August
5, 2006
Day 4 – Deep Lake
to the Cirque of the Towers (or not…)
Distance:
5.0 miles
Elevation Change:
-1,000, +1,200, -450, +200...
Images:
15
Trail -
Deep Lake to Cirque of Towers
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Camp 3 -
Arrowhead Lake
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Camp 3 -
Arrowhead Lake (zoom)
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Day 4 – 5:15 am
I was feeling better
than I had the day before, and was looking forward to shooting sunrise and
heading out for the Cirque with Scott to meet up with Jack. The views into the
Cirque from our camp were constantly working to build anticipation of what
it would be like to crest the top of Jackass Pass and look down into that
spectacular setting.
We made our way over to
our spot at the outlet of the lake and set up. It was another cloudless
morning – seemed to be feast or famine with those clouds – and we each
shot a few sheets of film. Since the sky held little interest, I once
again looked to the eclectic foreground to help me out. I arranged a
composition with Temple Peak reflected in one of the many nearby pools and
came away with one of my favorite images from the trip.
With a killer hike
ahead of us, we wrapped up our shooting earlier than the day before,
grabbed a bit to eat and broke down camp.
Day 4 – 8:00 am
We put on our packs and
left our camp, both with a little reluctance and a lot of excitement about
what the next phase of the trip would bring. I have a feeling I’ll get
back to Deep Lake before too long.
We made our way down
the granite slide, stopping occasionally to pull out the digital cameras.
That section of trail went very quickly and we were at Clear Lake in about
30 minutes. Another 30 minutes or so and were at the junction at the
north end of Big Sandy Lake, resting up and fueling up for the climb to
Jackass Pass and the Cirque. Ha! This was easy! ….
….holy crap. The trail
starts out easy, and then after 10, maybe 12 feet begins going UP. This
isn’t your normal “up”. I’m in pretty good shape, but even without a
75-80lb pack, this grade would be a test. With the pack, it was simply
grueling. And it wouldn’t be long before it became downright punishing.
I told Scott that I’d
catch up to him at some point, and I set a pace that seemed sustainable.
I’d be in the Cirque no later than…September. After a crazy steep climb
of about a half mile, the trail levels off briefly before climbing again.
The trail to North lake crosses large granite outcroppings where the trail
is faint or non-existent, working it’s way about 300 feet or so above the
east side of North Lake. Cairns mark the “trail” as it moves past and
over large boulders. I met up with Scott around 11 am at North Lake where
we rested up, snacked and discussed the hike so far.
Day 4 – 11:15 am
Starting out again we
immediately come across a granite ledge that’s a little more than waste
high. With no “step” anywhere nearby to aid in getting up on the ledge, I
spin around, hoist myself on to the ledge backwards and attempt to roll
over to get on my knees and lift myself up. Rolling with a heavy pack is
a risky maneuver and the weight of the pack kept going after I stopped.
There would have been no harm in just rolling further on the flat ledge,
but I tried to stop the pack and tweaked my back. Nothing major, but it
would required some Ibuprofen later. I also manage to tweak my right
ankle on the rocks, but also more of an annoyance than anything else.
Continuing on, the
trail drops back down the lake – sacrificing several hundred feet of
hard-earned elevation. Working around to the northwest side of the lake,
the trail begins to climb up towards Arrowhead Lake. This ½-mile section
is equally as steep, if not more so – than the section heading up from Big
Sandy Lake. But the combination of hot mid-day sun, the rocky
stair-stepping nature of the trail and the rock walls that line part of
the trail and reflect heat back onto the trail combine to make this what
I’d consider to be the toughest, most punishing part of the entire
trail….so far….
Side note: As tough as this trail is, there’s no denying
that the scenery is worth the effort. It is grand in all respects. In
retrospect, I should have taken time to take more pictures along the way.
I’m sure they would have acted to better balance my account of our
hiking. But I didn’t. So here’s where I can really bring out the satire…
Day 4 – 12:00pm
I met up with Scott
again just before Arrowhead Lake at a junction called the Climber’s
Cutoff. This is where the trail splits, one section traveling along
the east side of
Arrowhead Lake leading
up to Jackass Pass, and the
other
shorter
section heading off
around the west side of Arrowhead Lake and up to
the same ridge that is
home to Jackass Pass, but a little closer to the peaks that make up the
Cirque.
We stopped at the
Cutoff and discussed which route to take. But I was feeling spent,
and wasn’t sure it would be wise to take either route. I was
thinking of calling it a day and dayhiking into the Cirque. As we
discussed options, we were able to chat with some folks who had come
through the shortcut, and one fellow who came down the trail from Jackass
Pass. The following is my account of those conversations:
Conversation with Guys
Who Took the Climber’s Shortcut:
Us:
Hey, how’s it going?
Guys:
Great!
Us:
How’s that shortcut trail?
Guys:
Not too bad. (note: they’re not wearing packs; they
might be
carrying a bottle of water each. The one guy is about 6’-1” and maybe
weighs 120 lbs. No doubt he’s a climber. I’m thinking I’m going to be
reluctant to take the advice of a guy who voluntarily dangles 2,000 feet
above the next lowest object, relying on rope and a carabineer to keep him
from reaching terminal velocity on a glorious but ill-fated free fall to
his death).
Us:
You don’t say.
Guys:
Yeah, it’s easier without packs probably.
Us:
You don’t say…. What’s the trail like?
Guys:
It’s pretty easy until you get around that corner up there.
Us:
Yeah? Then what?
Guys:
There’s some really big boulders, but you can get over them.
Us:
With packs?
Guys:
Oh….the packs, right…uh, sure!
Us:
How big are the boulders?
Guys:
Uh…mostly small, but there’s a section with maybe bus-size boulders.
Us:
Short yellow-bus sized boulders, or full-on public-transportation bus sized
boulders?
Guys:
Hmmm… maybe double-decker London tour-bus size…
Us:
You don’t say. But passable with packs?
Guys:
Probably.
Us:
Hmmm.
Guys:
But you probably want to strap those hiking poles on your pack. Otherwise
you could get them caught between boulders, lose your balance and fall to
your death.
Us:
You don’t say.
Guys:
Good luck!
Us:
Yeah, you too…
Me:
Scott, I think the climber’s route is out for me.
Scott:
That’s cool; we can take the Jackass Pass route.
Me:
I wonder how that trail got it’s name…
Conversation with the
Guy Who Just Came Down the Jackass Pass Route:
Us:
Hey, how’s it going?
Guy:
Great!
Us:
How’s that trail?
Guy:
Not too bad. (note: he, too, is not carrying a pack. Though he is wearing
some nice shorts and sandals, I think. Okay…he’s actually wearing boots,
but he’s got a fanny pack that looks to weigh 10, maybe 12 ounces. I’m
think I’m going to be reluctant to take advice from a guy who carrying 70
lbs less than we are).
Us:
You don’t say.
Guy:
Yeah, it starts out a little steep, but that’s not….
Us:
Excuse us, but steeper than that little section we just climbed coming up
from North Lake?
Guy:
Ummm, maybe a little steeper, but that’s not the bad part.
Us:
Oh yeah, what’s the bad part?
Guy:
Well, after the steep climb, it goes back down so you’ll have to regain
that elevation again later.
Us:
Later, huh?
Guy:
Yeah, but that’s not the bad part.
Us:
Oh yeah, what’s the bad part?
Guy:
Well, after you drop down, the climb back up is a little steeper.
Us:
A little steeper than….?
Guy:
Uh…maybe steeper than the first part.
Us:
…which was steeper than the climb up from North Lake?
Guy:
Yeah, maybe. But that’s not the bad part.
Us:
Oh, there’s a bad part?
Guy:
Yeah, the last section is really steep.
Us:
You don’t say. Steeper than any of the other sections you’ve been
describing.
Guy:
Oh, yeah. Those other sections aren’t nearly as steep.
Us:
You don’t say.
Guy:
Good luck!
Us:
Yeah, you too….
Me:
So, Scott…I think I’ll setup camp nearby and maybe come into the Cirque tomorrow
to meet up with you guys.
Scott:
You sure?
Me:
Tough call, but I think so…
Scott:
Okay; I’m going to take the climber’s cutoff...
Me:
Good luck! Oh… and don’t forget to strap those poles to your pack…
After wrestling with
the decision, I decided to listen to the little voice that was saying it
was time for me to call it a day and Scott and I split up, planning to
possibly meet up the next day in the Cirque; otherwise we’d meet back at
the TH the day after.
For Scott’s description of his hike across the boulder fields of the
climber’s cutoff, check out his
trip report.
Day 4 – 2:00 pm
Feeling a little bummed
about stopping short of our
destination, I decided to set up
camp and day-hike into the Cirque. I found a great little spot
just up the hill from the junction, tucked in amongst a clumping of trees
and rock outcroppings and surrounded by healthy bouquets of wildflowers.
I scoped out some locations for shooting sunset and found a great spot
just behind my campsite, out on a bluff overlooking North Lake below and
looking into the Deep Lake basin we had left earlier in the day.
With camp set and a
sunset location picked out, I was feeling a little better and headed off
with the 4x5 to the Cirque. I took the climber’s cutoff.... I couldn’t
resist.
I’m glad I was
day-hiking. The trail is passable with packs, but doing it when
you’re out of gas could be problematic. There is one particularly
tough section with extremely large boulders, and picking the right path is
tricky. Even with just my camera bag, there were parts where
I needed to take my pack off to pass safely. After about 30 minutes of
boulder-hopping, the “trail” is visible again at the northwest side of the
Arrowhead Lake, approximately 100 feet or so above the lake. From here,
the trail climbs very steeply for a hundred yards or so to the pass.
I came up to the pass
and got my first unobstructed view into the Cirque. Wow! The collection
of peaks – War Bonnet, Warrior 1, Warrior 2, Pylon, Watch Tower, Block
Tower, Shark’s Nose, Overhanging Tower, Wolf’s Head and Pingora Peak –
create a stunning scene. I set up the 4x5 and made several exposures as
the clouds and light conspired to create constantly changing light and
views into the Cirque.
After spending almost
two
hours shooting from
near the
pass, I decided to begin
heading back to camp for dinner and sunset. I was tempted to shoot
sunset from the pass, but crossing the boulder field in the dark didn’t
seem like a good idea. I made my way down the steep section just
below the pass and kept going down to the lake to filter water. On
the way down, I lost my footing on a boulder and twisted my right ankle.
I also managed to rip back a toenail on the same foot. Consequently,
the hike back across the boulder field was a little slower than before but
was made without any further adventures. As I neared the end of the
boulder field, I stopped to shoot some interesting reflections where
Mitchell Peak drops off into the lake.
Back at camp, I made a
quick dinner and tended to my ankle and toe. An ace bandage for the ankle
and taping the toenail down worked well, and some ibuprofen helped as
well.
Day 4 – 7:30 pm
I ditched the boots
for sandals and headed out onto the bluff that overlooks North Lake.
Storm clouds were rolling through the sky over Temple Peak. As was
the case with previous sunsets, alpenglow never developed but a more
subtle light and color made for a beautiful scene. While the 4x5 was
aimed into the Deep Lake basin, I shot some digital images of the
neighboring peaks.
I was hoping that
Jack and Scott were getting good light, but from my vantage point it
looked a little bleak in the Cirque. By 8:45, the light was gone and
I was back in my tent for the night by 9:00. There were strong winds
and a light rain throughout much of the night, making sleep difficult.
I made earplugs out of some tissue and finally fell back to sleep around
3:30 am.
Intro
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Day 1
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Day 2
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Day 3
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Day 4
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Day 5
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Day 6
