A "new" route to Crystal Lake.
- June 1, 2019
- Team: me
- 4.7 mi, 1855' gain, 3:07 car-to-car, Class 2 to 3
- splattski 2018
Note: click images to see a larger version in a new window
For comparison, last year I hiked to Crystal with Jim on June 3. So after parking at the Golden trailhead, I crossed the bridge and immediately headed into the woods. After a very short distance, I found an old hiking trail. Bueno. And there's some of the slabs above me already. |
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I followed the trail for a while, knowing that I needed to get farther south before starting the climb. Not bad walking. |
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In one of several wet areas, I decided it was time to head up. After a bit of brush, I hit slab again. The wet stuff was very slippery. |
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Ruby didn't seem to care if it was wet or dry. It's intimidating to watch the dog joyfully prance about while I am trying to carefully place my feet on every step. |
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This better shows the angle. We did this for about 600'. Really fun. |
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Meanwhile, there's Slick Rock, over there. |
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As we topped out the slabs, we got great views of Snowslide on the left. |
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There may be horrible deadfall here. But today it went really well. |
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Ruby surveys the lake. |
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| Dark clouds moving in fast, I decided to skip the relaxing lunch I had planned. |  |
| I followed the 'normal' route out, with a few shortcuts allowed by the snow. Meanwhile, Ruby was going to extremes to chase those noisy marmots. If you can't see her, click the photo for the larger version. |  |
Looking across the canyon at the waterfall coming out of Golden Lake. |
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The Fall Creek trail was more creek than trail. |
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It wasn't long before we were on Lick Creek road heading back to the truck. This should melt out in just a few days. |
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Map |
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