Freezeout Ridge, Tiffany Mountain

Aug 21, 2009

by D. Inscho — last modified Aug 12, 2010 05:22 PM

Type of Outing: Multi-night backpack

Read More in our Hiking Guide: Hike: Freezeout Ridge; Region: North Cascades -- East Slope; Trails: Freezeout Ridge (#345); Avg Rating: 2.00
Read More in our Hiking Guide: Hike: Tiffany Mountain; Region: North Cascades -- East Slope; Agency: Okanogan National Forest - Tonasket Ranger District; Avg Rating: 4.00

Sunset camp and forest fire by David Inscho

I got away with it again, residing at 8242’ without any casualties; no storms threatened to blow the tent off the mountain, or zap us with 100% natural electricity; no pots were whisked off the precipitous NE face. Sure it was cold in the morning, but being on a summit one could always find a seat in the sun after 6a. Another great feature was there were absolutely no biting pests.

It should only take an hour to reach Tiffany’s tip-top from 6520’ Freeze out Pass with a full pack, but I volunteered some time to update the monkeywrenching of horse-braided trails on the way up; and Bodhran spent some time cautiously investigating some “slow elk” grazing on the ridge. Another 90 minutes was spent packing 6 gallons of spring water from 1000’ below for our 2 night stay. Five gallons would have been plenty for man and beast.

A forest fire sprang to life the first afternoon between Mount McCay and Omak. That blustery night it was a sinister orange glow. By Saturday it had blanketed the whole of the Okanogan valley up to Tiffany summit in the south-westerly breeze. So by staying just west of the summit ridgeline guaranteed fresh air; consequently it was not a bother.

Bodhran and I rambled to Rock Mountain via the saddle north of Tiffany summit. From there an old grazing trail leads downward through groves of Larch and charred spars to Honeymoon Pass at 7200’. A cross-country climb on grassy slopes, past more cattle, brought us to the summit. The object of my curiosity was a solar-powered radio relay visible from Tiffany. There is also a register in the summit cairn.

Tiffany is an amazingly quiet place considering its easy access and spectacular views. I saw only 5 other groups during the three days. There was plenty of time to ponder various raptors, including a Golden Eagle; or the setting crescent moon, all in magnificent quiet.

Tiffany is the last of my regular stops for awhile; time to step off the ribbon of dirt into the unknown. September offers cooler bug-free travel. I am excited, but as always, mindful of the dragons at the edge of the map.