TR: Kibbie Lake overnight June 22-23
Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2011 5:15 pm
I will start this TR today and then attempt to add to the thread with some photos later. Perhaps someone can direct me to a thread with instructions on posting photos.
Trailhead: The road to Shingle Springs is completely clear of snow. It has not been graded yet this year and there were half a dozen extremely rutted/washed out sections which gave me pause. Nonetheless, I got my ordinary passenger car to the trailhead by driving slowly and strategically.
Approach to Kibbie Lake: The trail to Kibbie has not had a trail crew over it yet this season. There are a sprinkling of deadfalls across the trail. At one point the trail was obliterated for a couple of hundred feet by deadfall and water. Nevertheless, it was not particularly difficult to refind the trail.
Kibbie outlet: I'm sure that seasoned Kibbie visitors know that the best route to the west side of the lake is not directly up the outlet, which is where a newbie like me was headed when the main trail reached the crossing of the outlet below the lake. Going relatively high up onto the granite slabs on the west of the lake allows you to bypass the brush that lies near the shore. It also seemed to me that the granite was less fractured higher up and further from the lake than closer down, allowing for much easier walking.
Camping on the west side: I camped about halfway along the lake on the west side with nice views of the cliffs to the north. On a dayhike I found a splendid campsite a few hundred yards up the NW inlet stream, with great views of the lake, cliffs, and cascades. I wished I had camped there!
Conditions: There were a few scattered patches of snow in the deep shade, but nothing substantial anywhere around the lake. Similarly, a small number of mosquitoes but they were not biting. It was very hot on June 22 and was almost too warm for comfortably sleeping that night. The NW inlet stream I saw was roaring and I would not have wanted to try crossing it at the locations I encountered it. I never contemplated crossing the outlet and did not investigate. Fish were rising from 7:00 pm in the evening and also at dawn at 5:30 am. The ferns stems were 1-2 feet high but not yet unfurled. Few wildflowers were out.
My impressions: The hike in was extremely hot, and the approach was mostly through the Kibbie burn area. I know that fire is a natural part of the ecosystem, but that does not mean I relish walking through burns. Sadly (for me) the heat may have contributed to a nasty heel blister that cut my trip short.
Kibbie Lake itself I found quite lovely. Lakes with mixed granite/cliffs and some forest are always among my favorites, and Kibbie has a lot of charm. I particularly enjoyed some of the streams in the area, sliding and cascading over granite on their way to the lake. While the burn did reach Kibbie in one patch (mid West side) it did not really mar the beauty of the lake in my opinion.
My plans were to dayhike out of Kibbie and to see which other lakes and ridges I could explore from there. My heel blister resisted all my best interventions, though, and make going uphill an unattractive option for me! So back down the trailhead. I'll be back to try again another time.
Trailhead: The road to Shingle Springs is completely clear of snow. It has not been graded yet this year and there were half a dozen extremely rutted/washed out sections which gave me pause. Nonetheless, I got my ordinary passenger car to the trailhead by driving slowly and strategically.
Approach to Kibbie Lake: The trail to Kibbie has not had a trail crew over it yet this season. There are a sprinkling of deadfalls across the trail. At one point the trail was obliterated for a couple of hundred feet by deadfall and water. Nevertheless, it was not particularly difficult to refind the trail.
Kibbie outlet: I'm sure that seasoned Kibbie visitors know that the best route to the west side of the lake is not directly up the outlet, which is where a newbie like me was headed when the main trail reached the crossing of the outlet below the lake. Going relatively high up onto the granite slabs on the west of the lake allows you to bypass the brush that lies near the shore. It also seemed to me that the granite was less fractured higher up and further from the lake than closer down, allowing for much easier walking.
Camping on the west side: I camped about halfway along the lake on the west side with nice views of the cliffs to the north. On a dayhike I found a splendid campsite a few hundred yards up the NW inlet stream, with great views of the lake, cliffs, and cascades. I wished I had camped there!
Conditions: There were a few scattered patches of snow in the deep shade, but nothing substantial anywhere around the lake. Similarly, a small number of mosquitoes but they were not biting. It was very hot on June 22 and was almost too warm for comfortably sleeping that night. The NW inlet stream I saw was roaring and I would not have wanted to try crossing it at the locations I encountered it. I never contemplated crossing the outlet and did not investigate. Fish were rising from 7:00 pm in the evening and also at dawn at 5:30 am. The ferns stems were 1-2 feet high but not yet unfurled. Few wildflowers were out.
My impressions: The hike in was extremely hot, and the approach was mostly through the Kibbie burn area. I know that fire is a natural part of the ecosystem, but that does not mean I relish walking through burns. Sadly (for me) the heat may have contributed to a nasty heel blister that cut my trip short.
Kibbie Lake itself I found quite lovely. Lakes with mixed granite/cliffs and some forest are always among my favorites, and Kibbie has a lot of charm. I particularly enjoyed some of the streams in the area, sliding and cascading over granite on their way to the lake. While the burn did reach Kibbie in one patch (mid West side) it did not really mar the beauty of the lake in my opinion.
My plans were to dayhike out of Kibbie and to see which other lakes and ridges I could explore from there. My heel blister resisted all my best interventions, though, and make going uphill an unattractive option for me! So back down the trailhead. I'll be back to try again another time.