Beta request: ABCD lakes in Marble Mountains?

[backpackerlabelle]

Good afternoon my fellow intrepid backpackers!

I'm planning a backpacking trip on my way back down the I5 corridor. I've spent many a wonderful night in the trinities and marbles, so I'm looking for something new. I would love to do a trip to the ABCD lakes, but am finding little information on this trek on the web. Has anyone done this? Can you comment on overall mileage and approach?

For reference, I am a relatively fit backpacker (generally prefers no more than 14 miles days) with good cross country experience and will be trekking with a dog who handles scree but doesn't do great with heat / altitude.

[maverick]

https://grejambripics.smugmug.com/Natur ... kes-Basin/
http://www.backpacker.com/trips/redding ... =deep-lake
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax82mTB-rBg

[Ska-T]

Last time I was there was about 48 years ago. I don't recall that the hike in was difficult except the last part was steeply uphill, so if it is a hot day that may be hard on your dog. The fishing back then was good, as far as quantity goes. I also remember that the downed wood was plentiful and particularly dry compared to the Sierra, thus camp fires were easy. (I don't know the current fire regulations for that area.) The dryness also meant there were no mosquitoes in Aug when I was there.

Undoubtedly the links Maverick provided will give you more recent information.

[Wandering Daisy]

Ska-T: what time of year did you do that trip? I have a Marble Mountain trip planned and am debating when to do it. Earliest would be just after 4th July but am worried about mosquitoes, not so much snow since I have done a lot of trips on snow. Although Fall is a good time too, this year a lot of my Sierra trips are backed off until Fall. Evidently there is now quite a bit of horse use in the Marble Mountains, so perhaps going before trails totally dry out would avoid the crowds. I purposely avoid going anywhere on 4th July holiday.

[Ska-T]

WD, my poor recollection of that trip is that it occurred in early August, but I don't recall the exact year (1969-71).

I did our short mileage trip with two cousins and my uncle when I was a college student. We started at the Shackleford Creek trailhead to the west of ABCD lakes.
ABCD Lakes map
Hiking to the west along Shackleford Creek we veered to the northwest up Long High Creek to our first camp at the east side of Calf Lake. We fished Calf Lake and Long High Lake. Most of our fishing was a fly or "live" grasshopper and a bubble. The next day we contoured to the west to make camp for 2 or 3 days at the east (or northeast side) of Dogwood Lake. We fished Aspen, Buckhorn, Chinquapin, Dogwood and Wolverine Lakes, but I don't recall the specifics other than either Aspen or Chinquapin were the best. We didn't descend to Deep Lake which isn't far away to the north.

On the return, we descended south from our campsite at Dogwood Lake to Shackleford Creek passing close to Log Lake.

To refresh my memory I just got off the phone with my cousin who lives in Ashland, OR and is a retired NFS botanist. He says that the mosquito season in the Marbles is earlier than the Sierra and isn't as thick. He implied that June was often the peak month. Since each year varies in snowpack it is hard to say when they hatch or die off, but for a typical year an estimate of 3 weeks or more earlier than the high Sierra is reasonable. It is possible that this year an early July trip may beat the worst of the hatch, but I wouldn't stake my worst fly rod on it.

[giantbrookie]

This thread brings back memories of my youth, when I would look at the topo map and see that interesting off-trail bench with those lakes. In my daydreams I'd think it had these sparkling lakes with big fish. By the time I was headed up to the Klamaths to hike and fish I had other targets (Big Blue Lake chief among them) and I for whatever reason never ended up going to the ABCD lakes. Later I would get hints of info that the fish were numerous but not large. Nonetheless, the setting of those lakes on a trailless high bench with great views remains very appealing to me.

Anyhow very best wishes for a great trip up there and I'm very much looking forward to seeing a report!

[cunningkeith]

Here is a trip report to those lakes:
http://www.oregonhikers.org/forum/viewt ... =8&t=16921

An approach from the other side (from Deep Lake) is described in Trip 32 of Backpacking California (Wilderness 2d ed).

I've done a few trips to the Marbles but never to those lakes. Just be aware that cattle grazing begins in the Marbles in mid July (call ranger for specific date). I personally would do the trip before then. Good luck!