7 days in the Alpine Lakes - ideas?

[timmy_t]

Hi y'alls,

I was going to do a trip to the Bailey Range in ONP this coming week (Saturday through the following Friday), but the @#%&ing weather is not looking ideal. So looking at forecasts I'm thinking about heading to the Enchantments area instead. Does anybody have any sweet 7-day itinerary ideas? I've spent a lot of time climbing/hiking along the well-worn route from the Snow Creek TH to Colchuck Lake (and I'd gladly go there again), but does anybody know any sweet XC routes in the area? Anything to make a loop? Up via Shield Lake to Prusik Pass, maybe down and around the back of Annapurna? Etc.

 

 

[JasonG]

Prepare for permit shenanigans.....but I've heard the Edwards Plateau area to be quite nice. You could easily do a loop up the regular trail and come out the Toketie route. Beckey describes the high routes north of the typical corridor....

[jordansahls]

The Edwards Plateau and Mesa are amazing. So is the Toketie area. However, the descent down Toketie is not particularly pleasent. Neither are Rat creek or Hook creek for that matter. Lots of deadfall and old burn intermixed with brush. In my expirience the Nada lake trail into Temple canyon is a great backcountry way into the Mesa, or out for that matter. Still, If you where looking to get off the beaten path you could make one of the traditional approaches and than work your way back past Shield lake and Mesa lake to the Mesa proper. It's well worth the detour and doesn't really require all that much extra effort.

[timmy_t]

Thanks. Jordan, I read your trip report earlier today. You seemed to not have really appreciated the beauty and complexity of the Rat Creek descent. (FFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUU)

[jordansahls]

Ha ha! I can tell you I would have paid to see that whole area napalmed into ash on that trip, gawd.

 

In all honesty, I don't know what that descent is like in the summer. It's the only back approach into the enchantments that I have yet to make in the summer. From what I have heard and read it isn't all that bad. Hook creek really isn't a bad approach but it has a fair amount of shwacking and dicking around. In any regards, the rat creek approach is going to be a hell of a lot better now then in the winter but you'r still probably better off taking a more popular way in to the Enchantments.

[OlympicMtnBoy]

The approach up Nada Creek was good and we had a great couple of days exploring the back side of Temple Ridge and the Black Pyramid a couple years ago, exiting via Toketie (which sucked). Permits will be your biggest problem though and I hear they have increased patrols and are including visits to areas off the primary enchantments loop.

 

Hiking up to Yellowjacket Tower and then up Hook Creek wasn't that bad in my opinion, the worst brush only took 20 mins or so and then it was a lot of walking on fallen trees (if you have good balance it can be allright). That would get you to Edwards Plateau near the Mole.