Lakes at Observation Peak

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maverick
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Lakes at Observation Peak

Post by maverick »

Ive visited Lakes Basin, Dumbbell , Amphitheater Lakes and
the Devils Washbowl but have never been to the lakes west of
Observation, Mt.Shakspere an north of Windy Cliff.
It looks like there might be some great views of the Black Divide,
Great Cliffs, Mt Woodworth and Devils Crags.
Has anyone visited these lakes? And if yes what approach did you
use?
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Post by giantbrookie »

Maverick, you always set your sights on the most exotic spots. The big island filled lake west of Observation is beautiful. It is easily reached from the Dumbbells via the gap 11360+. This crowns a NNW trending gully. This is class 2. My wife hiked there from the Dumbbells in a heavy snow year (1993) in late July. I crashed and burned on a glissade on hard snow down the north side of this pass. It was fun, but I lost a bit of skin and took a few bruises. The big lake is fishless but a very nice place to relax (even for fishing crazed off trail nuts). Looking at the topo, it looks to me that you can get there from Palisade Creek directly, too, going more or less due south through a gap at 10560+ WSW of Shakespeare. Given how much I like the "Inner Sanctuary" (Dumbbells), I'd opt for the former route, of course.
Since my fishing (etc.) website is still down, you can be distracted by geology stuff at: http://www.fresnostate.edu/csm/ees/facu ... ayshi.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Post by TehipiteTom »

Maverick, I've been dreaming about those lakes myself for a long time. Looks like one of the most isolated areas in the whole of Kings Canyon. I've toyed with the idea of climbing up the drainage that empties into the Middle Fork just north of Devil's Washbowl. No guarantee it would go, but if it did you'd get some spectacular scenery and serious isolation.

Claude Fiddler has a photo of that big lake in one of his books (http://www.wildernesslight.com/highsierra.html), but it doesn't appear to be online. The book is well worth getting in any case--fantastic photography.
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Post by maverick »

Thanks fellas for the info. Sounds like Ill have to visit Amphitheater
Lake and Dumbbells again or maybe follow up the stream from
the Devils Washbowl which was one of my first options, but Ive
been wanting to revisit the first 2 locations so this may be just the
reason to do it.
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Post by giantbrookie »

I have some really low res. scans of 35 mm photos from that general area on my Dumbbells webshots album. A photo of the big lake as viewed from the summit of Observation Peak is: http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/1113 ... 8940ATpjSz


In addition there are a couple pictures of descent from the saddle to the south, including one of my wife glissading the chute shortly after my wipe out.
Since my fishing (etc.) website is still down, you can be distracted by geology stuff at: http://www.fresnostate.edu/csm/ees/facu ... ayshi.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Post by maverick »

Thanks GB for the memories. Thats the exact route I took the last
time I visited the area.
The Dumbbell and Amphitheater Lake area are just gorgeous
and now I really have to revisit the old neighborhood!
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Post by Buck Forester »

I have had my eyes on these lakes as well, especially after viewing Claude Fiddler's image taken above the lakes from Observation Peak a few years ago. What a glorious setting!
It's all about the WILDERNESS!!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/buckforester/page9/
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observation lake

Post by lostcoyote »

i was soooooo close to making it down to this lake but opted to get on over to amphitheater instead. i spent too many days with the local marmot ar dumbell lakes and had to make up some time.

another set of lakes i'd like to vist are the ones up rambaud creek

as i get older, i hope my knees will allow it :lol:
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Re: observation lake

Post by giantbrookie »

lostcoyote wrote:i was soooooo close to making it down to this lake but opted to get on over to amphitheater instead. i spent too many days with the local marmot ar dumbell lakes and had to make up some time.

another set of lakes i'd like to vist are the ones up rambaud creek
as i get older, i hope my knees will allow it :lol:
I hear you about the knees when it comes to off trail backpacking. Mine were repeatedly damaged while younger playing basketball (two operations 20 years apart) and also by a painful hyperextension while missing a landing while boulder hopping will a full pack. From the late 70's through the 90's I was able to overcome the damaged knee by keeping the legs strong by weightlifting and doing lots of hiking. Now I don't do enough hiking, have lapsed on my weight training, and I find myself very much shakier because the creaky knees are not as well supported as they used to be. I guess this means I just need to get up there more to get my "off trail backpacking legs" back.

I haven't been to the Rambaud Creek area either. Someday perhaps I'll check those out along with Ladder Lake, although I hear that the once premium big rainbow fishery at Ladder was overrun by numerous small brookies. I always wanted to do an east side of the Black Divide traverse, basin hopping from Rambaud to Ladder and northward; some good summits are to be had in that area too (although I'm too chicken to go after Devils Crags).
Since my fishing (etc.) website is still down, you can be distracted by geology stuff at: http://www.fresnostate.edu/csm/ees/facu ... ayshi.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Post by lostcoyote »

i think mine got damaged through the repeated years (30+) of carrying 100 pound packs (20 of the 30+ years) and much boulder hopping with no trails.
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