Crossing Mammoth Crest over X-C passes
Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2015 11:44 am
[PRIOR POSTING]
I have crossed over to Cloverleaf Lake from the Franklin-Ram Lakes area (NW of Franklin) and have used Gemini Pass (yuck!). Other routes of interest to me are not revealed definitively by study of GMap4 topo lines ....
THREE QUESTIONS:
- Is there a crossing between Duck Lake NNE to Valentine Lake (Class 2 or non-roped Class 3)?
- Is "Pretty Pass" (w/o snow) the connection Franklin to Bunny/Cloverleaf or is it the connection of Franklin to Dorothy? HST High Sierra Map shows it as the F-D route but I'm sure I've read it as the Franklin to Bunny Lake. So I'm confused.
- Is there a good Class 2-3 (non-roped) pass Franklin to Bunny Lake? (Obviously easy from the NE; SW side looks very iffy on topos)
NOTE: There seem to be a number of X-C routes and passes left off the HST "High Sierra Map". Is there a reason for that?
[ANSWERED IT, PARTLY, MYSELF]:
I just went over what I call "Bunny Lake Pass", detailed above. It is a Class 2 + easy Class 3 in a middle section. It could be all Class 2 if one just hiked up all talus south of the rock outcrops. But that would be exceedingly frustrating. The route I chose and marked with cairns and cleaned up (cleared foot and hand holds and kicked out some tread) is very stable and includes almost zero slipping on loose talus. It combines a fairly gentle ascent on fairly firm vegetated talus (no slipping to speak of) followed by a judiciously selected climb of some rocks with abundant holds and ending with another section of good talus. The obvious route is all on steep talus which, though thinly vegetated, is too loose for going up but is ideal for going DOWN.
I have crossed over to Cloverleaf Lake from the Franklin-Ram Lakes area (NW of Franklin) and have used Gemini Pass (yuck!). Other routes of interest to me are not revealed definitively by study of GMap4 topo lines ....
THREE QUESTIONS:
- Is there a crossing between Duck Lake NNE to Valentine Lake (Class 2 or non-roped Class 3)?
- Is "Pretty Pass" (w/o snow) the connection Franklin to Bunny/Cloverleaf or is it the connection of Franklin to Dorothy? HST High Sierra Map shows it as the F-D route but I'm sure I've read it as the Franklin to Bunny Lake. So I'm confused.
- Is there a good Class 2-3 (non-roped) pass Franklin to Bunny Lake? (Obviously easy from the NE; SW side looks very iffy on topos)
NOTE: There seem to be a number of X-C routes and passes left off the HST "High Sierra Map". Is there a reason for that?
[ANSWERED IT, PARTLY, MYSELF]:
I just went over what I call "Bunny Lake Pass", detailed above. It is a Class 2 + easy Class 3 in a middle section. It could be all Class 2 if one just hiked up all talus south of the rock outcrops. But that would be exceedingly frustrating. The route I chose and marked with cairns and cleaned up (cleared foot and hand holds and kicked out some tread) is very stable and includes almost zero slipping on loose talus. It combines a fairly gentle ascent on fairly firm vegetated talus (no slipping to speak of) followed by a judiciously selected climb of some rocks with abundant holds and ending with another section of good talus. The obvious route is all on steep talus which, though thinly vegetated, is too loose for going up but is ideal for going DOWN.