Like a 50 mile long sapphire snake, sparkling Lake Chelan dominates north central Washington State as a geological and recreational wonder. The name Chelan is a Salish Indian word, "Tsi - Laan," meaning 'Deep Water'. Ringed on both east and west sides by giant mountains leaping skyward steeply, the Lake Chelan Gorge is one of the deepest in the US. With a water level of 1,100 feet, and Bonanza Peak topping out at 9,511 feet, there is vertical relief of 8,411 feet within 10 miles of Lake Chelan. Our crowning objective on this SOTA outing was an un-Activated Pyramid Mountain, 8,243 feet high and a mere 3.16 miles from Lake Chelan. This afforded the opportunity of gazing down 7,143 feet at the crystalline water reflecting the bright Eastern Washington summer sun. Along the route are strung 3 other SOTA summits, none of which had been previously Activated. The total trip was approximately 25 miles RT, with approximately 7,000 feet elevation gain, including ups and downs in between the various peaks. This is report 1 of 4, Crow Hill.
