Gunsight Mountain
by Robert Bales
Title
Gunsight Mountain
Artist
Robert Bales
Medium
Photograph - Photo
Description
We had a family camp out near Anthony Lake which is above 7000 feet and this beautiful alpine lake was only a very short hike form our camp site. This is the dominant peak in the range and this was taken early in the morning as the sun rays hitting the base of the peak.
Gunsight Mountain lies in the northern Elkhorn Mountains of Oregon, and is one of the more easily accessible peaks in this range. Gunsight Mountain has two summits, the eastern one being the highest at 8342 feet. Gunsight Mountain is accessed most easily from Anthony Lake. An ascent via the west ridge is a steep, but fun class 3 scramble. The south ridge is a class 2 scramble, and is not as steep. Round trip distance up the west ridge and down the south ridge is about 3 miles, and takes three to four hours. The views of the surrounding lakes and peaks of the Northern Elkhorns are excellent, and on a clear day can range from the Wallowas in the east to the Ochocos in the west.
Gunsight Mountain is part of the backdrop for the Anthony Lakes ski area, which is known for having the highest base elevation in Oregon, and excellent powder skiing with minimal crowds.
The Elkhorn Mountains lie in northeastern Oregon, and are a sub-range of the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains were once a volcanic island arc, and were accreted to the North American continent as it advanced westward. The northern Elkhorns are a part of the Bald Mountain Batholith, which was generated as the rocks and sediments from the Blue Mountain volcanic arc were subducted, and melted from 158 to 131 million years ago. This magma rose, but did not reach the surface, and slowly cooled forming the granitic rocks (mostly granodiorite) that can be seen today, and comprise Gunsight Mountain. Dark blotches called xenoliths can be found where pieces of the host rock were assimilated into the intruding magma. Over the past eight million years, faulting along the Olympic-Wallowa Lineament has lifted this material to its present height, and erosion has worn away the original surrounding rock. The many tarns, cirques, and U-shaped valleys found in this area were carved by Ice Age glaciers. The notch between Gunsight�s two summits is a joint, which commonly form as igneous rocks cool and fracture, on both small and large scales.
Uploaded
September 6th, 2013
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