TR and NEAR DISASTER. Beck Lakes TH Xcountry. Help Wanted
Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2018 1:56 pm
Hey everyone. This is from early August 2017. Record snow year, something like 175%. Mammoth mountain was open through July.
So I have been pushing my edges over the past few years, going deeper into the wilderness and farther off the trail.
I had been given this rough outline:
Beck Lake Trailhead (Minarets)>Ashley Lake>Iron Lake Pass into Iron Lake Drainage>McDonald Pass>Dike Lakes>Upper Twin Island Lakes Basin>Clinch Pass>Davis Lakes>Garnet Pass>Whitebark Pass>Iceberg to Minaret Lakes route>Deadhorse Pass>Nancy Pass>Beck Lakes Trailhead
Last year with the heavy snow fall I went out in June and July and had fun walking over snow with just my trail runners and trekking poles, and I got a little over confident. What follows is a trip report but also some words of caution about what can happen out there if you are out of your depth. I definitely learned some important lessons. Please be ginger with your lectures, trust me this experience has changed my outlook.
Mistakes:
- inadequate planning
- inadequate gear
- overconfidence
Questions:
- ***How does one get from Dike Lakes to Upper Twin Lakes Basin?
- Can you self arrest with an ice axe in slushy, afternoon snow in August?
- How much help are micro spikes in these conditions?
Here's a map of the trip https://caltopo.com/m/NLDF
Day 1: Beck Lakes to Fern Lake. Late start. Rangers warned us we should have traction and ice axes. We disregarded this warning.
Day 2: Tons of snow but melted enough that we could get over Iron Lakes Pass without too much trouble, though it is a very steep, loose path. Mostly melted on East Side, lots of snow on West. We headed North cross country up the drainage with the Minaretts to our right. The travel was steep and exhausting, walking on snow pack takes so much more energy. We stopped around 4 and dropped our packs, and went to explore and swim in the last of the day's heat. I ended up cutting my boot badly on a sharp rock, just as the sun was going down. Suddenly, an relaxed afternoon felt very scary. I was naked, bleeding, and the sun was about to go behind the ridge. I was separated from my pack. I tied a bandana around my foot, got my tops on, and then crossed the stream to a flat area where we would camp for the night. My friend walked the 5 minutes to the packs and returned with both of them. I got all my clothes on and prioritized stopping the bleeding while he set up camp. Once the bleeding had stopped I superglued the cut on the inside of the ball of my left foot, and then taped it up thoroughly with leukotape. As night fell, the smell of smoke became noticeable.
Day 3: We woke up and luckily I was able to walk without any pain. We had a slow start, starting to feel the fatigue and elevation. The San Joaquin river valley below was filled with smoke coming from the South. Up towards Minaretts 3738 and 3736 we went, rather than heading to McDonald Pass on the left. Snow everywhere, the higher we got the more difficult. I am definitely getting myself micro spikes next time. The lake at the basin before the pass was amazing, so cool to be up there. We skirted to the left, and then spent a long time looking at the pass, a wall of rock and snow. We weren't sure we could get through, and had to find routes where a fall would not be dangerous (no rocks below) as we didn't have an ice axes for self arrest. We were able to get to a rock outcropping, do some class 3 moves across it, and then found a seam to the far right of the pass where the snow was melted enough that we could get up. The final crest was sketchy, and involved carefully digging in each step. We were right on the edge, stopping to think and consider turning back multiple times. Once over, we were faced with a snow field that took us to another island of rock, and then no way down without down climbing a chute about 20'. It was fairly straight forward, but required lowering our packs with cord as we needed to press our backs against the wall with our legs to get down. Finishing this we were starting to get tired, both physically and with the emotional toll of pushing the edge of safety. I will say though, this is a really cool route. I would love to go back with proper tools or with less snow. We continued to the Dike Lakes Basin, which is a super gorgeous area. It was covered in snow, but we found an amazing campsite on a ledge above the northernmost lake. It was a long, exhausting day. The smoke was starting to come up from the valley floor below, and was thick enough that it would clearly be dangerous to go down, or back. Down and back had been escape valves I was counting on, knowing that we might not be able to complete this route given the conditions.
Day 4: Thick smoke starting to come all the way up to our campsite at 3250 meters. We headed over the ridge to the Slide Creek drainage, across the creek. Very difficult travel across boulder fields and talus. On and off of snow. Exhausting. Smokey enough that we were starting to get worried. Looking at the map now, we should have tried for Ritter Pass. I made a navigational error and we headed up the first instead of the second fork of slide creek, which meant an extra hour of travel on snow and climbing to a pass, only to realize we were in the wrong place. I think we were exhausted, don't underestimate the cognitive component of this. We got back on the path I had marked, and got into the basin where I thought we could drop onto the glacier S of the Ritter Lakes. This wasn't possible. The pass I had identified on the map would have involve class 4 climbing. We climbed up to a notch on the right and were clipped out. We climbed a notch to the left, and it looked like it might have been possible to traverse a ledge East until we could get on the glacier and glissade down. But it was too late in the day, the entire Ritter Lakes Basin was covered in snow and we weren't set up for snow camping. We were too tired to make North Glacier Pass. I was pretty freaked out, feeling responsible for getting us into this mess as trip leader, and unsure about a plan to get out. Looking at the map, it didn't look like there was a way down (too steep) and going back meant going towards the forest fire. Either way meant going down to the San Joaquin valley, which was full of thick smoke. We decided best course of action was to head down until we found a flat patch to camp at, and to get some rest and regroup in the morning and make a plan. At this point, while descending over a steep section of talus, the ground moved beneath me and large rocks came loose. I had to kick my legs out to keep a large rock from rolling onto my ankles, and as I fell backwards a boulder the size of toilet fell onto me from behind, pinning my backpack and smashing my wrist. I was able to pull my hand out, and get myself out of my bag. I was in a lot of pain. My bag was destroyed, and I needed help lifting the rock off it to extricate it. We found a place to camp, splinted my wrist with a trowel. I was exhausted, scared, guilty, in considerable pain and unsure how to get out. We were talking about calling for a heli rescue on my Delorme. We used the three hands we had to sew up my bag with dental floss, and again my hiking partner had to set up both of our shelters and cook dinner. Going down didn't look like an option on the map, and the smoke was still thick. Going back wasn't an option because of the difficulty of the route - I would need both hands for sure.
Day 5: The winds shifted, and the smoke was gone from the valley My hiking partner did some scouting in the morning, and decided our best plan was to follow the drainage down and hope we didn't get cliffed out. We were able to get to the San Joakin not too long after noon. It was warm, and the river was beautiful. No smoke. I shed some tears of gratitude, and we made the most of the day fishing and hanging in a meadow. We needed the rest.
Day 6: Winds were still blowing SW, so no smoke. We decided to go back, not sure we had enough time and food to try and go North to Clinch Pass-Garnett Pass - JMT back to Devils Postpile. Plus we weren't sure what snow conditions would look like at Clinch Pass. We headed south down the trail along the San Joaquin. On the way out we ran into a trail crew who was impressed with our ambition, and got on the radio to see if we would be able to get out with the fire. We determined we would have to go x-country again up Iron Creek Drainage, as the trail route (through corral meadow and over granite staircase) was closed due to smoke and proximity to the fire. We wend across Hemlock Crossing, x-country up Iron Creek, and back over Iron Creek Pass. We had to push hard and barely caught the last shuttle out of Devil's Postpile. We were planning on getting a hotel in Mammoth but everything was booked due to some music festival, and we ended up driving all the way back to SF that night and arriving after 2am.
So I have been pushing my edges over the past few years, going deeper into the wilderness and farther off the trail.
I had been given this rough outline:
Beck Lake Trailhead (Minarets)>Ashley Lake>Iron Lake Pass into Iron Lake Drainage>McDonald Pass>Dike Lakes>Upper Twin Island Lakes Basin>Clinch Pass>Davis Lakes>Garnet Pass>Whitebark Pass>Iceberg to Minaret Lakes route>Deadhorse Pass>Nancy Pass>Beck Lakes Trailhead
Last year with the heavy snow fall I went out in June and July and had fun walking over snow with just my trail runners and trekking poles, and I got a little over confident. What follows is a trip report but also some words of caution about what can happen out there if you are out of your depth. I definitely learned some important lessons. Please be ginger with your lectures, trust me this experience has changed my outlook.
Mistakes:
- inadequate planning
- inadequate gear
- overconfidence
Questions:
- ***How does one get from Dike Lakes to Upper Twin Lakes Basin?
- Can you self arrest with an ice axe in slushy, afternoon snow in August?
- How much help are micro spikes in these conditions?
Here's a map of the trip https://caltopo.com/m/NLDF
Day 1: Beck Lakes to Fern Lake. Late start. Rangers warned us we should have traction and ice axes. We disregarded this warning.
Day 2: Tons of snow but melted enough that we could get over Iron Lakes Pass without too much trouble, though it is a very steep, loose path. Mostly melted on East Side, lots of snow on West. We headed North cross country up the drainage with the Minaretts to our right. The travel was steep and exhausting, walking on snow pack takes so much more energy. We stopped around 4 and dropped our packs, and went to explore and swim in the last of the day's heat. I ended up cutting my boot badly on a sharp rock, just as the sun was going down. Suddenly, an relaxed afternoon felt very scary. I was naked, bleeding, and the sun was about to go behind the ridge. I was separated from my pack. I tied a bandana around my foot, got my tops on, and then crossed the stream to a flat area where we would camp for the night. My friend walked the 5 minutes to the packs and returned with both of them. I got all my clothes on and prioritized stopping the bleeding while he set up camp. Once the bleeding had stopped I superglued the cut on the inside of the ball of my left foot, and then taped it up thoroughly with leukotape. As night fell, the smell of smoke became noticeable.
Day 3: We woke up and luckily I was able to walk without any pain. We had a slow start, starting to feel the fatigue and elevation. The San Joaquin river valley below was filled with smoke coming from the South. Up towards Minaretts 3738 and 3736 we went, rather than heading to McDonald Pass on the left. Snow everywhere, the higher we got the more difficult. I am definitely getting myself micro spikes next time. The lake at the basin before the pass was amazing, so cool to be up there. We skirted to the left, and then spent a long time looking at the pass, a wall of rock and snow. We weren't sure we could get through, and had to find routes where a fall would not be dangerous (no rocks below) as we didn't have an ice axes for self arrest. We were able to get to a rock outcropping, do some class 3 moves across it, and then found a seam to the far right of the pass where the snow was melted enough that we could get up. The final crest was sketchy, and involved carefully digging in each step. We were right on the edge, stopping to think and consider turning back multiple times. Once over, we were faced with a snow field that took us to another island of rock, and then no way down without down climbing a chute about 20'. It was fairly straight forward, but required lowering our packs with cord as we needed to press our backs against the wall with our legs to get down. Finishing this we were starting to get tired, both physically and with the emotional toll of pushing the edge of safety. I will say though, this is a really cool route. I would love to go back with proper tools or with less snow. We continued to the Dike Lakes Basin, which is a super gorgeous area. It was covered in snow, but we found an amazing campsite on a ledge above the northernmost lake. It was a long, exhausting day. The smoke was starting to come up from the valley floor below, and was thick enough that it would clearly be dangerous to go down, or back. Down and back had been escape valves I was counting on, knowing that we might not be able to complete this route given the conditions.
Day 4: Thick smoke starting to come all the way up to our campsite at 3250 meters. We headed over the ridge to the Slide Creek drainage, across the creek. Very difficult travel across boulder fields and talus. On and off of snow. Exhausting. Smokey enough that we were starting to get worried. Looking at the map now, we should have tried for Ritter Pass. I made a navigational error and we headed up the first instead of the second fork of slide creek, which meant an extra hour of travel on snow and climbing to a pass, only to realize we were in the wrong place. I think we were exhausted, don't underestimate the cognitive component of this. We got back on the path I had marked, and got into the basin where I thought we could drop onto the glacier S of the Ritter Lakes. This wasn't possible. The pass I had identified on the map would have involve class 4 climbing. We climbed up to a notch on the right and were clipped out. We climbed a notch to the left, and it looked like it might have been possible to traverse a ledge East until we could get on the glacier and glissade down. But it was too late in the day, the entire Ritter Lakes Basin was covered in snow and we weren't set up for snow camping. We were too tired to make North Glacier Pass. I was pretty freaked out, feeling responsible for getting us into this mess as trip leader, and unsure about a plan to get out. Looking at the map, it didn't look like there was a way down (too steep) and going back meant going towards the forest fire. Either way meant going down to the San Joaquin valley, which was full of thick smoke. We decided best course of action was to head down until we found a flat patch to camp at, and to get some rest and regroup in the morning and make a plan. At this point, while descending over a steep section of talus, the ground moved beneath me and large rocks came loose. I had to kick my legs out to keep a large rock from rolling onto my ankles, and as I fell backwards a boulder the size of toilet fell onto me from behind, pinning my backpack and smashing my wrist. I was able to pull my hand out, and get myself out of my bag. I was in a lot of pain. My bag was destroyed, and I needed help lifting the rock off it to extricate it. We found a place to camp, splinted my wrist with a trowel. I was exhausted, scared, guilty, in considerable pain and unsure how to get out. We were talking about calling for a heli rescue on my Delorme. We used the three hands we had to sew up my bag with dental floss, and again my hiking partner had to set up both of our shelters and cook dinner. Going down didn't look like an option on the map, and the smoke was still thick. Going back wasn't an option because of the difficulty of the route - I would need both hands for sure.
Day 5: The winds shifted, and the smoke was gone from the valley My hiking partner did some scouting in the morning, and decided our best plan was to follow the drainage down and hope we didn't get cliffed out. We were able to get to the San Joakin not too long after noon. It was warm, and the river was beautiful. No smoke. I shed some tears of gratitude, and we made the most of the day fishing and hanging in a meadow. We needed the rest.
Day 6: Winds were still blowing SW, so no smoke. We decided to go back, not sure we had enough time and food to try and go North to Clinch Pass-Garnett Pass - JMT back to Devils Postpile. Plus we weren't sure what snow conditions would look like at Clinch Pass. We headed south down the trail along the San Joaquin. On the way out we ran into a trail crew who was impressed with our ambition, and got on the radio to see if we would be able to get out with the fire. We determined we would have to go x-country again up Iron Creek Drainage, as the trail route (through corral meadow and over granite staircase) was closed due to smoke and proximity to the fire. We wend across Hemlock Crossing, x-country up Iron Creek, and back over Iron Creek Pass. We had to push hard and barely caught the last shuttle out of Devil's Postpile. We were planning on getting a hotel in Mammoth but everything was booked due to some music festival, and we ended up driving all the way back to SF that night and arriving after 2am.