Home > Trip Reports > 6/17 Upper Esmeralda Basin

6/17 Upper Esmeralda Basin

6/17/12
WA Cascades East Slopes Central
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Posted by Chuck C on 6/18/12 8:05am
This area has been pretty well covered lately so here's just a couple quick notes

Trail has running water on it in places and a couple deeper creek crossings.  Nothing spooky, just possibly wet.  Make sure you hit the switchback at ~4900ft otherwise you slog the bog in the meadow.  The upper trail is nice and dry.

Continuous snow starts around ~5200 ft.  When climbing try to keep left of the big open slope below the obvious rock outcrop above.  We didn't necessitating me oafing my skis over a melted finger while my partner found a snow finger just wide enough for her skis.  This dumped us out onto continuous snow to the upper ridges.  If you can keep going up valley a little further than we did you can avoid all the melted spots.

Easy skinning to the ridges.  Great snow for skiing and fairly deep too.

On the ridge top (this is the ridge that runs SW from Lake Ann, is this "Fortune Peak"?) there is a wildlife cam focused on a perch with a hunk of something that looks like bacon (but it isn't) hanging on a wire.  We didn't mess with it but it was curious to see.  Not sure what bird would eat something that smells as bad as that wad did.

Skied a couple laps then headed out.  Good snow to the valley floor then dirty snow back to the main trail.

Here's a couple pictures from Ms N who continues to put up with my route finding "skills"
Fortune Peak is Pt. 7382 on the map.

Interesting re the wildlife cam and bacon.  Looking for the wolverine that Anita, Randy and I spotted last week?

Lovely place, one of my favorite spring skiing areas.  FWIW, there are easier skinning routes to Fortune.

Hey guys... I talked to a biologist at cle elum ranger station about the wolverine we saw. I told him where we saw it and asked if he was going to have a look. He said "well, I don't think I can get my skinning gear together today, but I'll be up there first thing tomorrow morning." man... What a cool job! Cool place

Thanks for the location note Steve.  I've put that on my map.  I'd never skied up there before and was wondering on the location.

I thought about the possibility of the bait station being for wolverines.  It wasn't high off the ground, maybe 4 ft and the branch being used as a perch was pretty thick and burly.  Wish I'd taken a picture of it for everyone.


My name is Aja Woodrow, I am a wildlife biologist for the US Forest Service Cle Elum Ranger District. On 6/12 I installed a wolverine run pole and remote camera S.W. of Lake Anne in the upper Esmeralda Basin country. On 7/12 I hiked in to check the site for hair and photos but was dismayed to find the camera missing, a first for me. This camera loss will make it more difficult to detect rare canrivores returning to our area. Please refrain from posting about cameras in the future as 500+ people viewed this post. It is entirely possible the camera theft was not assoctiated with TAY. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Re: Esmerelda Wolverine Camera Stolen 7/12/12
« Reply #1 on: Today at 01:28:39 PM » | Reply with quote
Quote from: GuloGulo on Yesterday at 05:47:08 PM
... It is entirely possible the camera theft was not associated with TAY. 
You'll get no argument from me on that point, Aja.
In fact, I'd feel the same if the views of the post you mentioned were 5,000 views.

I don't recall seeing the post you mention.
I know the experience must be frustrating; but since the camera's gone, the location doesn't seem to be a issue any more. So in the hopes eliciting some constructive/positive feedback, were it me I'd consider appending a more positive post regarding the disappearance of the camera on the original thread.
No way of knowing what folks in this community might know of or might think of to help. There’s some pretty smart and connected folks here. Sometimes they get some pretty impressive things down give the right approach.




Re: Esmerelda Wolverine Camera Stolen 7/12/12
« Reply #2 on: Today at 02:38:39 PM » | Reply with quote | Modify | Remove
Hi Ron,
The original post:

http://www.turns-all-year.com/skiing_snowboarding/trip_reports/index.php?topic=25151.0

If it weren't for folks in the TAY community I would not know about the wolverine in the Esmerelda area. I am very grateful to folks who report wildlife sightings, especially prompt reports.

http://www.cascadesconnectivity.org/

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/sfpnw/issssp/documents/inventories/inv-rpt-ma-gulo-gulo-northcascades-2011.pdf

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6-17-upper-esmeralda-basin
Chuck C
2012-06-18 15:05:31