TR - Seldon Pass -> Orchid Lake
Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2014 6:45 am
1070 days since my last backpacking trip: but who's counting right? Any lengthy absence from doing something you love can give you a lot of time to think about it. For me, that meant thinking about where my next backpacking trip will be. And the longer I thought about it, the more undecided I became. When the thumbs up finally arrived I was confused as ever, and it was info provided by several members of this forum that convinced me there was a lake I just had to visit.
In my typical style, I was out the door by 4am for the 5hr drive to Florence Lake, and a ferry ride later I was left lifting my pack onto my shoulders and putting one foot in front of the other for the next seven hours. The hike towards Muir Trail Ranch was easy, a nice walk through forest mixed with meadows as the trail criss crossed the road to Muir Trail Ranch. A quick lunch at Senger Creek and I started the climb up towards Seldon Pass - the first mile or so a brutally steep section which thankfully flattens out beyond the first trail junction. I could feel I had come from sea level, together with the black flies swirling around me the dry switchbacks seemed painfully endless. Passing a few hikers coming down, I finally reached Senger Creek for a much needed water break.
I was dedicated to at least reach Sally Keys Lakes, but with a good deal of daylight left and some energy in reserves getting over Seldon Pass seemed doable. As I ascended above Sally Keys Lakes, the view south began to open up.
View south over Sally Keys Lakes
I finally reached Seldon Pass by 6pm, and a quick walk down the north side found myself setting up camp above Marie Lake. The cool breeze was welcome, as the bugs were starting to worsen. Starving, I made some dinner before heading down to the shore for sunset.
Sunset at Marie Lake
The first night always seems sleepless for me, and that night was no exception. Awake at midnight, I decided to get up and play with my camera
Milky Way above Seldon Pass
It was an early rise for me, as I was eager to get going towards my destination for the day. Beforehand, I took a short exploratory walk, making a few casts into Marie Lake along the way.
Mount Senger
Soon I was heading north along the JMT, surprised to see no one along the trail. Reaching Rosemarie Meadow, I began my off trail exploration, finding a snow survey hut just out of sight off trail, then north to check out two small ponds indicated on the map.
Reaching the ponds, the bugs came at me with a vengeance. Covered in more DEET than I cared to be exposed to, the bugs started penetrating any possible accessible area. Their first area of choice: my ankles - a location I left bare of chemicals thinking the fabric was thick enough to prevent access. Just as I felt that familiar tickling sting on my right ankle, I swiped the area with my hand, leaving behind a few blood stains in the process. These were - quite possibly - the worst mosquito swarms I've ever encountered, having me route-finding as fast and safe as I possibly could to get to better ground. I finally heard the creek, which I crossed and followed upwards.
The swarms cycled from worse to extreme depending upon how distant I was from nearby water bogs, driving me to move that much faster upwards. The climb lessened at a small meadow, followed by another short climb up to the lower lake - more a meadow now than a lake. A few minutes later and I was standing along the (thankfully) breezy shores of Orchid Lake. It was 10:30am, which left the rest of the day to explore. However the sky looked threatening, keeping me near camp but allowing me to nap, fish, snack, and take photos - amazing that just a short distance from the JMT and not a single footprint to be found aside from my own.
As the weather cleared late in the afternoon…
Afteroon at Orchid Lake
…I packed a daypack and headed out for a quick visit north to Apollo Lake - fun route-finding but the day hike was shortened given it was getting late. Back to camp for dinner - a dinner with some additional nutrients thanks to the mosquitos flying into my food. The sky was building again, and by sunset was nearly completely overcast. The clouds got brighter, marking sunset was just around the corner. Then just as quickly as the sky got brighter, it ominously darkened. About ready to give up, the sun suddenly burst through the clouds like a laser beam, coloring the mountains an intense red, and a short time later the clouds as well. THIS was what I was hoping for - one of those magical moments you can't adequately describe, and can only try your best to capture as a photo.
Sunset, Orchid Lake
Alpenglow, Orchid Lake
Just as quickly as it came, the sunset faded leaving me standing there in awe as it began to rain. Nothing much else to say: I ducked into my tent to get away from the bugs and rain.
It rained on and off that night, and I awoke to gray skies and a remarkable calm morning - a perfect reflection across the lake touched only by the occasional rising fish.
Morning coffee at Orchid Lake:
It was hard leaving, and I kept making excuses to stay...did I forget something? One last cast? One last photo?
In the on and off rain, the hike down to the JMT was much easier than coming up. But passing one bog after another I continued to get bombarded by clouds of mosquitos. Finally reaching the JMT, I turned south, making a nice trip up to Rose Lake for a snack and rest. Rose Lake was just as calm as the lake I left a few hours earlier - a perfect reflection.
You don't get hear without getting your feet a little dirty:
Back on the trail, by the time I got to Marie Lake it had gotten somewhat cold and windy - it was welcome as both seemed to keep the bloddsuckers at bay. Several hikers passed - the first people I had seen in a few days. Undecided where I was going to camp, I stayed at Marie Lake for an extra long lunch, watching blue patches move across the sky, and their spousal patches of sunlight move across the mountains in response.
Afternoon at Marie Lake
Convinced I should camp south of Seldon Pass for an easier hike out the following day, I packed up my gear and made the quick hike up and over the pass. In no hurry whatsoever, I stopped frequently to fish, photo, and enjoy. Down at Sally Keys Lakes I found a nice and private camp above the lake. Few mosquitos here, which was a nice surprise compared to the previous few days. The sky had threatened all day, and finally let loose for a good sized down-poor, letting up and clearing for an anticlimactic sunset.
Perhaps it was my sleeping mat or my racing mind, but I just couldn't sleep. I prepared for a quick departure in order to catch an earlier ferry at Florence Lake. However I couldn't help but frequently stop in the forest below Sally Keys Lakes as the sun penetrated the forest.
Morning in the forest
As is typical for me on a last day's hike back to the trailhead, I turned on autopilot for the last several miles down the trail, not seeing another person after the Muir Trail Ranch, and getting to Florence Lake by noon - leaving some time to soak my soar feet and legs before the 1pm ferry.
In my typical style, I was out the door by 4am for the 5hr drive to Florence Lake, and a ferry ride later I was left lifting my pack onto my shoulders and putting one foot in front of the other for the next seven hours. The hike towards Muir Trail Ranch was easy, a nice walk through forest mixed with meadows as the trail criss crossed the road to Muir Trail Ranch. A quick lunch at Senger Creek and I started the climb up towards Seldon Pass - the first mile or so a brutally steep section which thankfully flattens out beyond the first trail junction. I could feel I had come from sea level, together with the black flies swirling around me the dry switchbacks seemed painfully endless. Passing a few hikers coming down, I finally reached Senger Creek for a much needed water break.
I was dedicated to at least reach Sally Keys Lakes, but with a good deal of daylight left and some energy in reserves getting over Seldon Pass seemed doable. As I ascended above Sally Keys Lakes, the view south began to open up.
View south over Sally Keys Lakes
I finally reached Seldon Pass by 6pm, and a quick walk down the north side found myself setting up camp above Marie Lake. The cool breeze was welcome, as the bugs were starting to worsen. Starving, I made some dinner before heading down to the shore for sunset.
Sunset at Marie Lake
The first night always seems sleepless for me, and that night was no exception. Awake at midnight, I decided to get up and play with my camera
Milky Way above Seldon Pass
It was an early rise for me, as I was eager to get going towards my destination for the day. Beforehand, I took a short exploratory walk, making a few casts into Marie Lake along the way.
Mount Senger
Soon I was heading north along the JMT, surprised to see no one along the trail. Reaching Rosemarie Meadow, I began my off trail exploration, finding a snow survey hut just out of sight off trail, then north to check out two small ponds indicated on the map.
Reaching the ponds, the bugs came at me with a vengeance. Covered in more DEET than I cared to be exposed to, the bugs started penetrating any possible accessible area. Their first area of choice: my ankles - a location I left bare of chemicals thinking the fabric was thick enough to prevent access. Just as I felt that familiar tickling sting on my right ankle, I swiped the area with my hand, leaving behind a few blood stains in the process. These were - quite possibly - the worst mosquito swarms I've ever encountered, having me route-finding as fast and safe as I possibly could to get to better ground. I finally heard the creek, which I crossed and followed upwards.
The swarms cycled from worse to extreme depending upon how distant I was from nearby water bogs, driving me to move that much faster upwards. The climb lessened at a small meadow, followed by another short climb up to the lower lake - more a meadow now than a lake. A few minutes later and I was standing along the (thankfully) breezy shores of Orchid Lake. It was 10:30am, which left the rest of the day to explore. However the sky looked threatening, keeping me near camp but allowing me to nap, fish, snack, and take photos - amazing that just a short distance from the JMT and not a single footprint to be found aside from my own.
As the weather cleared late in the afternoon…
Afteroon at Orchid Lake
…I packed a daypack and headed out for a quick visit north to Apollo Lake - fun route-finding but the day hike was shortened given it was getting late. Back to camp for dinner - a dinner with some additional nutrients thanks to the mosquitos flying into my food. The sky was building again, and by sunset was nearly completely overcast. The clouds got brighter, marking sunset was just around the corner. Then just as quickly as the sky got brighter, it ominously darkened. About ready to give up, the sun suddenly burst through the clouds like a laser beam, coloring the mountains an intense red, and a short time later the clouds as well. THIS was what I was hoping for - one of those magical moments you can't adequately describe, and can only try your best to capture as a photo.
Sunset, Orchid Lake
Alpenglow, Orchid Lake
Just as quickly as it came, the sunset faded leaving me standing there in awe as it began to rain. Nothing much else to say: I ducked into my tent to get away from the bugs and rain.
It rained on and off that night, and I awoke to gray skies and a remarkable calm morning - a perfect reflection across the lake touched only by the occasional rising fish.
Morning coffee at Orchid Lake:
It was hard leaving, and I kept making excuses to stay...did I forget something? One last cast? One last photo?
In the on and off rain, the hike down to the JMT was much easier than coming up. But passing one bog after another I continued to get bombarded by clouds of mosquitos. Finally reaching the JMT, I turned south, making a nice trip up to Rose Lake for a snack and rest. Rose Lake was just as calm as the lake I left a few hours earlier - a perfect reflection.
You don't get hear without getting your feet a little dirty:
Back on the trail, by the time I got to Marie Lake it had gotten somewhat cold and windy - it was welcome as both seemed to keep the bloddsuckers at bay. Several hikers passed - the first people I had seen in a few days. Undecided where I was going to camp, I stayed at Marie Lake for an extra long lunch, watching blue patches move across the sky, and their spousal patches of sunlight move across the mountains in response.
Afternoon at Marie Lake
Convinced I should camp south of Seldon Pass for an easier hike out the following day, I packed up my gear and made the quick hike up and over the pass. In no hurry whatsoever, I stopped frequently to fish, photo, and enjoy. Down at Sally Keys Lakes I found a nice and private camp above the lake. Few mosquitos here, which was a nice surprise compared to the previous few days. The sky had threatened all day, and finally let loose for a good sized down-poor, letting up and clearing for an anticlimactic sunset.
Perhaps it was my sleeping mat or my racing mind, but I just couldn't sleep. I prepared for a quick departure in order to catch an earlier ferry at Florence Lake. However I couldn't help but frequently stop in the forest below Sally Keys Lakes as the sun penetrated the forest.
Morning in the forest
As is typical for me on a last day's hike back to the trailhead, I turned on autopilot for the last several miles down the trail, not seeing another person after the Muir Trail Ranch, and getting to Florence Lake by noon - leaving some time to soak my soar feet and legs before the 1pm ferry.