TR: 5 ridges, 5 basins, one big pass
Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 1:55 pm
I have Maverick & Kathy W to thank for this trip (June 6-17). Mav did a great write up on Taboose/Bench last year, and Kathy's early season photos and report implied this area was mostly free of the blowdown affecting other areas of the Sierra. Below is a photo link, but I need to do a better job of organizing and annotating them:
http://sierrajune2012taboose.shutterfly.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
General Plan:
Enter via Taboose; take Upper Basin Crossing (UBC) into Amphitheater Lakes Basin (ALB) and continue over Cataract Creek col (CCC) to Dumbbell Lakes Basin (DLB). From there, ascend the ridge west of Observation Peak to reach Lake 10565 which faces the Black Divide. Backtrack from there to Dumbbell Basin and use Dumbbell Pass to reach Marion Lakes Basin (MLB). Leave MLB via Vennacher col (VC) and retrace the route out via Taboose.
General Comments: We had blue skies and bright sunshine for most of the 11 days. However, a couple days with clouds afforded one spectacular light show and a memorable sunset. Upper Basin crossing was a tough cookie and it took me an hour to find a route down the West side. The East is a pretty easy climb, but your brakes need to be well lubricated for the western descent. The inducement is that ALB is so incredibly gorgeous from that ridge that there is a strong incentive to avoid plan B (to back off and go the long way via Mather Pass and Cataract Creek). We then spent 3 nights in ALB (good fish in Amph Lake) before heading for Lake 10565. However, bugs were 1-2 going up CCC, 2 in DLB and got worse as we headed down toward 10565. Ergo, we camped high and thought we'd try MLB instead. Unfortunately, MLB had the worst bugs of the trip, but we were lucky that when we reached the small lakes below VC, the bugs were almost non-existent and we spent the evening enjoying the great light show. Most of the photos were chosen to provide insight into the various ridges we crossed. The west side of VC, like UBC was challenging, but no worse than when we crossed it 10 years ago. It's listed as a 3, but is a hard 2 in my book. Snowmelt and springs were abundant, but water sources will clearly be an issue later this Summer. I'd only been to Amphitheater once before and that basin really was even more outstanding than I recalled. Devil's Crags were as distinctive as ever, and in spite of the bugs MLB is a worthwhile trek any time of year.
We saw no pika, deer or elk, no signs of bears and no raptors; songbirds were abundant and we were regularly serenaded by frogs even at high elevation. Flowers were just beginning and the JMT/PCT was showing signs of use, but we encountered only 2 other souls in those 11 days. Can't wait to get back!
cg
http://sierrajune2012taboose.shutterfly.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
General Plan:
Enter via Taboose; take Upper Basin Crossing (UBC) into Amphitheater Lakes Basin (ALB) and continue over Cataract Creek col (CCC) to Dumbbell Lakes Basin (DLB). From there, ascend the ridge west of Observation Peak to reach Lake 10565 which faces the Black Divide. Backtrack from there to Dumbbell Basin and use Dumbbell Pass to reach Marion Lakes Basin (MLB). Leave MLB via Vennacher col (VC) and retrace the route out via Taboose.
General Comments: We had blue skies and bright sunshine for most of the 11 days. However, a couple days with clouds afforded one spectacular light show and a memorable sunset. Upper Basin crossing was a tough cookie and it took me an hour to find a route down the West side. The East is a pretty easy climb, but your brakes need to be well lubricated for the western descent. The inducement is that ALB is so incredibly gorgeous from that ridge that there is a strong incentive to avoid plan B (to back off and go the long way via Mather Pass and Cataract Creek). We then spent 3 nights in ALB (good fish in Amph Lake) before heading for Lake 10565. However, bugs were 1-2 going up CCC, 2 in DLB and got worse as we headed down toward 10565. Ergo, we camped high and thought we'd try MLB instead. Unfortunately, MLB had the worst bugs of the trip, but we were lucky that when we reached the small lakes below VC, the bugs were almost non-existent and we spent the evening enjoying the great light show. Most of the photos were chosen to provide insight into the various ridges we crossed. The west side of VC, like UBC was challenging, but no worse than when we crossed it 10 years ago. It's listed as a 3, but is a hard 2 in my book. Snowmelt and springs were abundant, but water sources will clearly be an issue later this Summer. I'd only been to Amphitheater once before and that basin really was even more outstanding than I recalled. Devil's Crags were as distinctive as ever, and in spite of the bugs MLB is a worthwhile trek any time of year.
We saw no pika, deer or elk, no signs of bears and no raptors; songbirds were abundant and we were regularly serenaded by frogs even at high elevation. Flowers were just beginning and the JMT/PCT was showing signs of use, but we encountered only 2 other souls in those 11 days. Can't wait to get back!
cg
