| |
|
| | |
|
| Hiking | 10.90 Miles |
2,622 AEG |
| | Hiking | 10.90 Miles | 5 Hrs 20 Mns | | 2.34 mph |
| 2,622 ft AEG | 40 Mns Break | | | |
|
|
| |
| Partners |
|
none
[ show ]
| no partners | | This was an extremely beautiful hike - aspen groves, meadows, riparian, and snow/ice chute leading up to the peaks. I started from the Inner Basin TH at 10:00. There were quite some people on the initial portion of the Inner Basin trail in the aspen groves. Weather was nice and clear, but the noon/afternoon thunder storms per the forecast were looming in my head. Once we left the Inner Basin trail and started the hike up from there, we only ran into one couple and their dog who were coming down. Not sure whether they got to the very top?
I really enjoyed the Flagstaff Spring area - very lush and pretty! The climb up from there was sort of off the beaten path and the view from the snow/ice chute leading up to the peaks was great! We tried to go up on the snow in the chute for a bit. But the snow was compacted down hard and couldn't be kicked in. I didn't think to bring my crampons. We were sliding all over the place. So we changed our strategy and bushwhacked up along one side of the snow chute.
We got to 11,160 where the chute starts to bend left. The dry land we could walk/bushwhack on started to disappear into the base of the little peaks. It looked like there was only 100-150 yards left to the top of the thing! Rain had started and lightning and thunders were all around us shortly after we left Flagstaff Spring. I was feeling very exposed to lightning at this altitude with no cover. And I did not like Wiski and me sliding all over the place on the compacted snow in the chute (with nothing to stop a potential slip and fall), which seemed to be the only way to get all the way to the top? So I decided to give up on the final little section to get to the very top in the Cirque and start heading back down. This was very atypical and a bummer, but I think I made the right decision. I will have to try again when there's no thunder storm and perhaps bring some traction device. Unless - there's a different route? I'll have to ask you guys - was that the snow chute the only way to get to the top into the Cirque?? Looks like all of you got to the Cirque from the few trip reports. But I don't see any picture of the snow chute leading up to it?? I was using the Official Route, but I did notice the several other tracks uploaded on here indicating a somewhat different route?
The hike back down was uneventful and easy. Got rained on of course, but at least there was no crazy hail like last week in Barbershop Canyon. And the feeling of getting away from the threat of lightning was good! Came across more people once we got back on the Inner Basin trail, including a couple of guys with their skis, who wanted to get up and build some good jumps! I wonder whether we were talking about the same chute I climbed up there or something else. I hope they stayed safe from the thunder storms up there. |
| _____________________
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Route Editor
Route Scout
