Boundary Trail by Wolframite Mountain is part of the Pacific Northwest Trail. It’s roughly 14 miles of mild hiking from Tungsten Mine to Horseshoe Basin. Meanwhile, Cathedral Driveway Trailhead accesses the trail from the south in 12 miles.
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Boundary Trail at a Glance
Boundary Slam = Wolframite Mountain + Bauerman Ridge + Arnold Peak + Horseshoe Mountain
Environs = Teapot Dome + Haig Mountain + Rock Mountain 7641 + Armstrong Mountain SE Peak + Pick Peak + Topaz Mountain
邊界滿貫=鎢錳鐵山+鮑爾曼脊+阿諾德峯+馬蹄山
周圍地區=茶壺巨蛋+海格山+石山+阿姆斯壯山東南峯+皮克峯+黃晶山
Access: Cathedral Driveway Trailhead
Round Trip: TBD
Elevation Range: 4280′-8137′
Gear: none
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Friday, September 1
Overview > Day 1 > Day 2 > Day 3 > Day 4
Approach to Tungsten Mine + Cinch Creek Camp
Return to Boundary Trail in Pasayten
The two things I did on the trip to Boundary Trail worked well. First, I prepared my meals and only ate freeze-dried food for dinner. I’ve eaten too many Mountain House Meals! Second, I decided to wear hiking boots as we’d mostly be on a beaten path. My toes would thank me later.
The trail ranged from 6800′ to 7200′ from Tungsten Mine to Horseshoe Basin. We were mainly above 7000′, meaning climbing any of our goals required gaining no more than 1000′ of altitude. However, the trade-off was inhaling more smoke than in the past years combined.
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En Route to Tungsten Mine in the Haze
Cody and I started at 5:30 PM from the empty Cathedral Driveway Trailhead, as we did in 2014. Diamond Creek Fire smoke permeated the sky as light seeped through a thick haze. At times, the ghostly sun resembled a full moon. Soon, a sign by Fire Creek Trail denoted the closure west of Cathedral Pass.
Since our goals along the Boundary Trail were east of the pass, fires weren’t of a concern yet. We later met two hikers and their three dogs exiting Remmel Lake before continuing on Trail #534. After sunset, we hiked through the forest for another hour before finding a place to camp by Cinch Creek.
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Saturday, September 2
Overview > Day 1 > Day 2 > Day 3 > Day 4
Wolframite Mountain + Bauerman Ridge + Teapot Dome + Teapot Lake Camp
Wolframite Mountain via Boundary Trail
We started early in the bluebird weather and arrived at Tungsten Mine in four miles. The place felt deserted and eerily quiet, as I remembered, but without the rats from the night. After a brief pause, I quickly filled the day pack with necessities and hung our gear behind the main house.
Soon, we hiked west on Boundary Trail for Wolframite Mountain, our first stop in Pasayten Wilderness. The trail would later turn south at Tungsten Creek at 7000′, where we scrambled east on the mountain’s west ridge. Despite being only mid-morning, smoke had slowly crept in from the west.
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Smoky Views From Wolframite Mountain
The mist quickly engulfed Cathedral Pass before most peaks slowly disappeared from view. Before long, the fume caught up to us several hundred feet below the summit. Since we didn’t outrun the smoke, views on top were nonexistent. Only ghostly outlines of nearby peaks were visible.
Meanwhile, the sun tried letting in more light as we traversed the ridge bumps that looked equal in height. We shortcutted southwest instead of retracing steps on the way back. En route, we bypassed cliffs from the west and soon joined the path midway between Tungsten Creek and the mine.
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Boundary Trail to Bauerman Ridge
We stopped back at the mine and then continued east toward our next stop, Bauerman Ridge. En route were dry streams and empty pools with cracked bottoms. Tungsten Creek was the last water, which we bypassed on the exit. Feeling parched after scouring for water gully after gully, we left the trail and scrambled northeast.
Soon, we were on the smoke-free Bauerman Ridge 1000′ above. But we had no time to enjoy the vistas before the haze caught up again. We managed to see the hazy Scheelite Lake in the north basin. Checking it out from the northwest bump was tempting, but we were short of daylight.
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East Traverse to Teapot Dome
Most high points were the eerie outlines of their usual glorious selves. Similarly, the blood-tinted sun behind the façade of low crawling smoke had created a unique sense of aesthetics. Or perhaps it was the nausea from lacking fresh oxygen so far during the better part of the day.
I was two and a half hours until sunset. So, after another hazy summit, we moseyed along Bauerman Ridge toward Teapot Lake. And as luck would have it, we found snow chunks in a deep notch. Despite the layer of ash, it was Cody’s oasis to hold him over until we reached the lake.
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Camping at the Ashy Teapot Lake
Teapot Lake hasn’t had any rain in months and has become stagnant with a thin, filmy coat of ash. After all, beggars couldn’t be choosers as it was our only water until who knew when.
Yikes! I immediately noticed the unfamiliar insect-like creatures swimming freely in the water. But they’d all quickly glide away when I carefully scraped off the ash with bare hands. After filling up my bottle, I didn’t drink any more of that water.
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Sunset Climb on Teapot Dome
Soon, we went to Teapot Dome, our third stop, at 200′ above the water. Bauerman Ridge, where we came from, was surprisingly still visible. However, everything beyond the high point was a blob of smoke. The massive silhouette southeast of here was none other than Windy Peak.
After visiting three summits, the 12-hour summer day went by in the blink of an eye. But there was still plenty of time to stick around the top unit sunset before returning to camp for dinner. Deep into the night, the smoke cleared up as we lay underneath a starry sky.
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Sunday, September 3
Overview > Day 1 > Day 2 > Day 3 > Day 4
Haig Mountain + Rock Mountain 7641 + Armstrong Mountain SE Peak + Arnold Peak + Suny Pass Camp
Back to Boundary Trail by Teapot Dome
The sun was shining after 7 AM as we welcomed another beautiful morning. But the decent weather would soon fade away within a few hours. Scrambling down the large buttress out of Teapot Dome soon took us back to Boundary Trail.
The decision not to fill up more lake water was a mistake, especially in the arid conditions. As I continued to look on in disbelief, we passed more dry streams and a decent campsite with dry pools. So, perhaps getting more water from Teapot Lake wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
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First Stop of day three, Haig Mountain
Before long, we unexpectedly came upon a trickling stream south of Haig Mountain. We practically lay in the flowing water while gobbling down water. We packed more than enough water to get to the next source this time. Soon, we left the trail southeast of the summit and walked under a mile up to the top.
As I suspected, the bright morning skies would soon turn hazy before 10. In the blink of an eye, more smoke quickly crept in from the west, enveloping the entire area. There wasn’t any view beyond Bauerman Ridge, and high points to the east had also become hard to discern.
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Horseshoe Basin via Boundary Trail
Continuing east on the trail would soon bring us near our next goal, Rock Mountain. Or rather, it was another low-hanging fruity bump right off Boundary Trail. En route, we passed another big dried-up pool by a group camp. However, it wasn’t long before our water ran out, and we were soon thirsty again.
Luckily, we soon found more water south of Caprock Peak before reaching Rock Mountain’s north slope. From there, we ascended 600′ to the top, marked by a giant boulder. The summit offered terrific east views of today’s last two stops: Armstrong Mountain and Arnold Peak.
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Sighting of a Human, Horses, and Dogs
We ran into a horseman with his young pup and three horses heading east on the trail. They had been in the area since making their way up from Iron Gate Trailhead earlier in the week. They went to the Remmel Lake area before returning to Horseshoe Basin and out.
During our lengthy chat, the man told stories of his yearly trip here since childhood. His knowledge of this part of the wilderness was pretty impressive. We let our pups play before he took off with the pack animals. The next time I looked up, they’d faded into the haze.
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Boundary Trail to Armstrong Mountain
I had looked forward to seeing Loudon Lake since researching the trail before the trip. But to my dismay, the small lake butting up against the Boundary Trail was also barren—a big surprise! Boohoo, what a dry season it was, but better luck next time!
We left the trail uphill shortly beyond the dry lake into the lush, broad meadow. Then I stashed the pack at 7200′, south of Snehumption Gap, before going for Armstrong Mountain. It’d be our sixth peak along the Boundary Trail in Pasayten Wilderness.
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Afternoon Show on Armstrong Mountain
Being on the border was the most exciting of the highlights (and low ones) on this trip. The east fringe of the flat summit was the highest point, a mere 200 yards from the dropoffs. After a break, we walked to Monument 104 in minutes and checked out the fascinating crop line.
Interestingly, heavy smoke stopped just short of Rock Mountain despite the constant breeze. In contrast, Canada’s Snowy Protected Area to the east was still sunny. The shifting haze later rose even higher to form a head. The Carpenter’s “Top of the World” song popped into my head right then.
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Arnold Peak Atop Boundary Trail
Arnold Peak to the southeast looked massive despite the sub-600-foot prominence. After leaving the top, we dropped to the Snehumption Gap at 7500′ before rising 500′ from the west slope. Soon, we reached the rock fort, marking the broad summit as the wind blew in all directions.
It was windy without a place to hide, so we didn’t stick around long. But I photographed the beautiful evening colors before leaving our seventh summit. It wasn’t until later that I realized I had left one camera lens back on Armstrong Mountain. Oh well, finders keepers!
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Horseshoe Basin to Sunny Pass
From Arnold Peak, we moved southwest to the meadow in the broad Horseshoe Basin. There was so much green! Then, at 7000′, we reached Horseshoe Pass, momentarily back on the beaten path. Finally, we arrived in the area I’d heard backpackers raving about for years.
It was another half-hour of daylight after sunset, so we continued strolling through the scenic trail. Meanwhile, we looked for a camp close to tomorrow’s goal: Horseshoe Mountain. Before long, we found a sweet spot on Sunny Pass and settled in for the night.
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Monday, September 4
Overview > Day 1 > Day 2 > Day 3 > Day 4
Horseshoe Mountain + Pick Peak + Topaz Mountain + Exit
A Sunny Morning by Boundary Trail
Smoke hovering in the sky last night suddenly dropped and stretched across the area. It was only a matter of minutes before the blanket of haze obscured the view of the night sky view. Well, there went my plan to grab more shots of the star trails.
On our final day in Pasayten Wilderness, we woke up to a hazy basin. Despite the sunny forecast, we didn’t see much of it, as the massive smoke continued to hover over Horseshoe Basin. Whatever the constant BBQ-like smell was in the air, it no longer fazed us.
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Horseshoe Mountain Above Camp
After breakfast past 7, we walked through the mild terrain to Horseshoe Mountain. Even with the haze, the place still looked lovely. Meanwhile, several deer eyed us from the ridge as we moved across the meadow. They were the only large wildlife we’d seen so far, apart from the few sightings of chipmunks and grouses.
Horseshoe Mountain also had a broad summit, like the rest we visited in the past few days. Surprisingly, it was the only summit with a register. Smoke had somehow trapped itself in the Horseshoe Basin and wouldn’t shift. Armstrong Mountain and Arnold Peak were soon under the haze.
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Pick Peak Walk-up by Boundary Trail
Neither Cody nor I felt like exploring in the smoke after we arrived at the top. Instead, he took a beauty nap while I sat by the cairn and read through old register entries. After an extended visit, we returned to Sunny Pass and packed before leaving for Pick Peak.
From the north saddle at 7200′, we climbed 400′ to the top and briefly checked out the hazy views. We went south on Windy Peak Trail from the pass through the soggy Big Horn Creek. Despite being the only water since Sunny Pass, one stagnant pool en route had nothing potable.
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Topaz Mountain, the Final Stop
The two tiny streams below Windy Peak-Topaz Mountain saddle were also the last water until Windy Creek. Soon, we went onto Basin Creek Trail at the fork to the northeast slopes. Then, with some route finding over giant boulders and slabs, a sandy path brought us to the top.
We traversed the ridgeline and back since the two bumps looked equally tall. From here, Windy Peak across the basin was the only thing visible. Meanwhile, the heavy smoke to the north kept me from identifying the peaks we visited. So perhaps we’ll return another time without the smoke.
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Boundary Trail Wrap-up via Windy Creek
Back on Windy Peak Trail, we went around the mild west slope to the south. Then, a right at the 7800′ fork, we headed straight for Windy Creek Basin. The path crossed the creek several times but mainly stayed west. Then, we encountered many down trees in the lower 400′ before rejoining Trail #510A.
From there, it was only half a mile uphill before reaching back at the car. A quick look around, and it appeared after we entered the area, the Forest Service had blocked off the trail. A new closure sign had more trails added to the closures list.
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