Josephine County High Point Trip Report

Grayback Mountain (7,048 ft)

Date: August 14, 2003
Author: Adam Helman

This is a 2,500 foot 'gainer from the upper trailhead. The first 900 vertical feet, until the trail junction immediately past a stream crossing, is steep. The next section trends south, passing along the main mass of Grayback on its east slopes.

At some point you will need to leave the trail and head cross-country, uphill, some 850 vertical feet to the summit area. Scree, rock and vegetation thwart progress. It is not enjoyable.

Get to the top and celebrate amidst the oversized, tall rock cairns. I was down by 10:45 a.m., having started around 7:30 or so.

While at Applegate on the drive to my next mountain, I enjoyed a pint of Umpqua Blackberry Mountain Revel ice cream - although I really wanted Southern Fudge Pie, it was unavailable despite my frantic search through the entire freezer section - handling every pint in stock to read the carton label. I ate the pint in the air-conditioned restaurant attached to the grocery store, amid real customers paying way too much for their own lunches and not even finishing what was on their plates. Disgusting - I hate waste and inefficient use of financial resources.