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| A chilly morning at Triskele Lake |
We really had no idea what was in store for us today when we woke up bathed in condensation from our single wall shelters. Yeah, it had gotten pretty darn cold last night---cold enough that I actually climbed inside my bag and zipped it up all the way for the first time in the three seasons I've owned it. Unfortunately, the wind had also stopped blowing, hence the wet interior.
My Contrail drooping and dripping water droplets, I carefully extracted myself from the bag so as not to get it any wetter than it already was, and put on my down jacket and fleece hat. Damn, it was STILL cold and i wondered how far the temps dipped overnight. As it turned out, pretty cold. Brad's bear canister had a layer of frost coating the exterior and my water bladder had a thin layer of ice formed inside.
With three wet sleeping bags and tents, it was apparent we were going to get a late start while things dried out. Not that we cared as it was a crisp clear morning and some trout were beginning to rise in the lake. There were worse places to wait.
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| Brad and Dorf chilling above Donelson Lake |
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Views from above Crystal Lake
Crystal Lake to Flat Rock Lake
"You want epic?" |
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The only drawback to the morning was that I decided to suck it up and eat some of my oatmeal for breakfast. I don't know why I think I can eat oatmeal on the trail when I don't eat it at home, but I keep bringing it along anyway. I guess it's the weight/simplicity factor?
With the help of sunny skies and a light breeze, our things dried out quickly and we were back on the "trail" just before 9:00. Throughout the hike we never really knew where we were going to go the next day, or how to get there until the morning, and today was no different. A quick conference and a consensus was reached: We'd hike downstream a bit then begin working our way up to Donelson and Maryott Lakes and ultimately to Flat Rock Lake for the night---we hoped.
We began by doing what was becoming the norm for this trip: hopping across boulders and a little bit of snow until we reached an unnamed lake about a half mile south of camp. After a bit of climbing we were rewarded by our first views of Donelson Lake, still partially covered with ice, and its banks covered with snow. This was going to be a really good day.
Just beyond Donelson was Maryott Lake looking very much like Donelson. After taking a look ahead, I decided the best way around the lakes was to hike on the snow despite the fact that the day wasn't old enough to soften the snow up very much. I could see Brad and Ward were not crazy about the idea because of the very real possibility of a slip and slide into the frigid lake, but told them "Hey you want epic? you got epic." and started across the snow.
As it turned out, we had no problems negotiating the slippery slope and made it up to a grassy space between the two lakes. We declared this spot to be the perfect place to have a sit down break with snack because A) it was about that time B) the views back to Donelson were great and C) there were no mosquitoes to speak of for perhaps the only time during the trip. I snacked on a granola bar and wondered if I had brought enough along to last the entire trip. I decided a little self-discipline would be needed if I were to have my favorite snack available for the duration of the hike.
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| Brad and Ward checking out the Crystal Lake Basin |
After an extended break we began working our way past Maryott Lake on more snow and boulders. I personally found the extended boulder hopping to be far easier hiking than I would have thought. I've always had quick feet and great balance so I was able to move at a pretty good pace as long as I didn't have to take a step down---my knees are for crap so anything moving steeply downhill, even a step, is uncomfortable.
Once we got to the head of Maryott Lake we had only a short climb over, what else, more snow and boulders before topping out over Crystal Lake. I was looking forward to seeing this area from up high after drooling over my computer keyboard while viewing it in Google Earth over the past nine or ten months.
The views did not disappoint. Spread out below was Crystal Lake, the Pleiades Lakes and tiny Alp Lake off in the distance. We agreed that we should all be shot if we failed to come back to this place later on in the week and then proceeded to take more pictures than necessary. Almost lost in the oogling of Crystal lake was our destination for the night, Flat Rock Lake barely visible to the north.
Typically, getting down from our perch high above the basin proved to be more difficult than getting up there in the first place. The grassy slopes provided little in the way of traction and I found myself wishing for more snow to walk on. After a while we made it down to basin level but discovered we still had a ways to get down. The most straight-forward route was down a wash choked with more boulders. You want epic?
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| Crystal Lake and the Pleiades Lakes |
We made it down without a scratch and found ourselves in a pretty meadow braided with small streams just in time for lunch. After consuming my normal potato chips and peanut butter lunch, I ventured up and over a small ridge in hopes of determining the best route up to Flat Rock Lake. The topography, however didn't allow for a good look so I returned to Ward and Brad.
After consulting with the maps it was determined that we had another short climb over another ridge and then would have a long downhill hike before following the outlet stream back up to the lake.
Once to the top of the ridge we were treated to an even more beautiful valley than the one we had lunch at. Flat Rock's outlet stream cascaded through the drainage, punctuated by one waterfall after another. Small knobs dotted the valley and at one point we startled a couple of deer up the the top of one. Naturally, it was "Gander Mountain" Ward who first spied them, just as he did all of the limited wildlife we saw during the trip.
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| One of many falls we encountered following the stream up to Flat Rock Lake. |
Instead of taking a direct line to the lake, we veered down to the stream so that we could get a better look at all the falls along the way. Even though it meant we'd have to climb up to the lake nobody seemed to mind.
After three waterfalls we were starting to tire of them. NOT. We were getting close to the lake when we discovered that we probably should have crossed the stream to easier access our preferred camp site when we had the chance to wade across without any problems. Now we found ourselves climbing a narrow gorge with no hopes of rock-hopping across and the current was getting stronger.
Once we made it up to the lake we were 30' above it with a steep climb down to a few boulders at lake level. We'd have to get down to those boulders and get our water shoes on without falling in. Brad, on the other hand, simply scrambled down and walked through the stream to the other side.
While changing into my Crocs I thought of Ward's flip flops and the real possibility of him losing one to the current. In a moment of sheer brilliance, I pulled out my roll of duct tape and added a "safety strap" to my Crocs then did the same for Ward. We crossed without a problem and joined Brad.
It didn't take us but two minutes to stake out our campsite above the lake. The mosquitoes were thick here, but so was the grass, allowing our tent stakes to penetrate the ground easily, unlike the afternoon before.
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| Our camp at Flat Rock Lake (12T 606928 4991033) |
Before too long, Canadian Dude was down in the lake washing himself off. Canadians, apparently, are very fastidious bout their hygiene. Not to be outdone, Ward and I soon followed with every intention of cleaning up thoroughly but instead settled for a good sponge bath and doing some laundry.
For some odd reason, I was more hungry today than I was any other day of the trip so I declared tonite 'Feast Night" and proceeded to stuff my face full of Spam, stuffing, GORP, Craisins and granola bars. It was pure gluttony but I didn't care.
The views from our camp were stellar, but Ward and I wanted to hike over to the head of the lake and see what the route looked like for a potential trip up to Varve Lake and Navajo Tarn. The hike over didn't take very long though we did have some difficulty keeping our feet dry crossing the many braids of runoff spilling down the mountainside. But we made it over to the inlet stream only to discover another damn waterfall.
The rest of the evening consisted of "campfire" chat while watching the mosquitoes probing our head nets for openings. it was great fun but by 9 PM and the temps dropping fast it was time to seek refuge in our sleeping bags.
It had been another great day and tomorrow was looking to hold more of the same as our route would take us up to Copepod and Cladocera Lakes.
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