22 replies to this topic

[cardinal]

That sounds like a long day! But you took in a lot. I am surprised you avoided falling through the snow fileds that were probably carved out benieth by rushing waters.

[mathguy]

Igloo Ed, on 08 July 2011 - 07:42 PM, said:

We crossed several snowfields and numerous small drifts by the time we reached the turn off to Shelf Lake but it was after that when the drifts started getting pretty big. One drift had some very good steps in the snow but it was tall and steep enough that a slip out of the snow steps wouldn't have been good.
When we got to the point where the trail is flat over to the bottom of Ribbon Falls we saw that everything was snow covered and it looked quite steep and exposed heading up anywhere near the falls. We instead headed up at the beginning of the flat area traversing above trees to give us something to stop on should we slip. It was rather steep but the snow was solid and we soon arrived at Black Lake.
The gully heading east from Black Lake was completely filled with snow with the exception of one small area where the stream had melted through. We marched right up that snow with it being hard also, just like the rest we'd been on so far.

You guys did a great job. I would find the Black-Frozen-Green-Blue Lakes tour challenging even in typical summer conditions.
Just a quick question: what sort of traction were you guys using (crampons, yaktrax, microspikes)? Or were you
just toughing it out with boots and poles?

[Igloo Ed]

mathguy, on 11 July 2011 - 04:16 PM, said:

You guys did a great job. I would find the Black-Frozen-Green-Blue Lakes tour challenging even in typical summer conditions.
Just a quick question: what sort of traction were you guys using (crampons, yaktrax, microspikes)? Or were you
just toughing it out with boots and poles?

My heavy leather boots were fine but Jinks and Miss Lucy used Yaktrax (I think that was the brand) and liked them with their lighter boots.
The snow was hard enough that getting an edge in was tough but my heavy boots do the job.

[Mr. Jinks]

Here is Igloo Ed just below Black Lake...trekking poles are helpful.

(On Saturday Jinks Jr. and I put on our crampons at this point simply because it helped us to be quicker....but crampons are not necessary to get above Black.)


DSCF3937 by iammrjinks, on Flickr

[Igloo Ed]

Mr. Jinks, on 12 July 2011 - 12:24 AM, said:

Here is Igloo Ed just below Black Lake...trekking poles are helpful.

Interesting catch on the feet. Looks like I'm just strolling along.

[HighPlainsMedic]

Igloo Ed, on 12 July 2011 - 08:51 AM, said:

Interesting catch on the feet. Looks like I'm just strolling along.

Name that photo.. "A stroll in the park" lol..

[Miss Lucy]

Yes, the lake tour was delightful! Miss Lucy was along for the ride. She loves Glacier Gorge, the big open bowl with the peaks surrounding it, and her goal was just to get far enough to see it. The section between the Shelf-Solitude cutoff and Black Lake some tough going, but after a stop for Second Breakfast in the trees at Black it became surprisingly easy! There was no stream to worry about falling in, just an easy uphill from the lake with the sun shining and the snow glistening.

Miss Lucy had said all along she wasn't going all the way to Frozen Lake, but surprisingly, there was very little snow up high, and she found herself almost there in record time. The thought of beating Jinks and Igloo Ed, who had taken a slightly different route through the Gorge, gave her incredible energy, but shortly before arriving there, sweat mixed with sunscreen dripped into her good eye, temporarily blinding her and causing her to wander and lose her way, and arrive several minutes after they did. Things like this always happen to Miss Lucy. The poor girl never gets a break.

After a short break, the crew was headed for Green Lake. They began to skirt around Spearhead, and Miss Lucy soon realized this was gonna be TOUGH! They had to traverse a huge big snowfield, and then go up, up, UP that same snowfield. It looked like Everest, but she soldiered on, even though the others were quickly leaving her in the dust... uh, snow.

She was trying hard to use their footprints to gain traction, but then, as you probably guessed, something disastrous happened. She found herself sliding down the side of the mountain. Trying hard not to panic, she rolled over, and was able to use her pole to self-arrest. Uninjured, she crawled to her feet, and realized two things. No one had even noticed the drama unfolding behind them, and she had lost a good 20 vertical feet. It wasn't hard to make a wise decision. She wasn't going to Green Lake. Joy flooded her heart as she imagined an hour alone in the middle of the gorge while she waited for the guys to run around to two more lakes. It took
some yelling to get their attention. They yelled something back about meeting up somewhere later. Well, duh!

So Miss Lucy slid down the snowfield, scrambled and boulder hopped down off the steep incline, and found herself a nice big high rock to perch on, somewhere she couldn't be missed. It wasn't as easy as it sounds, but she made it. She ate some, drank some, and enjoyed the views and the warm sunshine. She had brought a
book and read for a few minutes. It was so pleasant, and the sunshine was making her sleepy....she laid down flat on the big smooth rock and read for a while....

...and the next thing she knew, she was waking up from a really nice nap! A satisfying one, where you have no idea how much time had elapsed. She sat up quickly,
and scanned the gorge, looking for her crew. Obviously, they weren't down yet. There had been about 15 elk grazing below, and they had disappeared as well. And the sky had changed, but, oh well, it's the mountains.

A few minutes later though, she detected a hiker coming her way, but not from up above, where the guys were, but down below--a hiker coming up the Gorge. She stood up and waved--wait, is that Jinks, Jr.? How did he get way down there? He finally saw her and made big "come on!" gestures. How was Miss Lucy to know the team had come down and totally missed her, sleeping flat on the rock? They assumed she had gone on to Blue Lake. Miss Lucy wouldn't have done that. Silly boys.

All was well, however. It is a very helpful thing to have a teenager with boundless energy hiking with you. Two years before, also with Ed, hiking the million miles from Wild Basin across Boulder Grand Pass to East Inlet, Miss Lucy realized she'd left her trekking poles at Lake Verna, and was at least a mile past there. He offered to go get them, and when Miss Lucy said it was just too far, he said a little exercise would do him good. Sort of a snide way of saying they were moving too slow, Miss Lucy thought. He RAN up the trail all the way to Lake Verna, looked for the poles, and ran BACK, also covering the few hundred yards they had managed to hike down while he was gone. Of course, he didn't find the poles. He is a MALE, after all. If any of you want to go look for the poles, there is a substantial reward offered for their return. Provided they aren't too rusty or anything. They are somewhere off trail in the woods near Lake Verna. Unless she left them somewhere else.

So, the stalwart group enjoyed a great time at Blue Lake. The hike out was fairly uneventful. Another good day in the mountains.

[mwilson]

So good to read a Miss Lucy report again. I've missed them! Sounds like a wonderful day.