Page 1 of 2

sawmill lake as a quick weekend.. worth it?

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2015 1:59 pm
by DavePloessel
Never been up/over sawmill pass but always thought it looked interesting as an overnighter close to home. I'm wondering if any/many of you has been up there early in a low snow year like this (looking early may)?

For the important stuff: comfy in any/all terrain and season. Goals are big scenery, isolation, a good workout, and fishing.

Plan is to head up to lone pine area friday afternoon, get a very early start sat AM, camp at sawmill lake, rise early sunday and hit the pass for a peek over the top, then back down and out.

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance

Re: sawmill lake as a quick weekend.. worth it?

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2015 2:23 pm
by maverick
Dave,

Did you see this TR: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=9279&p=68988

Re: sawmill lake as a quick weekend.. worth it?

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2015 2:47 pm
by ExploreABitMore
I just got up that way for the first time myself last year on a day hike to Colloseum Mountain. Loved it up there! It definitely felt isolated and remote and pristine. Sawmill Lake would make a great campsite, imho. A day hike over to Wood's Lake from there would make for a fine day.

The way Kearsarge Pass looked a couple weekends ago, I can't imagine Sawmill not being in decent shape my Mid May, assuming we don't get any more storms.

Admittedly, it is a bit of a grind getting out of the desert for Sawmill, steep and a bit sandy before you hit the cool of the canyons and get that "I'm finally in the mountains" feel, but worth it in the end.

Re: sawmill lake as a quick weekend.. worth it?

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2015 3:21 pm
by DavePloessel
maverick wrote:Dave,

Did you see this TR: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=9279&p=68988

That was one of the only two reports I could find with much info on the place and the one that git me fired up to check it out. It looks really neat but I figured asking for a few more opinions wouldn't hurt.

Re: sawmill lake as a quick weekend.. worth it?

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2015 3:43 pm
by maverick
Since fishing is one of your objectives, it is definitely worth the effort, if it was mainly scenery then would
rather prefer Taboose or Shepherd.

Re: sawmill lake as a quick weekend.. worth it?

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2015 4:03 pm
by DavePloessel
maverick wrote:Since fishing is one of your objectives, it is definitely worth the effort, if it was mainly scenery then would
rather prefer Taboose or Shepherd.

Excellent! that is exactly the kind of info I was looking for. I know that there are some reports of fish there but I haven't spoken to anybody who has actually fished up there. I did Shepherd a couple winters back on a trip to Tyndall and Williamson and have a strong love/hate relationship with it. Taboose is on the list as a future trip too.

Re: sawmill lake as a quick weekend.. worth it?

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2015 4:38 pm
by maverick
Dave wrote:
I did Shepherd a couple winters back on a trip to Tyndall and Williamson and have a strong love/hate relationship with it.
Since the trail damage? You may hate it even more now. :)

Re: sawmill lake as a quick weekend.. worth it?

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2015 6:04 pm
by DavePloessel
maverick wrote:Dave wrote:
I did Shepherd a couple winters back on a trip to Tyndall and Williamson and have a strong love/hate relationship with it.
Since the trail damage? You may hate it even more now. :)

I dont know. It was all covered with several feet of snow :) very pretty, but slogging uphill through fresh snow from nearly the trailhead kind of sucked

Re: sawmill lake as a quick weekend.. worth it?

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2015 6:35 pm
by maverick
Damage occurred in 2013.

Re: sawmill lake as a quick weekend.. worth it?

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2015 7:56 pm
by DavePloessel
I just checked and I went up in early feb 2013. maybe it was before the damage, or the damage already happened it was just covered by snow. Either way I didn't really follow a trail for most of it