Deer Lakes, Lake Vincente 7.30.03

With the high predicted heat I managed to get an early start. I left the Cathedral Rock Trailhead by 9 am. The trail winds easily to Squaw lake were I took a break and was stunned by the size of the Rainbows in the lake. Since I wanted to get as much in before the heat of the day really kicked in I was off. I continued on towards the junction with the crest trail, thankfully there is quite a few small ponds along the way so the dogs were able to drink their fill. Cathedral Rock looms ever present through much of this hike, the views are quite stunning. I reached Catheral Pass and gazed at massive cirque that towers over Deep Lake, eyeing routes for trips in the future. I quickly dropped down to Deep Lake crossed the outlet and climbed the 300 or so feet to Deer Lakes. I intended to only stop for lunch but the heat was really building and I wasn't too enthused with the 900 foot climb to Vicente Lake. I set up camp at one of camp sites that ring the lower Deer Lake. I circled the lake and made my way to the Upper Deer Lake, both lake are very shallow and reedy. After a cat nap I decided to make my way up to Vicente Lake and do a little fishing. The trail is eay to follow except in some of the marshy areas, but all in all not too bad. The last 450ft of climb is very steep however, I was very glad I wasn't trying this with a full back in the heat of the day. The Vicente basin is ringed with some rugged peaks and the south shore is still socked in with some heavy snow. A chunk of snow the size of my house had broken off and was floating in the lake. I caught some small cutts, and snapped some pictures and was back to camp. On returning to camp the bugs were out in force so I called it a night. The next day I got up cooked breakfast and broke camp. I high tailed it back to Squaw Lake were I knew those big rainbows were just waiting for me. Much to my delight I coaxed one 17 incher to take my dry fly and treat me with one good fight on a 4 weight fly rod. After releasing the fish I did see plenty of other trout roaming about but I was unable to land any of those. Another great trip in the Alpine Lakes.

Talus Lake 7.23.03

Today's goal was Talus Lk which is about 2 miles south of Deception Lakes and can be reached off of the PCT. I used the Tonga Ridge road for my approach, this shortens the approach greatly. I had never been past the Turnoff for the Tonga ridge trail. The road is in great shape all the way to the trailhead. It is however much longer than I expected. There is some limited parking just past the trailhead (1059b). This was a first for me the hike starts on a steep decline as it drops to meet the Deception Creek trail. The trail is in very good shape as climbs steadily to reach the PCT just south of Deception Lakes. I did not intend on going to Deception Lakes, but since the weather was very warm I thought it best to catch some shade and have some lunch. The bugs were a mild nuisance, as I did some exploring near the uppermost of the Deception chain. I returned to pack up and head for the day's objective. Talus Creek crosses the PCT about 2.5 miles from Deception Lakes, there is a great campsite just before the creek crossing. I dropped pack here and crossed the creek and climbed on the south side of the creek all the way to Talus Lk. The first part is the steepest but it moderates quickly. I picked up some fisherman's trail now and again on the way, the area is pretty open so it only took about 45 minutes to reach the lake. The lake itself wasn't much to look at and the fish were not biting. The descent went very easy (30 minutes). I packed up and started out stopping frequently to gawk at Mt Daniel, Cathederal Rock and Terrace Mt. There was plenty of water on the trail and all trails were in good shape.

Cad Lake 7.17.03

I got my usual late start and payed the price. I left the trailhead at 12:40 with the temps already at least 10 degrees warmer than I expected, and bit muggy to boot. I had to stop a few times in some shady spots to give the dogs some respite from the growing heat. There is a stream crossing at 4100ft and again at 5000ft so the dogs were able to get some water. Once you reach the ridge line there is still quite a bit of snow. I left the Granite Mt trail where it bends to the south for the final push to the summit. I veered north and and a little west reaching the rim above Cad Lake. It is very steep on the southern end of Cad so I angled to the east and caught a stream bed to reach lake level. The lake is still mostly frozen I did not stay long not looking forward to the climb back to rejoin the Granite Mt trail. I mearly retraced my steps until I had climbed the majority of the way back, and had my lunch. The views are stunning of the surrounding peaks. I had little problem with the descent until I caught a toe and went ass over tea kettle ending up on my back with my feet pointing uphill. It was easily the worst I have ever fallen while in the mountains. After taking inventory of all my parts I very gingerly (and thankfully) got up and hobbled to the car.

Myrtle Lake, Little Myrtle Lake 7.16.03

I got my usual later than I would like start. I set off up the Dingford Creek trail a little after 1 pm. The day was partly cloudy and the temps were moderate. The trail is in fairly good shape. There are some muddy spots after the Hester lake turnoff and some good sized blow overs to climb over. I set up camp at Myrtle lake and tried my hand at some fly fishing. I had some success so I decided to try Little Myrtle. The trail to Little Myrtle is much harder to follow and it does cross the creek about half way up and climbs to the lake on the west side contrary to both my maps. Little Myrtle looks more promising for bigger fish due to the fact it is not so shallow. I did not have any luck however, most of which was due to the growing wind. I retreated to camp to find the bugs were out in force. I spent a good portion of the evening in the tent listening to the bugs dive bombing the tent sounding much like a heavy spring rain. The plan was to go to Merlin, Nimue, and Le Fay lakes in the morning. I made it most of the way to Merlin when I decided that anywhere there weren't any bugs was better than here. I broke camp and high tailed it to the car. I will be back later in the season to finish this trip.

Green Ridge Lake 7.9.03

I found the miner's trail to Green Ridge Lake without any problem. The trail starts about 4.6 miles from the Taylor River bridge. There is enough parking for about two or three cars. The trail starts just before the parking. The trail is very steep but fairly easy to follow it stays mostly on the ridge until 3400ft. The trail then traverses to a rock slide, cross the rockslide and pick up the trail on the other side. The trail stays between the rockslide and the creek for the remainder of the climb. You could follow the northern shore and easily climb to Hi-Lo Lake and beyond. Since I had been to Hi-Lo Lake on a previous trip (from Nordrum Lake) I turned my attention to the continuation of the Miner's trail. I crossed the outlet and picked up the trail on the other side. The trail climbs easily to a big camp at the base of the steeper climb. It appeared to me that this was a quartz mining camp. Above the camp the grade steepens greatly I climbed to approx 4300ft and ran out of time. It seems that you could crest the ridge and drop to Quartz Lake or even climb to Pt 4860 without any problems. This trail is not maintained and is very steep, good route finding skills are also needed.

Mount Sawyer 7.3.03

With some company in town, I chose the Tonga ridge trail. I always choose this trail when with inexperienced hikers. You do almost all of the climbing in the car. The views are stunning with minimal effort. I left the rest of my party in the meadows just under Mt Sawyer and set off the climber's trail that starts just past the meadows. The trail was clearly defined and easy to follow. The trail wraps around the eastern shoulder and reaches the summit from the north side. There was still some patchy snow on the north side. Amazing views of the Alpine Lakes area as well as Glacier Pk. to the north. The bugs were, suprising to me, very minimal.