Mount Thielsen is also home to Oregon's southernmost glacier, the Lathrop glacier. Some of the more defined fulgurites appear as glass tubes that splinter and branch outward. These scars consist of small specs of obsidian-like glass on the summit rocks. Thielsen's summit pinnacle is home to numerous lightning caused scars called fulgurites. This ash layer ranges from 12 to 60 feet deep, thick enough to deprive the region's trees of significant water. Much of the rock present on the mountain today is volcanic ash from the cataclysmic eruption of Mount Mazama. This is due to the porous nature of the volcanic ash in the soils. The forests on the mountain's lower slopes are typical of drier climates, despite the region's moist climate. The plug is composed of basaltic andesite, while the lower slopes are composed of pumice and volcanic breccia. The mountain's jagged spire is all that remains of the volcano's central plug. Erosion has wiped out any trace of a summit crater. Having gone extinct 290,000 years ago, multiple episodes of glaciation have stripped much of the rock from the mountain's lower reaches. Mount Thielsen is the eroded remnant of a shield volcano. The summit of Mount Thielsen is also the only place outside of Crater lake National Park where the waters of Crater Lake are visible. Views are expansive in every direction, on a clear day Mount Shasta is visible to the south and the Three sisters are visible to the north. Standing on the summit, the land seems to drop off thousands of feet in almost every direction, giving the same feeling as if hovering high above the dense forests of the Oregon Cascades. The true summit is a spectacular spire sticking impressively upward into the sky. The West Ridge is an exhilarating route, not quite technical but with enough exposure to get the adrenaline pumping. It is just south of Howlock Mountain, another rugged peak that is the third highest summit in the Diamond Lake area.ĭespite its intimidating appearance, a climb of Mount Thielsen is a relatively straightforward undertaking. Situated on the east side of Diamond Lake, it is directly opposite Mount Bailey, which offers sno-cat skiing and snowboarding in the winter. This is the reigning peak in this part of the Cascades, there is no summit in the range higher until you reach the South Sister to the north and Mount McLoughlin to the south. Due to its dramatic spire shape, its dominance among other peaks in the region and the unstable weather this region receives Mount Thielsen is said to be struck by lightning more often than any other High Cascade peak, earning it the nickname the lightning rod of the Cascades. Its north and east faces are most impressive, towering 2200 feet upward in a near vertical fashion. The peak rises abruptly from its surroundings to a very distinct spire. Mount Thielsen is a dramatic horn-shaped peak located in the Southern Oregon Cascades just north of Crater Lake.
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