Mt. Price advice?

[Sam R]

Compañeros & compañeras!

My 10-year-old daughter and I have a permit for tomorrow night at Hemlock Lake in Desolation. I'd like to take her up Mt. Price the next morning, if weather permits. Would we have an easier time dropping back down and heading up from Twin Lakes, or is it feasible to gain the ridge from Hemlock or Smith (either N or SE from Smith) and have at it from there? She's keen to scramble, but I'd like to keep it Class 2.

I had also thought about heading over Twin-Island way for a new campsite on night 2, but I wonder if we'd be happier in a thunderstorm at Hemlock, given what seems to be more arboreal shelter?

Thanks for any thoughts,

Sam

[c9h13no3]

The LIDAR data is pretty good in that region, and you should be able to pick out the small cliffs on the Caltopo. Personally, I'd trend toward Smith Lake to avoid having to bother with snow (maybe glissade down?). A GPS track roughly like this should do the trick. But Island & Twin Island are worth a visit for their scenery alone.

There's a use trail up to Little Pyramid (Pk 9441) on the other side of Island Lake. It is an enjoyable peak that would be easy to keep class 2, with some optinal cl3 on the S side of the peak if you want it.

Enjoy yourself on one of the many peaks named after me

[Sam R]

Many thanks, Mr. Price! That looks like just the thing.

It's not often I have the chance to correspond with a mountain's eponym. Makes me wish Mr. Darwin were on HST, too.

Not to mention Thor.

[SSSdave]

Mt Price is obviously easiest Class 1 and most snow free from Lyons Lake. With good route finding, one can get from the Hemlock Lake basin to Lyons Lake basin via a Class 1 route on the rib between Grouse and Secret Lakes. However that requires a lot of traversing once in that basin. I like @c9h13no3 idea much better up to 9941 by starting at the northwest end of Island Lake up to the 8600 foot saddle and then to the top of 9941 from its west slope. Look at it on Google Earth Pro.

Lightning wise both Hemlock and Island Lake appear rather safe from bolts as they are down in topographic holes beside higher slopes, if one stays away from lake edges, streams, and wet areas.

[Wandering Daisy]

I did the N Ridge Mt Price from Island Lake-class 2 with a bit of class 3 depending on exact route. If weather is uncertain just going to Island Lake from Hemlock is all trail and very pretty. Does your permit allow you to camp at Island Lake? or is it only for Hemlock? From Island Lake you can go up the ridge and peek down into Clyde Lake- also very scenic.

[Sam R]

SSSD & WD, thanks to you both. I am liking this idea of 9941 more and more. Since we only have to be at Hemlock the first night, maybe what we'll do is move to Island the next morning and head up from there, assuming thunder doesn't put the kibosh on it. I wonder if one can reasonably turn N from Grouse Lake, or NW from Hemlock, for an off-trail shortcut to Twin Lakes? Maybe it's a manzanita-fest, I don't know. We'll suss it out.