Trip Report

The group left Highway 138 at 7:30 a.m. and experienced an uneventful approach to the northwest ridge of Mt. Thielsen under grey but still sky. A slow but steady movement up the ridge put the Obsidian party at the pinnacle at 11:00 a.m. During the ascent of the pinnacle, the coiled top rope was caught by a gust of wind as it was thrown downward. Somehow, a knot was formed at the end of the rope and this became stuck between rocks somewhere out of sight on the nearly vertical north slope of the mountain. Norm Benton saved the day (and the rope) when he was belayed "over the edge" and eliminated the hang up. Although the sky was dark and threatening during the stay on the mountain, the air was dry and each member of the party reached the summit. Upon the descent, half of the climbers took advantage of the narrow but long snow fields (patches) to the west of the summit and got in some excellent glissading practice. Below timber line, the group located the Pacific Crest Scenic Trail and followed it northward to the Mt. Thielsen Trail. It is interesting to note that the Pacific Crest Trail vas entirely buried in 6- to 8-foot drifts the duration of our passing on it. Back at the junction of the Highway 138 to Mt. Thielsen Trail and the PCT, which is at the base of the northwest ridge of the mountain, the Obsidian group watched some other very adventurous outdoor enthusiasts actually downhill skiing on the steep snow fields which are located in the shadows of the east facing slopes of Mt. Thielsen's northwest ridge. A quick hike back to Highway 138 ended this interesting and successful climb at 3:30 p.m. Climb participants were Johnny Bojarsky, Ruby Seitz, Norman Benton, Ed Lichtenstein, Sean Oldham, Lee Stubbs and Ken Ball (leader).