Horseshoe Meadow to Sky Blue Lake TR Aug 8 thru Aug 11
Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 3:23 pm
We had a great trip! We made Cottonwood Lk #5 in just a few short hours. It was probably the easiest first day I’ve ever had on an extended trip. With so much time left in the day, I decided to day hike toward Old Army Pass to see if it was passable. I really did not want to haul up a pack just to turn around and head to NAP. The only real snow was in the center of the bowl. I could see a faint line of tracks that seemed to connect trail. As I approached it, my suspicion was confirmed. There were faint tracks across roughly 20 yards of snow pack leading to the trail on the other side of the bowl. I have heavy Danner leather boots, so I ventured onto the snow pack cutting the faint tracks deeper so we would have some good footholds the next morning. We had nothing but a ski pole apiece and they were not adequate for self arrest if a slip occurred. After traversing the bowl, the trail was straightforward until the upper traverse, but fortunately, there were a few alternate work arounds that allowed one to work below the upper snow. Near the very top, just below the final rounding, there was one move from the rounded point of a large boulder onto a snow bank that required a 3 ft leap. An easy move as long as you don’t get your head or ego involved, but it went from a balance point to a single footprint in the snow, so it was interesting.
We headed toward Mt. Langley, and then turned down the drainage toward Upper Soldier Lk. Above the lake, we headed toward the upper boundary of the small forest on the moraine separating the Soldier Lake basin from the Miter basin. Our goal was to keep elevation and traverse around the moraine until we met with Upper Miter basin. As we sat taking a break in the forest, we saw about 15 or so Mule deer working their way down canyon toward Upper Soldier Lake. I couldn’t believe we didn’t see them when we were descending. About 20 minutes later, we saw another dozen or so headed down the same path. Pretty cool.
We rounded the lateral moraine and kept elevation until we reached upper Rock Creek making our way to the outlet from Sky Blue Lk.; A wonderful cascade. I soaked my feet in the rushing water for a while and relaxed a bit before the final assault to SBL. Once at SBL, we almost immediately found a hardened camp spot against a granite wall with a huge boulder on one side providing wind protection. There was residual snow surrounding the site, but the site was clear. Our tent fit neatly in a flat spot one foot from a small patch of snow.
The next morning, I fished around a bit and caught a reasonable size golden trout. One more and we’d have dinner. I dug a hole in the snow and buried the fish on ice to keep for later. We then decided to head around the Major General to get a glimpse of Iridescent Lk. The view from the top of the shoulder was amazing. There’s something just awe inspiring about shouldering up to the Eastern Escarpment; such a sublime view. I’m not a religious person, but there is something truly spiritual about the high places with their grand vistas and towering peaks. A site that few people experience as every view is well earned.
-Continued-
We headed toward Mt. Langley, and then turned down the drainage toward Upper Soldier Lk. Above the lake, we headed toward the upper boundary of the small forest on the moraine separating the Soldier Lake basin from the Miter basin. Our goal was to keep elevation and traverse around the moraine until we met with Upper Miter basin. As we sat taking a break in the forest, we saw about 15 or so Mule deer working their way down canyon toward Upper Soldier Lake. I couldn’t believe we didn’t see them when we were descending. About 20 minutes later, we saw another dozen or so headed down the same path. Pretty cool.
We rounded the lateral moraine and kept elevation until we reached upper Rock Creek making our way to the outlet from Sky Blue Lk.; A wonderful cascade. I soaked my feet in the rushing water for a while and relaxed a bit before the final assault to SBL. Once at SBL, we almost immediately found a hardened camp spot against a granite wall with a huge boulder on one side providing wind protection. There was residual snow surrounding the site, but the site was clear. Our tent fit neatly in a flat spot one foot from a small patch of snow.
The next morning, I fished around a bit and caught a reasonable size golden trout. One more and we’d have dinner. I dug a hole in the snow and buried the fish on ice to keep for later. We then decided to head around the Major General to get a glimpse of Iridescent Lk. The view from the top of the shoulder was amazing. There’s something just awe inspiring about shouldering up to the Eastern Escarpment; such a sublime view. I’m not a religious person, but there is something truly spiritual about the high places with their grand vistas and towering peaks. A site that few people experience as every view is well earned.
-Continued-