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CCT in Indian Heaven?
Posted: August 15th, 2020, 2:44 pm
by naturalle
Planning to do the hike to Tombstone Lake via the PCT soon, I'm curious if anyone has been in this area on the CCT lately? I want to know how difficult it is to navigate these days so I can decide on an out and back vs making it a loop with the CCT.
The latest trip report is from 2013 which probably isn't recent enough to be reliable.
Re: CCT in Indian Henry?
Posted: August 16th, 2020, 6:45 am
by drm
Did you mean Indian Heaven? Indian Henry's Hunting Ground is on Mt. Rainier. That's probably why you didn't get any responses. Nobody south of the Washington / Oregon line knows there is a mountain called Rainier.
There are a variety of non-official/abandoned trails west of the PCT in Indian Heaven. For the most part they are well used and easy to follow. But some sections are prone to being very soggy and you should expect a few spots where they disappear. But it isn't just the CCT. You will run into junctions of abandoned trails and will need to know which direction to take, especially west of Junction Lake, or at least where they are heading. So while the nav is not particularly hard, you do need to be able to navigate some.
Re: CCT in Indian Henry?
Posted: August 16th, 2020, 7:02 am
by naturalle
drm wrote: ↑August 16th, 2020, 6:45 am
Did you mean Indian Heaven? Indian Henry's Hunting Ground is on Mt. Rainier. That's probably why you didn't get any responses. Nobody south of the Washington / Oregon line knows there is a mountain called Rainier.
There are a variety of non-official/abandoned trails west of the PCT in Indian Heaven. For the most part they are well used and easy to follow. But some sections are prone to being very soggy and you should expect a few spots where they disappear. But it isn't just the CCT. You will run into junctions of abandoned trails and will need to know which direction to take, especially west of Junction Lake, or at least where they are heading. So while the nav is not particularly hard, you do need to be able to navigate some.
YES I do mean Indian Heaven. I'm not sure how I missed that typo, so embarrassing
I will primarily be using just the PCT, the CCT trail I am wondering about is to the east of it and is abandoned, but was navigable as of the post seen in 2013. I'm pretty decent at navigating if I keep my head cool but prone to panic if the trail disappears for too long. I won't be heading as far north as Junction lake, and I think I have a pretty good grasp of which intersections I need to be on the lookout for on my route! Will be armed with maps too.
Re: CCT in Indian Heaven?
Posted: August 16th, 2020, 9:37 am
by jime
I don't have any current information, but I do intend to go check out that CCT-PCT loop soon.
What I do have to add is a couple of links of historical interest.
https://ecoshare.info/uploads/ccamp/syn ... ._1999.pdf
https://ethnobiology.org/sites/default/ ... re2002.pdf
Not only does the CCT predate the PCT, it was part of the "Klickitat Trail" Indian path traveling from Fort Vancouver to Trout Lake. In August 1853, a US Army Survey party led by Captain George McClellan camped at Spring Camp/Indian Race Track with the Klickitat Indians. An Ethnologist with the party, George Gibbs, reported on the friendly encounter with the Indians as well as their berry harvesting activities.
Re: CCT in Indian Heaven?
Posted: August 16th, 2020, 2:29 pm
by drm
Okay, so you're talking about areas SE of Blue Lake and so on. The area I was talking about is relatively flat and has lots of meadows that allow for easy going. The area you're talking about slopes down a lot and out of the wilderness. Doesn't matter much if the trail is easy to follow, but gets harder fast if the trail fades. But a well-trod trail on a slope has a deeper cut than in flat land so maybe a better chance it is okay. But I have no experience in that area. I don't remember that 2013 post.
Re: CCT in Indian Heaven?
Posted: August 16th, 2020, 3:54 pm
by jime
Re: CCT in Indian Heaven?
Posted: August 16th, 2020, 6:38 pm
by drm
Okay - seven years and no reports? I would be prepared for some navigation issues, at least quite a bit of blowdown, and then pleased if there were few. Especially since the option of just turning west to get to the PCT if it got nasty doesn't look easy either.
Re: CCT in Indian Heaven?
Posted: August 16th, 2020, 7:51 pm
by naturalle
jime wrote: ↑August 16th, 2020, 9:37 am
I don't have any current information, but I do intend to go check out that CCT-PCT loop soon.
What I do have to add is a couple of links of historical interest.
https://ecoshare.info/uploads/ccamp/syn ... ._1999.pdf
https://ethnobiology.org/sites/default/ ... re2002.pdf
Not only does the CCT predate the PCT, it was part of the "Klickitat Trail" Indian path traveling from Fort Vancouver to Trout Lake. In August 1853, a US Army Survey party led by Captain George McClellan camped at Spring Camp/Indian Race Track with the Klickitat Indians. An Ethnologist with the party, George Gibbs, reported on the friendly encounter with the Indians as well as their berry harvesting activities.
It's a shame that trails with such a history behind them can be abandoned like this and eventually fade away. I'll have to read through those documents when I get a chance. I do hope for a bit of berry harvesting activity of my own.
Please share if you hike the loop!
drm wrote: ↑August 16th, 2020, 6:38 pm
Okay - seven years and no reports? I would be prepared for some navigation issues, at least quite a bit of blowdown, and then pleased if there were few. Especially since the option of just turning west to get to the PCT if it got nasty doesn't look easy either.
Yeah, I worry that it hasn't been used much at all in that time. At least my route is short enough itself that I could turn back to rejoin the PCT if things get ugly and still reach an area to camp at a reasonable time. I guess I'll have to think on it a bit more.
Re: CCT in Indian Heaven?
Posted: August 17th, 2020, 5:53 am
by jime
One more trail history link. More maps and pictures here -
http://columbiariverimages.com/Regions/ ... trail.html
Chequos ("rough place") is the Indian name for the Spring Camp/Race Track area near Red Mtn.
Re: CCT in Indian Heaven?
Posted: August 17th, 2020, 6:17 pm
by Chip Down
When you get to Indian Henry's Hunting Ground (
) be sure to hike up to the top of Pyramid Peak. It's a gem, really worth the effort.