Day 12 - Crampons finally

Wednesday, July 28, 2010 - Day 12
Stats for the day: started at Merriam Lake (10,920') at 7:40 - ended at Brown Bear Lake (11,100') at 3:00. Total ascent 2317'. Total descent 2272'. Total Distance 6.34 miles. 3 hrs 50 mins walking.

Feather Pass, 12,400' high. Sure, we could have worked around the snow fields and scrambled up the rock slabs, but we brought crampons and we intend to use them!

We left Merriam Lake and it's abundant mosquitoes about 7:30 this morning after a blustery night. I had put a garbage bag over my pack in case it rained but did not secure it well. The whipping wind removed it during the night and I could not find it this morning. That means it is littering the area somewhere and someone will find it some day. Stupid on my part.

We climbed from the lake next to it's waterfall inlet, gaining 200' to the next meadow and lakelet. Another 200' climb and 3/4 mile and we were at La Salle Lake looking up 800' feet to Feather Pass. We were traversing on a north slope toward the pass, it was still early morning and the snow was continuous for some distance ahead. We could have climbed down to the lakeshore and traversed to the beginning of the climb to the pass, but we were already 100' above the lake. We had been carrying our crampons for 12 days without using them, so we decided to stay on the snow and ascend a snow chute that topped out on a ridge that led up to the pass. It was great fun to be in moderately steep, hard snow climbing a chute. Gary and I topped out, but Andy had chose not to carry an ice ax and his crampons were not staying on his feet well so he chose to climb the rock slabs instead.

Once together again we continued on, making Feather Pass around 10:00am. We looked off the other side of the pass into the Bear Lakes region, an incredible collection of lakes, snow, ridges and streams. Glorious.

We also noticed a party of four approaching the headwall below.

Each of these passes has been formed by glaciers cutting away at the mountain from both sides of the ridge separating them. The very head of the valley is called the headwall, and for good reason. Most times they are nearly vertical and a free hundred feet tall.

The party of four worked their way up the headwall, found a route up it's slabs and ramps and were surprised to see us sitting in the pass. Conversation ensued and the most unlikely facts were brought to light.Two of them were from Morton in Lewis County!! The other two were from Selah on the east side of White Pass. That was really weird. Here we are in the middle of the Sierra, miles from the nearest trail and 1000 miles from home and we run into fellow Lewis County residents. Strange.

Anyway, we descended into Bear Lakes Basin down that same headwall and glacial valley. Wow, it deserves it's reputation as a tremendous alpine area! Lakes, separated by as little as 20 feet, yet 20 feet lower flow one to the next surrounded by incredible meadows with ragged peaks towering all around. Beautiful. We rested and had lunch between two of the lakes, enjoying the views and scenery. Then we shouldered our packs and climbed 200' and 3/4 of a mile to Black Bear Lake, then up another 200' to White Bear Lake and finally descend 900' down an incredibly steep and rocky headwall to Brown Bear Lake where we will camp for two nights, giving us all day Thursday to sleep, rest up, wash clothes and wash bodies. There are a very few mosquitoes and no one else around. Nearest road? 15 miles? Magnificent isolation.