to Barrett which is cool. Your Dragon’s Back is also called Co Rock due to being right on the “co” letters of Hood River “Co”unty on the maps...along with “Ho Rock” below on “Ho”od River County on the maps.

But you have to admit that "dragon's back" is a lot more evocative.

[wnshall]

Those dirt mounds are pocket gopher eskers. Pocket gophers often backfill their tunnels. When the tunnels are in snow and the backfill material is dirt, then when the snow melts, you find the esker. Voles also do this, but their eskers are narrower, about 1-1/2 inches in diameter.
If you look around you can sometimes find piles of grass within an esker, or at the end of one. These are bedding areas. Sometimes during a long spring melt, a gopher’s bedding area will get soaked and occasionally they succumb to hypothermia and on a rare occasion you will find a carcass.

OK, mystery solved! Thanks for sharing. So any idea why the gophers backfill their tunnels? What are they using the tunnels for? To go from one place to another, or just as shelter? Where do they get the dirt that they backfill with? Do they also burrow underground? If so, should we be able to find that the dirt mounds terminate at an underground tunnel?

[pcg]

... a room with a view and windbreak:

Years ago I was making many overnights to that area and I confess I built a fairly substantial stone wall fortress for my tent, but it was well-hidden in the krumholz so I doubt anyone has ever seen it. I was up there this spring when all was snow and it’s still there, although it took me an hour to find it. Apparently it moved over the years...

[mountainkat]

Hi! I happened to go up what they call Gladd Ridge the day before you, on 08/01, also starting at Cathedral Ridge. I took a detour over to Ho Rock first, then retreated down the McNeil Point Trail where it approaches Glisan Creek. That's where I left the trail (like you), but, I went up Gladd Ridge. There is just one spot on that ridge where it is sort of narrow but, it was no problem. I also went to the south part of Barrett Spur to ascend it. Some photos:

[mjirving]

But you have to admit that "dragon's back" is a lot more evocative.

Totally! First time I’ve heard it, but I love it!

[wnshall]

While hiking through the beautiful wildflower meadows on the upper slopes I contemplated the USGS topo maps that show extensive permanent snow fields extending much farther down slope than exists today. Given that the wildflower meadows seem to exist at the edges and ends of the snow fields -- places where the snow melts out for just a couple months of the year -- it stands to reason that extensive wildflower meadows used to exist quite a bit lower on the mountain, such as into Cairn Basin, Eden Park, Elk Cove, etc. My guess is that the Timberline trail used to pass through much more extensive wildflower meadows than it does today? Is this true? Does anyone have a sense for what the trail looked like 40-50 years ago?

I confess that I've always found Elk Cove a bit underwhelming - it's often described as filled with wildflowers, but it doesn't hold a candle to the display you find today on the upper slopes. Perhaps decades ago it contained more flowers.

[wnshall]

Hi! I happened to go up what they call Gladd Ridge the day before you, on 08/01, also starting at Cathedral Ridge. I took a detour over to Ho Rock first, then retreated down the McNeil Point Trail where it approaches Glisan Creek. That's where I left the trail (like you), but, I went up Gladd Ridge. There is just one spot on that ridge where it is sort of narrow but, it was no problem. I also went to the south part of Barrett Spur to ascend it. Some photos:

OK, good to know. Looks like a great trip! Up McNeil ridge AND Gladd to Barrett Spur! I can't keep up with you loony hikers!

I love that view of Hood from the end of Barrett Spur.