Trip Report

The weather was the big question in this climb. We left Eugene about 2 p.m. Saturday, driving via Hwy. 58 to 97 in a driving rain. With a short stop at Crescent and a few groans about the unpromising weather we continued on. We arrived at Diamond Lake C.G., and for about 30 minutes - no rain! We set up camp, fixed hot drinks, watched the rain increase and finally moved on to a drier, warmer environment for a couple of hours to see what the weather would do. The rain stopped and there were a few stars as we returned to camp. The following morning we were greeted by low clouds and fog, but no rain. So after a quick breakfast we adopted a wait-and-see attitude and drove off to the new trailhead parking lot for Mt. Thielsen. The clouds lifted as we hiked up the trail, lifting hopes for the day. But hopes fell as we approached the ridge, the clouds settled in, the wind rose and the temperature fell. John complained of a single fat snow flake that drifted by. We concluded no mountain today, but decided to continue up the ridge for a ways before returning to the cars. To make a long story short the clouds preceded us up the mountain, the wind fell and we just kept going to "Chicken Point." It was warm, windless, and the clouds drifted in and out allowing for frequent views of the surrounding area. Jerry Crosby was very supportive in assisting me with my first attempt at leading Mt. Thielsen. We (Jerry Crosby, John Jacobsen, Val Morgan and Jane Hackett, leader) were able to enjoy the summit for several minutes by ourselves, before heading back to the cars in time to avoid the many downpours.