Josephine Lake

[maverick]

http://www.sierrahiker.com/RoaringRiver/index.html
http://www.sierrahiker.com/GlacierRidge/index.html

[sekihiker]

http://www.sierrahiker.com/RoaringRiver/index.html
http://www.sierrahiker.com/GlacierRidge/index.html

You beat me to it, Maverick. It's good to see someone still remembers my reports.

[maverick]

It's good to see someone still remembers my reports.

Did those same routes too.

[Ska-T]

http://www.sierrahiker.com/RoaringRiver/index.html
http://www.sierrahiker.com/GlacierRidge/index.html

You beat me to it, Maverick. It's good to see someone still remembers my reports.

Bill, regarding your Glacier Ridge report, did you ever account for the route difference in your "easy" descent from Josephine Lake in 1994 with the stressful descent of 2006?

[sekihiker]

http://www.sierrahiker.com/RoaringRiver/index.html
http://www.sierrahiker.com/GlacierRidge/index.html

You beat me to it, Maverick. It's good to see someone still remembers my reports.

Bill, regarding your Glacier Ridge report, did you ever account for the route difference in your "easy" descent from Josephine Lake in 1994 with the stressful descent of 2006?

I think there is a disadvantage to descending from Josephine Lk if you haven't ascended to it in a while. During my first visit, the ascent and descent were both easy, even though I didn't take the same route. I guess I must have developed a general feel for where the route was easy.

On the descent after the ridge crossing, when I cliffed out I went south instead of north from there and I think that resulted in the dicey trip down.

Then again, maybe I just got lucky on the first trip.

[oldranger]

I always took the route i described but one person I talked to in the early 80s said that he sometimes headed up a couple gullies to the s and thought it was a toss up between the two routes.

Going down is much trickier. I think Bill over corrected when he initially went too far north and reversed direction. Once going down I got slabbed out going too far north and looked directly into the Josephine outlet stream, many feet below. I knew there was an easy way so I backtracked just a bit and got back on route. It doesn't take much to go from on route to oh ****!

[Cross Country]

I once hiked from South Guard Lake, down Cunningham creek (I figured there might be fish in Cunningham, because there were in South Guard, but there wern't). I then hikeked over to Table. It was interesting, but nothing special (and no fish).
On another trip, Mike and I hiked from Big Bird, down the tabelands to Pear and out. That was VERY pleasant and beautiful hike and a great way to end a trip.

[Wandering Daisy]

I am still considering this trip to do in one week. Just wondering if anyone has been in that area lately. I know that the Big Wet Meadow area is horrible for mosquitoes, as well as Ranger Meadow up Deadman. I hate mosquitoes! Are mosquitoes still thick? Should I postpone the trip another week?

[wildhiker]

Hi WD,

Don't know if you still are looking for advice about mosquitoes in Deadman/Cloud Canyons. I went up and back the length of Deadman Canyon Sept 1-3. Mosquitoes were not much of a problem. During the day, in damper forest, a few would try to land on you if you stopped hiking. I camped at 9300 feet (highest trees) and had a few bite me around dusk. Surprisingly, I took a long lunch break at the north end of Ranger Meadow and saw not a single mosquito. My weather was warm and partly cloudy - raining most of the afternoon on 9/3.

-Phil

[Wandering Daisy]

Thanks for the information. I still plan on going, leaving tomorrow or Wed. I am waiting for this current rainy spell to end. As usual, I have about five different ways to do this trip and cannot decide between them.

The most logical loop from Road's End: Sphinx Lakes-Brewer Lakes-Colby Lake, Table Creek and descend Table Creek (or just day-hike to Table Creek from Colby Lake), Josehphine Lake the lakes on the west bench of Glacier Ridge, Big Bird Lake, and out Deadman-Avalanche Pass. However, carrying 10-days food up Sphinx Creek is brutal (I have done this route before). Reverse the loop and I get all trail the first 2-3 days, but then, have to descend the very tricky route from Josehphine Lake (Giantbrookie's reports show what an epic this can be as the route is difficult to find going down) and uncertainty with weather by the time I get to Sphinx Lakes may make that exit impossible (I would hate to have to do Avalanche Pass twice and I really hate that pass!).

Altogether different loop from Wolverton is also very appealing. In this route I may use Copper Mine Pass (this is the reason I asked about Copper Mine Pass). The down side of this route is that I would miss Sphinx and Brewer Lakes. I hesitate to consider going in Marvin Pass because although shorter and eaiser, it looks very boring on the map. I have never done this trail.