Crossing Mt. Mallory/Mt. LeConte saddle

[fogey]

Planning a 5-day trip starting via Cottonwood Pass, camping at Sky Blue Lake, climbing a couple of peaks, and thinking about setting up a shuttle and exiting via Meysan Creek. There's plenty of information about getting to the Mt. Mallory/Mt. LeConte saddle from one side or the other in order to climb the adjacent peaks, but I can't find anything about crossing the saddle with a pack and and descending the Meysan drainage. Has anyone done this or thought about it? For those who have gone up to the saddle from one side or the other, will a multi-day pack be a problem? How about a comparison to Arc Pass, which I did cross with a full pack some years back?

Speculation is welcome, and TIA.

[happycamper0313]

I went for a fishing trip to Meysan Lake 3 weeks ago and had the pleasure of chatting up the climbers who had done this. One pair had gotten into trouble over the saddle the night we had set up camp and I heard their troubles - next morning learned that one fell and needed to bivy before decsending into the lake basin. She mentioned that it was the 'worst peak ever' - referring to Mt. Mallory. Other climbers had better experiences, but the consensus was that last year's snow levels made for better traversing and climbing. Also met up with a pair going up Lone Pine peak who took a tumble blaming the lack of snow for their woes.

Can't speak to the peaks except for what I heard from climbers, but I exited the lake through the Meysan lake drainage with a 30lb pack and it was a bit sketchy, but definitely doable.

Also, I saw cougar tracks in the small patch of snow up there - BIG ones.

[maverick]

https://www.scaruffi.com/travel/mallory.html
https://www.summitpost.org/mount-mallory/151354