Advice on passes from Merriam Lake into Bear Lakes Basin
Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2023 10:48 am
One of my favorite late summer trips is from either the Pine Creek trailhead or Paiute Pass up to Merriam lake and down into the Bear Lakes/Vee lakes basin, around lake Italy to Lower Mills Creek lake and back. I'm always looking for better or different route options but I sometimes get confused trying to figure out which pass is which on the topos and in person.
I'm heading up there in a couple of days and considering the snowfall this year not sure which route might be the best way through. I was thinking of trying to find Ruskie pass again, or Feather-Light. I've never been over either.
My normal route is to take Feather Pass which can be a bit tricky depending on where the snow is, but has never given me too much trouble in the past. Last year I attempted to go over Ruskie pass, but ended up taking what I believe must be La Salle Col by mistake. My route was left/west up the slope from the lake south of LaSalle lake. From that area it looked like there might be 2 passes/saddles. 1 more to the S and 1 to the N. I took the one to the north which according to this wonderful map I just found was La Salle col.
https://www.highsierratopix.com/high-si ... at=2,&mt=3
The route I took was pretty straightforward on the South/West side, but did involve some careful route finding to get down a steep descent and a bit of tedious talus descent on the northeast side that went down to Gruff Lake and eventually down to Vee Lake. There wasn't nearly as much talus as Dumbbell pass or some others I've been through in the last couple years, but there was still a good amount of it to cross, and the route finding on the way down was definitely more difficult than Feather pass or White Bear pass to the north for that matter to avoid getting cliffed out and having to retrace your steps. The pass I took was a decent way to get from Miriam lake down to V lake but was more effort than just taking Feather pass, and not sure I'd go that way again. I'm wondering if the more southern pass on that same wall was Ruskie pass, or if its somewhere even farther S.
Also for feather light pass my assumption is the correct route for that would be to stay on the left side of LaSalle lake as you're ascending and then just head up the wall midway along the lake?
Could anywhere more familiar with this area shed some light on the correct approach to Ruskie pass from lake Merriam. I'm assuming snow has melted out enough by now to make either feather or feather light navigable, but it would be nice to figure out Ruskie pass to make a loop back to Merriam Lake from V-Lakes. And for anyone who has done both, which would you recommend for a loop over 2 different passes--using Feather and Feather light, or Feather and Ruskie or Featherlight and Ruskie? Also if anyone has traversed White Bear or Gabbot in the last few weeks, how's the snow/route.
Thanks for any info
I'm heading up there in a couple of days and considering the snowfall this year not sure which route might be the best way through. I was thinking of trying to find Ruskie pass again, or Feather-Light. I've never been over either.
My normal route is to take Feather Pass which can be a bit tricky depending on where the snow is, but has never given me too much trouble in the past. Last year I attempted to go over Ruskie pass, but ended up taking what I believe must be La Salle Col by mistake. My route was left/west up the slope from the lake south of LaSalle lake. From that area it looked like there might be 2 passes/saddles. 1 more to the S and 1 to the N. I took the one to the north which according to this wonderful map I just found was La Salle col.
https://www.highsierratopix.com/high-si ... at=2,&mt=3
The route I took was pretty straightforward on the South/West side, but did involve some careful route finding to get down a steep descent and a bit of tedious talus descent on the northeast side that went down to Gruff Lake and eventually down to Vee Lake. There wasn't nearly as much talus as Dumbbell pass or some others I've been through in the last couple years, but there was still a good amount of it to cross, and the route finding on the way down was definitely more difficult than Feather pass or White Bear pass to the north for that matter to avoid getting cliffed out and having to retrace your steps. The pass I took was a decent way to get from Miriam lake down to V lake but was more effort than just taking Feather pass, and not sure I'd go that way again. I'm wondering if the more southern pass on that same wall was Ruskie pass, or if its somewhere even farther S.
Also for feather light pass my assumption is the correct route for that would be to stay on the left side of LaSalle lake as you're ascending and then just head up the wall midway along the lake?
Could anywhere more familiar with this area shed some light on the correct approach to Ruskie pass from lake Merriam. I'm assuming snow has melted out enough by now to make either feather or feather light navigable, but it would be nice to figure out Ruskie pass to make a loop back to Merriam Lake from V-Lakes. And for anyone who has done both, which would you recommend for a loop over 2 different passes--using Feather and Feather light, or Feather and Ruskie or Featherlight and Ruskie? Also if anyone has traversed White Bear or Gabbot in the last few weeks, how's the snow/route.
Thanks for any info