| With little to no information, and using both a map and GPS as my guide, the ascent took more time than I anticipated. However, I also explored other possible routes, and the west route I figured out (explained on this SP page) seemed to be the most straighforward and least technical option. I saw more animals on the upper slopes of this peak than I have any other peak... most of which I had never seen before in the wild. Some of the animals I saw: Two mountain goats (near the summit), a buck black-tailed deer (on the upper SW ridgetop, which got startled when the sound of my movement woke him up from an apparent mid-day slumber next to a rock slab), a short-tailed weasel (on upper SW ridgetop), a pine marten (on upper SW ridgetop near summit), a mink (near the upper tarn at 6000' elevation), a hoary marmot (on the upper SW ridgetop, seemingly whistling at me), Cascades frogs (near the upper tarn/meadow area between 6000'-6100' elevation), and a golden-mantled ground squirrel (on the middle of the upper SW ridge slope). I also saw a pileated woodpecker near Deception Creek, spruce grouse near the Fisher Creek Trailhead, and mountain chickadees on the upper slopes of Mac Peak. Just the sight of so many different animal species made me think that this area, especially Mac Peak, is largely devoid of human influence. |
