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Taboose Pass-Lake Basin in a day?

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 1:15 pm
by mokelumnekid
Has any one here ever gone over Taboose (from the eastside trailhead) and then over Cartridge Pass into Lake Basin in a day (with pack, as part of a trip)?

Re: Taboose Pass-Lake Basin in a day?

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 1:50 pm
by maverick
I've gone to Bench Lake in a day over Taboose, but zooming on trail compared to
off is a lot different especially when you've been speeding 3/4 of the day on trail
and then go off-trail, at least to get down to the start of the old JMT, and
then over Cartridge Pass, which is pretty steep especially towards the end of the day.
I'd prefer having the off trail section near the beginning like when I did the North-South
Lake trip so the Lamarck and Darwin Bench area were out of the way and I could cruise
down the JMT to the LeConte Ranger Station for the first night(long day with early start).

Re: Taboose Pass-Lake Basin in a day?

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 2:50 pm
by cgundersen
Mk,
If you've never done Taboose, you'll remember it, even if you're in great shape. It pulls no punches as it lifts you ~6000 ft above the valley floor. As Maverick pointed out, if you're packed light and good on uneven terrain, you might be able to jam into Marion Lakes basin in one (very long) day. On my two treks up Taboose, I camped at the unnamed lakes below Striped Mt., because the alpenglow on Striped is pretty cool (besides, I've been out of gas at that point, and going to Bench like Maverick did was not an option). On one of those trips, I accessed the Lakes basin via Vennacher col. Frankly, I prefer that route to Cartridge, because the trek through the area leading to Cartridge pass is unmaintained and can be really slow going, well, for me anyway (though both routes do have the planB of lakes to stay at if you run out of daylight). Vennacher col is a little tricky from the top, as there is a series of ledges that gradually take you down; again, not the best thing to do at the end of a day or in poor light, but if you flew up the trail in the first place, it's a nice route.
CG

Re: Taboose Pass-Lake Basin in a day?

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 3:43 pm
by maverick
Yes Vennacher Col is an option though for the end of the day a class 3 pass
is a little dangerous for the inexperienced or if someone is tired from hiking
all day.
IMO if you can make it to either Bench or Marion Lake for the first night it may
be the safer alternative.
Unless you live in the mountains you'll have to contend with the elevation which
may bring on altitude sickness which can start at 8000 ft in some cases.
Is Lakes Basin you final destination or are you planning to continue on to
Dumbbell Lakes Basin?
When are you planing to go?

Re: Taboose Pass-Lake Basin in a day?

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 9:26 pm
by mokelumnekid
Thanks everyone. I've been over this route in reasonably good form- pretty much cruised Taboose the three times I've done it, and had no problems finding the trail up to Cartridge Pass after crossing the three rock slides. But the problem seems to be that I get saddle-sore from carrying a load on the first day of the trip, more than getting physically tired, about the time I hit the old JMT after crossing the river. I was hoping that hearing about someone else doing it would get me inspired! I know that Arrow Peak has been done as a round-trip day hike from Taboose. But carrying a pack make a difference!

Interesting suggestion regarding Vennacher; I've day hiked it (west-to-east) and found the large blocks at the top on the west side to be scary loose. We climb class 5 so it wasn't a matter of balance or exposure, just loose stuff. But maybe I was off route? That is an interesting suggestion tho.

Great to hear everyone's suggestions, thanks and please chime in.