Charlotte Lake to Bubb's Creek via Charlotte Creek XC?

[webdweeb]

Doing the RLL next week and putting the finishing touches on our itinerary, which is clockwise up the Wood's Creek trail. I've read several accounts of using Charlotte Creek to get to Charlotte Dome or the Gardiner Basin coming westward from Roadend along the Bubb's Creek trail, but none of descending thart XC route, so I am wondering if this is a viable XC route/shortcut for a clockwise Rae Lakes Loop. Thanks in advance for any info.

[maverick]

Yes, it is an alternative, the descent is pretty steep and bushy, especially near the creek. If you have not been to Vidette Meadow or Bullfrog/Kearsarge Lakes before, they are worth seeing, at least once.

[SSSdave]

A couple of us did that in 1993 on the east side of the creek. At the choke point, maybe about 2540 meters, was a near vertical brushy section where we were hanging onto branches, moving down like monkeys while carrying heavy packs. Getting too close to the creek would have been in a narrow ravine. Then down lower at the brink of the river canyon maybe 2400 meters it gets quite steep with one's suffering dependent on the exact route chosen. On such routes I tend to look very carefully at closeness of topographic map vertical lines, but in this case it is a meter map that does not have as much granularity. Beware of incorrectly interpreting topographic lines like that where lines converge in a ravine because it will be steeper than the distance between lines seems to show.

Would recommend staying on the trail back down to Vidette Meadow unless one is already way down that valley say climbing the dome.

On this page they relate there is a brushy use route on the west side of the creek we did not use.
http://www.summitpost.org/charlotte-dome/152271

David

[webdweeb]

I appreciate the input for our route; we decided to take the established trail to Vidette, but we may detour to Charlotte Lake for an overnight (then back to the trail) if time permits. This forum is such a valuable resource-I am much obliged to the others here for the help I have received for all of my questions-thank you again!