Off trail from Sphinx Lakes to Cloud Canyon?
Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2015 12:21 pm
Hi everyone,
My cousin and I will be doing the Circle of Solitude loop in SEKI mid-September out of Road's End and I have been looking at a possible alternative route to get to Cloud Canyon rather than Avalanche Pass.
I am currently expanding into doing more off trail hiking so I see this as an opportunity to challenge myself a bit. I recently did Glacier Pass down to Spring Lake out of Mineral King, starting off trail from Monarch Creek which was a fun exercise.
I'd say I am comfortable with Class 2 and looking to explore Class 3 more.
From what I've read and from what I can see on my Tom Harrison map for the area, Avalanche Pass seems rather boring to me. I prefer high alpine lakes and vistas more than walking through repetitive trees and forests blocking the views.
So the crux of my question is.. could it be desirable to go up to Sphinx Lakes and then go offtrail over the Sphinx Crest and down to Cloud Canyon thus bypassing Avalanche Pass and Roaring River?
The option I have eyeballed on the map:
Follow light use trail up Sphinx Creek to Sphinx Lakes. Head all the way up to Lake 10962, head for the low point south-west of the lake, descend down to Brewer Creek, look for the light use trail which leads up to Big Brewer Lake and follow that down to Cloud Canyon.
I realize this adds a net of approximately 1000 ft of elevation gain vs Avalanche Pass/ Roaring River but the rewards of visiting the Sphinx Lakes area seem worthwhile on paper (especially since I like to fish).
The descent from the Sphinx Crest to Big Brewer Creek also looks steepish. About the same steepness as Black Rock Pass which I did last week. Could be interesting off trail depending on the terrain.
So anyone have boots on the ground in this area? Thoughts?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Dom
My cousin and I will be doing the Circle of Solitude loop in SEKI mid-September out of Road's End and I have been looking at a possible alternative route to get to Cloud Canyon rather than Avalanche Pass.
I am currently expanding into doing more off trail hiking so I see this as an opportunity to challenge myself a bit. I recently did Glacier Pass down to Spring Lake out of Mineral King, starting off trail from Monarch Creek which was a fun exercise.
I'd say I am comfortable with Class 2 and looking to explore Class 3 more.
From what I've read and from what I can see on my Tom Harrison map for the area, Avalanche Pass seems rather boring to me. I prefer high alpine lakes and vistas more than walking through repetitive trees and forests blocking the views.
So the crux of my question is.. could it be desirable to go up to Sphinx Lakes and then go offtrail over the Sphinx Crest and down to Cloud Canyon thus bypassing Avalanche Pass and Roaring River?
The option I have eyeballed on the map:
Follow light use trail up Sphinx Creek to Sphinx Lakes. Head all the way up to Lake 10962, head for the low point south-west of the lake, descend down to Brewer Creek, look for the light use trail which leads up to Big Brewer Lake and follow that down to Cloud Canyon.
I realize this adds a net of approximately 1000 ft of elevation gain vs Avalanche Pass/ Roaring River but the rewards of visiting the Sphinx Lakes area seem worthwhile on paper (especially since I like to fish).
The descent from the Sphinx Crest to Big Brewer Creek also looks steepish. About the same steepness as Black Rock Pass which I did last week. Could be interesting off trail depending on the terrain.
So anyone have boots on the ground in this area? Thoughts?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Dom