Most viewed - So-called "Epic White Cloud Backpacking Loop", August 24, 2020
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DSCF0241.JPG11 viewsDead tree on the saddle south of Strawberry Basin.
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DSCF0242.JPG11 viewsDescending into Strawberry Basin.
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DSCF0324.JPG11 viewsThe saddle I’m standing on drops into a drainage west of Boulder Chain Lakes, which descends to Warm Springs Creek. The correct saddle, to drop into Hummock Lake, lies higher on the ridge to the east. That saddle in a bit east of the low point on the skyline. It becomes obvious when one looks down into the lake basin.
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DSCF0325.JPG11 viewsD. O. Lee Peak to the west northwest, from the saddle that allows access to Hummock Lake.
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DSCF0326.JPG11 viewsThe descent was not as exposed as I remembered, but requires careful route finding to ensure the safest descent.
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DSCF0328.JPG11 viewsCastle Peak, and the Serrate Ridge rise in the distance to the south. Scoop Lake (seen below the Serrate Ridge) is the highest Lake one encounters on the trail before climbing south out of the Boulder Chain Lakes basin.
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DSCF0329.JPG11 viewsTo the north, the ridge I ascended to avoid “side-hilling” in talus is seen west of Island Lake. It might have taken longer, but was a much more pleasant route than that from Cove Lake, described in the Idaho Alpine Zone article, and the one taken in my first crossing between the two Boulder Lake basins two years prior.
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DSCF0331.JPG11 viewsLooking northwest from the saddle between the two Boulder Lake basins past the lower saddle (above the snowfield) to D. O. Lee Peak in the distance (directly above the low point of the saddle).
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DSCF0340.JPG11 viewsOnce again, I have the “primo” camp at the southeast end of Hummock Lake (and the entire lake) to myself. By 8:00 pm, the tent is up, food hang set, water pumped, and I am ready to make dinner. The weather threat has diminished. Despite being tempted by some large fish rings on the glassy surface of the lake, I decide to fish early in the morning. Wilderness police have been destroying the established fire rings, making it an effort to cook any fish I might catch over the coals. Firewood is provided!
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DSCF0322.JPG10 viewsLooking back to the north, beyond Island Lake from the saddle between the two Boulder Lake basins. It’s already 3 pm, but the cloud development is not anywhere as threatening as it has been the past two afternoons.
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DSCF0327.JPG10 viewsLooking southeast from the saddle between the two Boulder Lake basins to Hidden Lake, draining into Hummock Lake. Smoke from fires in Oregon and Washington is drifting back to the White Clouds.
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DSCF0363.JPG10 viewsThe Devil’s Staircase viewed from just east of Ants Basin; 8:00 pm. About half way to the left edge of the frame from the distinct pinnacle, one can see the entrance to the staircase. About 1/3 down to the bottom of the rock buttress, it divides into two branches. The southerly branch is not visible behind the rock buttress.
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