Back in the game'd
Swung up to Heartbeat Peak during the heat crunch on Friday. This was beyond a simple New Spot - I have never actually been to this wilderness at all. I once visited my friend in 2000 who lived in Rollinsville and I went and hiked up the rollins pass road a bit in winter and was not that impressed.
that would have been 2 years before this became a wilderness apparently.
but i'm already digressing. this one actually has some notes:
** rather than screw with the alleged overgrown Clayton Lake trail - i busted up off the saddle from halfway up to the crater lakes - with a plan to maybe just hit the open space and go to Iceberg Lakes - a possible "Land O Lakes" mission?
** but there was enough twists and turns and snow in that approach that i couldn't deny my basic instincts in this situation - just bust up the saddle and wrap around to heartbeat.
** was pretty dramatic after all - the ridge trail leads to perch that overlooks icebergs from cliff right above. I coulda just leapt off that cliff into the lakes if so inclined!
** fun area - i was pondering many routes - including that east ridge coming off of heartbeat - was just about to do that but i had water jug waiting for me back along the main route. Plus that east ridge looks kinda intimidating and doing for 1st time on the down sounded like gamble.
** on return - I remembered that i had scouted out a notch carved into hillside above upper crater lake that could serve as sneak way down - so last minute i decided to swing out and get a little taste of the Land O Lakes after all.
** that is a very steep drop into that basin. you wouldn't want to go up that way?
** some of these retired trails in area can really mess with you though - i saw trail with my own eyes coming up to upper cataract but then got all turned around trying to find it. Apparently that trail is not in use anymore? hitting that upper basin the wrong way left me without clear sense of where trail was! at that point i was run down so not needed. I got mixed enough that i went ahead and double confirmed with someone at the lower cataract on path out because i couldn't take it again.
** bottom line? I feel i nailed this one. For having never been before i laid eyes on heart lake, iceberg lakes, hit heartbeat and swung down by way of the upper and lower crater lakes.
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also - this was a very good use of my "Space Shuttle" water jug system. Am i the only one doing this?
A) I pack two water bottles in my backpack, and I carry a half- full water gallon jug in my hand leaving the car.
B) drop the jug at lunch spot in shade just up the turnoff to the cataract lakes - 2.2 miles in.
C) on return flight - my carrying water supply is nearly completely gone. perfect time to get back to the jug!
The point of the jug system is basically for any 8+ mile hike where i want to just nail the objective and i don't want to have to pack a water filter - or even take the time to filter water. its about operational efficiency. I call it Space Shuttle because it reminds me of how the shuttle would carry that extra fuel tank but drop it.
this is upper crater lake here below - that green hump to left is what i came down on - and you can kinda make out the notch that made it happen because otherwise cliffy.
