TR: mammoth follies - 7/27-8/2 2021 (beck lakes / iron creek / hemlock / lake catherine / ediza / etc)

[Harlen]

That's great that you guys stuck it out; even your adapted route was spectacular. Some really beautiful photos, thanks for the fine TR.

[frozenintime]

thanks harlen! i've loved all of your reports as well, and stolen various ideas from them

[Harlen]

narc1370 wrote:

Wow. One of the better trip reports and set of photo's I've seen. You actually made me pull out a topo map and look at your route! Thanks for sharing!

You see, you have more folks admiring this great TR. Lizzie and I just finished the long "Bad Mountain" version you linked to above in this abbreviated HST version. Your travails reminded me of a chance backcountry meeting we had with some hardcore, offtrail backpackers who told us that the toughest Sierra travels they had ever done were in this same region, which you described as surprisingly difficult. They were refering to the creeks just to the north of your Iron Creek route-- "Dike Creek," and "Slide Creek." Like you guys, they spoke of very low miles per day of off trail bushwhacking and talus scrambling. We may first check out one of the most appealing areas on your trip, that is the colorful high basin your reached after crossing Beck Lakes Pass. I would love to get in there, and perhaps climb that beautiful peak seen above, in photo #2. I thought that must be "Iron Mountain," but I was wrong-right?

Another question to you is just how bad was the descent of Iron Creek? Can you quantify that in terms of injuries and blood loss? Your feet apparently got pretty wrecked by that long second day down to Hemlock Crossing, and there was a bad ankle sprain-- right?, and then your friend barked his head on a tree-limb! .... was this all a necessary part of the route down Iron Creek?

Lizzie and I are wondering if a base camp at lovely upper Beck Lake, and a day hike over the pass, to amble around the upper Iron Creek Basin might be more our speed these days? Any fishing in those lakes frozenintime? Then we might cross Nancy Pass, and make our way to our old favorite camps by Minaret Lake..... the olde person version of your trip.

Lastly, we note that you too use the time-honored tradition of cursing to get through difficult sections of trail: You wrote:

After a few curse words, we popped out on the other side and were greeted by Upper Beck Lake.

Which cuss words worked the best to help through Iron Creek? Thank a lot, Ian and Lizzie.

[frozenintime]

I would love to get in there, and perhaps climb that beautiful peak seen above, in photo #2. I thought that must be "Iron Mountain," but I was wrong-right?

right, i believe that is mount bartholemew, probably taken from 10-10.5k near the beginning of the descent.

Another question to you is just how bad was the descent of Iron Creek? Can you quantify that in terms of injuries and blood loss? Your feet apparently got pretty wrecked by that long second day down to Hemlock Crossing, and there was a bad ankle sprain-- right?, and then your friend barked his head on a tree-limb! .... was this all a necessary part of the route down Iron Creek?

it's so subjective and i doubt our various maladies are directly related to how hard or easy that route is. someone as deeply acquainted with mountain suffering as you are might make quick work of it. the terrain is certainly more brushy, frustrating, fractured and slate-ish, shale-y (?) than in most of the classic high sierra. but much of our experience that day might come down to expectations. looking at the map (in meters as well! always tricky), i likely pictured a casual downhill stroll down a bucolic high sierra creek. when that was not the reality, i was probably more frustrated than i would've been otherwise. now that i've scared you, i'm sure your subjective experience will be of a casual dayhike.

Lizzie and I are wondering if a base camp at lovely upper Beck Lake, and a day hike over the pass, to amble around the upper Iron Creek Basin might be more our speed these days? Any fishing in those lakes frozenintime? Then we might cross Nancy Pass, and make our way to our old favorite camps by Minaret Lake..... the olde person version of your trip.

i don't fish so i'm clueless on that front. upper beck is gorgeous. personally, i would prefer to soldier on to hemlock crossing -- quite lovely despite the low elevation, and the upper bit of "stevenson canyon" below twin island lakes is just sublime (as bench canyon would be! which was our initial routing). doing beck lakes pass, down iron creek, then back up the creek and over the pass again sounds harder to me.

i'm looking forward to whatever shape this trip of yours takes!