Post by cweston on May 6, 2019 8:51:07 GMT -8
Ever have thoughts about going somewhere, based on map study, etc., but then you lay eyes on the route and think, "On second thought..."?
1. North Cascades, East Lake (Mt. Redoubt in the background)
The ridge looping around the lake (partially out of the picture to the left) is known unofficially as "Sublime Ridge": an off-trail route that lives up to its name. I wasn't planning to drop to East Lake, but seeing it certainly affirms that that would be a terrible, terrible idea. Steep scree hell.
2. Direct approach to Bubble Lake, Black Creek High Country, Gore Range (CO)
I have heard stories of people approaching Bubble Lake form this route, which would be shorter and more direct and involve less awful travel than other routes. Having checked out the terrain from both above (shown here) and below, I'm prepared to say it is purely legend.
3. Also Bubble Lake--the pass between Upper Bubble Lake (in the photo) and the S. Fork Black Creek headwaters.
The pass would be around to the left, in front of the pointy spire that is left of center on the ridgeline in the photo.
I've thought about this route a few times, and may even eventually try it. (I know that there is another pass that works in the vicinity, between these two drainages.) But it looks a lot nastier in person than on the map. (Sometimes these steep snow/scree slopes look a lot more intimidating from a distance than they do when you actually get on them, but yeah, this looks pretty intimidating.)
Also, for some reason, doing a steep traverse above a lake skeeves me out more than other steep traverses. It's not really logical: if one were to tumble down a snow or talus slope any distance, falling into the water would really be well down the list of your worries (below, for example, smacking your head on a rock, breaking limbs, etc.).
1. North Cascades, East Lake (Mt. Redoubt in the background)
The ridge looping around the lake (partially out of the picture to the left) is known unofficially as "Sublime Ridge": an off-trail route that lives up to its name. I wasn't planning to drop to East Lake, but seeing it certainly affirms that that would be a terrible, terrible idea. Steep scree hell.
2. Direct approach to Bubble Lake, Black Creek High Country, Gore Range (CO)
I have heard stories of people approaching Bubble Lake form this route, which would be shorter and more direct and involve less awful travel than other routes. Having checked out the terrain from both above (shown here) and below, I'm prepared to say it is purely legend.
3. Also Bubble Lake--the pass between Upper Bubble Lake (in the photo) and the S. Fork Black Creek headwaters.
The pass would be around to the left, in front of the pointy spire that is left of center on the ridgeline in the photo.
I've thought about this route a few times, and may even eventually try it. (I know that there is another pass that works in the vicinity, between these two drainages.) But it looks a lot nastier in person than on the map. (Sometimes these steep snow/scree slopes look a lot more intimidating from a distance than they do when you actually get on them, but yeah, this looks pretty intimidating.)
Also, for some reason, doing a steep traverse above a lake skeeves me out more than other steep traverses. It's not really logical: if one were to tumble down a snow or talus slope any distance, falling into the water would really be well down the list of your worries (below, for example, smacking your head on a rock, breaking limbs, etc.).