TR: 6/16 N. Yosemite Boundary Lakes
Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2016 2:03 pm
North Yosemite Boundary Lakes
May 30- June 4 2016
Given the interest in Cherry Creek in recent posts, I bumped this up and replaced the defunct Photobucket pictures.
This loop was partly a repeat of a route I did years ago but did not take my camera. I really wanted to get some photos. I was armed with many optional route plans to make daily route decisions. Becoming burned out on gnarly off-trail travel and the likelihood of mosquitoes at Kibbie Lake, I changed the exit to instead return on the trail, with a nice diversion to Lord Meadow on Cherry Creek. My only regret was not staying the night at Lord Meadow and doing the longer walk out the next day. Weather was perfectly clear, a nice breeze, and amazingly HOT! I could have done without all my insulating clothing- never used it! Warm nights also meant I could have taken my 45-degree bag. Oh, well, I needed to test my new pack with a 6-day trip load of my normal gear. In spite of hours of studying Google Earth images, the terrain surprised me- much more forested and thick underbrush than I had expected. Every topographic low was a pond due to the snow melt. Lake shorelines did not look like that on the map, which added to difficult navigation in already difficult lumpy terrain. All in all, the trip was 44.3 miles with average travel rate of 1 mph. It is “small-scale” scenic but quite beautiful early season.
Day 1. Shingle Springs TH to “Mercur” Lakes.
8.5 miles, 6.3 hours, 2300 feet gain.
I managed to get out of town on Memorial Day early enough to have nearly empty roads and arrived at the trailhead at 11AM. The dirt road was in good shape, which saved me 2 miles and nearly 1000 feet of elevation gain. Previously I had not been able to get up the road. Hordes of people were exiting at the trailhead. After I hit the Kibbie Lake trail junction, I only met two more people. It was horridly hot. Thankfully the trail, which was in horrible condition in 2006, had been recently worked on, and other than some minor deadfall, overgrowth and swampy spots, it went quickly. I reached the ranger cabin at 3:15, leaving enough time to continue to the unnamed lakes west of Mercur Peak.
These last two miles proved to be tough – full of deadfall. The drop down the north side of the ridge lead me into melting snowdrifts, post-holing into water, and then a rat’s maze to get around every small pond created by the melt. I finally reached the northeast shore of the main large lake at 5:15 and found a perfect campsite up on the ridge with a fine view into Cherry Creek canyon. I took a bucket bath while I gathered water and was amazed at how warm the water was. After dinner I walked to the north end of the lake. There are many nice campsites all along the northwest side of this large lake. Frogs serenaded me all night. The largest "Mecur" Lake and my campsite shown below.
May 30- June 4 2016
Given the interest in Cherry Creek in recent posts, I bumped this up and replaced the defunct Photobucket pictures.
This loop was partly a repeat of a route I did years ago but did not take my camera. I really wanted to get some photos. I was armed with many optional route plans to make daily route decisions. Becoming burned out on gnarly off-trail travel and the likelihood of mosquitoes at Kibbie Lake, I changed the exit to instead return on the trail, with a nice diversion to Lord Meadow on Cherry Creek. My only regret was not staying the night at Lord Meadow and doing the longer walk out the next day. Weather was perfectly clear, a nice breeze, and amazingly HOT! I could have done without all my insulating clothing- never used it! Warm nights also meant I could have taken my 45-degree bag. Oh, well, I needed to test my new pack with a 6-day trip load of my normal gear. In spite of hours of studying Google Earth images, the terrain surprised me- much more forested and thick underbrush than I had expected. Every topographic low was a pond due to the snow melt. Lake shorelines did not look like that on the map, which added to difficult navigation in already difficult lumpy terrain. All in all, the trip was 44.3 miles with average travel rate of 1 mph. It is “small-scale” scenic but quite beautiful early season.
Day 1. Shingle Springs TH to “Mercur” Lakes.
8.5 miles, 6.3 hours, 2300 feet gain.
I managed to get out of town on Memorial Day early enough to have nearly empty roads and arrived at the trailhead at 11AM. The dirt road was in good shape, which saved me 2 miles and nearly 1000 feet of elevation gain. Previously I had not been able to get up the road. Hordes of people were exiting at the trailhead. After I hit the Kibbie Lake trail junction, I only met two more people. It was horridly hot. Thankfully the trail, which was in horrible condition in 2006, had been recently worked on, and other than some minor deadfall, overgrowth and swampy spots, it went quickly. I reached the ranger cabin at 3:15, leaving enough time to continue to the unnamed lakes west of Mercur Peak.
These last two miles proved to be tough – full of deadfall. The drop down the north side of the ridge lead me into melting snowdrifts, post-holing into water, and then a rat’s maze to get around every small pond created by the melt. I finally reached the northeast shore of the main large lake at 5:15 and found a perfect campsite up on the ridge with a fine view into Cherry Creek canyon. I took a bucket bath while I gathered water and was amazed at how warm the water was. After dinner I walked to the north end of the lake. There are many nice campsites all along the northwest side of this large lake. Frogs serenaded me all night. The largest "Mecur" Lake and my campsite shown below.