Thursday, September 8, We hit the trail around 11:00 and soon had a good view up the canyon.
The falls were pretty good….
…and my friend liked the meadows..
However, once we began climbing the pass proper, the trail began to fade;
I read afterward that the original trail was fading due to the unstable nature of the scree slope that had been built by the miners. This was apparent.
With these conditions, I suspected that the full extent of the trail was not being used. People were getting to the scree, looking at the conditions, and turning around. We saw several groups that did this as we ascended the slope.
The trail finally got off the scree and ascended up a solid rock hogback along these falls.
We finally came out near the top.
We had a good view over Helen Lake toward Mt. Conness.
Then we passed Odell Lake.
Just as Saddlebag Lake came into view, the hail started, and we hustled down to the lakeshore just as the water taxi came in. Here’s a view through the storm.
After some wandering around, I found the group camp and settled down for a well-deserved rest.
