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oleander wrote:
My recent Tablelands trip had so many great slides, pools and water holes, many of them a surprise. In fact, I almost called it The Waterhole Trip on my Facebook.
So good to hear, Elizabeth! How recent was this (what dates)? Do you imagine it could have dried up by now in line with what @AlmostThere was reporting from previous years?
I tried to find rainfall history in the region but only found something for Hanford which report .37 inches (I think) total for July (most maybe right before your journey?)
Summarizing your excellent water findings, for community benefit, @oleander:
oleander wrote:
1. Gorgeous water pools/slides at Mehrten Meadow and at Buck Creek.
2. Delicious watering hole on Elizabeth Pass trail near junctions to Hamilton Lake and Tamarack Lake)
3. Tamarack Lake itself was also great swimming place with great camping and solitude.
4. Excellent water hole right on EP trail at 9,200.
5. Excellent beach/swim at north end of Lonely Lake.
6. Lake 11,200 (which is the tiniest, highest lake due west of Big Bird Lake). More great swimming. Famous evening view of entire Great Western Divide in alpenglow at dusk.
7. Little-known lake with great swimming is gorgeous Lake 10,559, just 20 min. off our 11,200-Pear route, a bit to the north. (Went there a few years ago.) Most other lakes on direct route are marshy. You will pass some beautiful sections of creek-sliding-down-slabs at approximately 9800-10,000 altitude.
8. Pear Lake is a good swim.
oleander wrote:
If I had 4 days, I’d probably either go…
1. Alta to Buck Creek to Eliz. Pass trail (skipping Tamarack – no time), up Lonely Lake outlet, over Pterodactyl and around to 11,200, out Pear. Moose Lake only if time/energy left. You’d see every watering hole we did, except Tamarack Lake. Or…
I really like the fact this would hit your best of water holes! and yet am reluctant to do the mileage. I also find myself resistent to the contour travel as I've had bad experience XC along contours, picking way through talus and in general finding my trajectory perpindicular to gravity. And definitely prefer the feeling of exploration in XC to pounding out trail miles.
oleander wrote:
2. Straight to Tablelands on Day 1, ... then just spend four days seeing as much of Tablelands as possible.
Thinking more of something like this. What do you think about my listed itenerary (in msg 2 or 3 above this)? Did you explore at all back in the Box / Feurgeson drainage? Is Bird (or perhaps more accessibly lakes just above it) worth visiting as a day excursion?
Yes, the streams will have dried up substantially by now, especially in the creek that drains Tablelands into Tokopah Falls. That one was already low-ish when I was there.
However, every numbered watering hole that I/you listed (#1-#8) will still be flowing. All of those are either deep-enough lakes; or quite substantial creeks that don't dry up. Mehrten I think will be the only one that can't be as spectacular as a month ago.
