[pct-l] Side trips

[Gary Wright]

On Mar 25, 2013, at 12:28 PM, Scott Squatch Herriott <yetifan7 at gmail.com> wrote:
> I climbed Thielsen in '09 and, like Jo says, it definately is a testy
> climb. A cool, unexpected benefit is that when you're up there (assuming a
> clear day) you can actually see part of the water's surface of
> Crater Lake. Awesome.


Just to add a bit to this.

The 'technical climb' part of Mt. Thielsen is just the last 20-30
feet to the very small summit.  There is a tiny col just before the
last vertical segment to the summit where most 'non-technical' hikers
would stop (like me).  One hiker in my party did free climb to the true
summit which is *very* small, but there was also a father/son pair there
roping up to do the last segment.

Regarding the route *prior* to the last 20-30 foot technical section,
the main issue isn't that it requires 'climbing skills' per se but that
it is very steep with lots of loose rock and scree. You'll have to judge
your own comfort level regarding those steep slopes, which I find a bit
disorienting.

We stashed our packs in the woods at the trail junction.  I wouldn't
recommend wearing full packs on the climb to the summit.

Finally, if you are going to attempt this, plan ahead regarding your
water since the climb will add to your needs a bit and the junction
is before you get to the Mt. Thielsen Creek source.

Radar