TR: May 27-28, 2017 -- SEKI Copper Creek and Beyond

[Flamingo]

Hi Everyone,

Over the holiday weekend, I enjoyed a short overnight backpacking trip in SEKI National Park. I went up Copper Creek Trail to Upper Tent Meadow and Grouse Lake. My TR below contains updated snow conditions. I posted a few photos in this thread, and you can see more photos here: https://www.flickr.com/gp/victorhansonsmith/T7i0Ex

Snow Update:
There remains a lot of snow! The Copper Creek trail was clear to Upper Tent Meadow. Real snow appeared around 8600’. At 9000’ the snow was 4+ feet deep in tree wells, and it seemed deeper above 10,000'. My entire trip was on south-facing slopes, so these numbers will obviously be different for northern slopes. Looking across the canyon, the north-facing snowline seems to be around 7800’.

I arrived at the Roads End ranger station at 8 am on Saturday May 27, and I picked up the last permit for Copper Creek. There was a huge line of backpackers jockeying for permits. It seemed everyone wanted Bubbs Creek or Woods Creek. Several parties were dispirited by the facts: (1) the permits were all taken, (2) there’s too much snow to do the Rae Lakes Loop without winter gear, and (3) the Woods Creek bridges are broken.

Actual quotes I overhead at the ranger station. . .

“We reserved our permit months ago, and they never told us about the snow. How were we supposed to know!?"

“Do you think it will melt by tomorrow?”

“So what’s the second-best pretty trail?”

“No refund!?”

Anyway, my plan was to camp at Upper Tent Meadow, and then climb to Grouse Lake and beyond. Unsure of the snow conditions — but expecting the worst — I strapped snowshoes, 10-point crampons, and an ice axe to my backpack and started up the Copper Creek trail at 10 am. I met two older guys descending with skis and mountaineering boots. We chatted for a moment. They were returning from a 7-day traverse of the Monarch Crest. It sounded like an incredible trip, and their faces looked like raisins from all the sun exposure.

I arrived at Lower Tent Meadow at noon. It was crowded with three parties. I don’t understand why people pile-up here; there’s no real views, and there’s better camping 100 meters downhill (with solitude! and views!) on flat terraces where the trail crosses the creek.

Anyway, I continued to Upper Tent Meadow. There is a sweet rock shelf near the creek with space for one tent and an outstanding vista. I was exhausted, and not ready to tackle the snow, so I setup camp here and enjoyed the afternoon reading in the shade, listening to bird song, and watching the light across the canyon. I had the entire upper meadow to myself.

Question for HST Members: Am I missing secret camp spots at Upper Tent Meadow? I’ve been here a couple times, and I've found only little spots for a bivy.

The next day I continued uphill. The snowline was at 8600', just above Upper Tent Meadow. I strapped on my snowshoes and trekked up the gully towards "the lip" north of Mount Hutchings. The snowpack was excellent, and walking straight uphill was easy. I ate lunch at the lip, enjoyed the fantastic views, and then I explored around a bit. I traversed over to Grouse Lake — not much to see here except a big white sheet. I walked up the soft ridge to the west and had fun climbing and (safe) glissading down the hill.

The views above 10,000’ were inspirational and worth the journey. It was neat to see Mount Brewer and the Sphinx Crest painted with snow.

I returned to the lip, changed my snowshoes for crampons, and then plunge-stepped down the gully back to the trail. I returned to the trailhead by 3pm. I walked to Zumwalt Meadow, setup my hammock, and enjoyed a long afternoon nap.

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[Flamingo]

One more thing. . .

[Shawn]

Great report and really nice photos. Thanks for posting it up!

I once took a nice siesta on my way up at Upper Tent Meadow under the shade of a tree and wondered the same thing about nice camp spots in the area - hopefully someone else will speak up about the issue.

[balzaccom]

Those are some nice stars you captured. Thanks for this report.

[Hobbes]

How long were your shoes? I used BW's 30" Lightning ascents on a trip a few weeks ago, but thought they were too long. Andy had 22" LAs, so even though they might post-hole a bit as the snow softens, they seemed much easier to use.

[TehipiteTom]

Excellent report! LOL at the overheard quotes.

No, you're not missing anything. Sites at Upper Tent are small and scarce.

[maverick]

Am I missing secret camp spots at Upper Tent Meadow? I’ve been here a couple times, and I can only find little spots for a bivy.

Nope, no secret spots, it has always been know as a place with great scenery and lousy camping. Someone told decades ago, that there was a decent site, east of Upper Tent, next to Copper Creek, but have never checked it out, usually time my starts to get up into Granite Basin for the first night, because I don't care for either of those campsites.

[Gazelle]

I use the lightning ascent ladies 22 in for everything. I know I am lighter than you but unless really soft I would think they would be fine

[Flamingo]

@Hobbes -- I use 25" MSR Lightning Ascents, and I love them. This weekend the snow was very compact, and I would have been just fine with 22" shoes. Earlier in the season, though, the 25" shoes were awesome in deep powder.