Carson-Iceberg Wilderness
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Noble Lake Carson-Iceberg Wilderness |
July 2, 2014
This interesting trailhead does double duty on the Pacific Crest Trail.
Hikers have a choice of wilderness areas — one on each side of the
highway. Having already done the northwest section, I will head southeast
today. The topo sheet shows that the trail to Noble Lake has been almost
totally re-routed from its original location, probably because it was too
steep by PCT standards (10% maximum gradient).
Getting started
The trail is quite mellow, so far
This wash was created by a spring
The trail is leading persistently downhill, which of course means that there will be a lot of climbing on the return. Oh, well.
Silver Peak, 10772'
Random lava formation
Spectacular Peak 10082 in the distance is deserving of a name
I chat briefly with a passing backpacker, who volunteers that up in the 'orange' rocks the going is quite slippery. I can hardly wait.
There are plenty of flowers around today
Entering a verdant little canyon, I spot someone across the way sporting an umbrella. At least he/she won't be getting a sunburn.
Can you spot the hiker's umbrella?
At the creek the hiker is filling a water bottle. Gee, that sure looks like a dress the person is wearing; so I presume that its occupant is a woman. After delivering my second warning that the trail ahead is very slippery, she moves on. I never do see her face.
The watering hole
Taking this opportunity to refill my own water bottle, I'll not be running short of the precious fluid today, as I did three days ago over at Lakes Basin.
In the next canyon is another spring-fed creek with more water than the others. Spotting something interesting upstream, I elect to postpone a closer look at it.
I'll be back
My GPS says that I am but four-tenths of a mile from Noble Lake. From here the trail begins to meander every which direction in typical PCT style. After at least half a mile of roundabout going, I am no closer than before. Then the trail starts uphill for real.
Not that way...
...this way
This is the slippery section that the others were talking about.
There is indeed a lot of loose gruss on the trail, and a bit of cliff-hugging
is in order as well.
Careful footing is in order here
Finally, my destination appears. The lake has that
less-than-photogenic olive-green cast that results from
having a grassy bottom.
Noble Lake and Tryon Peak, 9970'
Even though nothing else of particular interest may be immediately
evident at a new location, it never hurts to do a little exploring.
In this case, there is a nice photo-op from the far end of the lake:
An unexpected trilogy
I wander off the trail a bit to find a shady place to munch some gorp and contemplate my existence. It is about as hot as expected, and the car is more than four miles away; but my convalescing arm is not bothering me a bit, and my legs feel fine. Life is good.
Looking north from my picnic spot
Now it is time to pay even closer attention to the trail surface as I slip and slide down the switchbacks. Along the way a trio of women asks whether there are any cows at the lake, and they are pleased to learn that none are in evidence today.
The dreaded 'orange section' cannot be avoided
There is but a trickle from Noble Lake
Sulfur-flower Buckwheat
Noble Canyon Trail junction
Lava land
I am back at the little waterfall, and it was worth the wait. A hundred
yards upstream, the afternoon sun now is highlighting a much nicer falls that was
lost in the shade earlier. Accessing that spot would involve just a minor
effort, but I still am not up for any hands-on scrambling.
I do hate being so incapacitated; failing to get up-close and personal with the nicest spot on the trek just isn't right.
Beautiful
The uphill slog continues unabated, seemingly forever; but music from my Walkman does mitigate the tedium. Near the end I spot the only snowplant around today, and I can see the big flag atop Ebbetts Peak.
Snowplant
Ebbetts Peak, 9160'
§: I am glad that I finally did this walk. Ebbetts Pass is
nearly a 3-hour drive from home, so I don't venture up here much.
This up-and-down affair to a so-so destination is best done in
earlier season, such as now, before the running water goes away. In the
heat of mid-summer, one could do much better elsewhere.
| Scenery |  |
| Difficulty |  |
| Personality |  |
| Solitude | |
