TR: Far Ridges for Tunemah ~ 7/29 - 8/7/21

[windknot]

Thanks for this very entertaining and candid trip report. I enjoyed following along.

You never ventured a reason, so now I have to ask -- why was Ian so high up in the tree? Birdwatching?

[Harlen]

Michaelzim wrote:

Indeed, my bucket list dream was fulfilled, for not only 10232 but also Tunemah and the Blue Canyon basin. It was a helluva good trip.

I feel the same. Great trip indeed, Thx Bwana.

[michaelzim]

Thanks all for responses and hope my "story approach" TR was not too out there.

@windknot Ummmmmmmmmm...you will have to ask Ian @Harlen what he was doing up the tree. I was chuckling too much to ask at the time...To look for bears maybe???

Somewhere in these "Tunemah" trip reports (as W. Daisy had one too) I recall some query about the view or the terrain to the east of the Tunemah basin/drainage. That would be Goddard Creek, Ragged Spur, Enchanted Gorge, and further over the Black Divide, etc. So here are a couple of extra photos of that looking from the outlet of Tunemah Lake:

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2..jpg

Best ~ Michaelzim

[Wandering Daisy]

Here a few more that show the view down. Sorry- old photos, not great quality.

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Also, when you and Harlen did your trip did you see these lakes? I sure would like to go down there some time.

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[michaelzim]

@Wandering Daisy re seeing those lakes...Nope, not really as we did not get a view over the edge shown in photo below - which was from the top of the first section going over the easy saddle just NNE of Blue Canyon Peak.
However, there is a glimpse of them at the far right in the photo I took looking down from the top of the second 'Tunemah section' of the pass (in my main post), but not as good as your view or photo.
Indeed, I bet that little bench down there where those lower lakes are sees very, very few humans!

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Best ~ Michaelzim

[Harlen]

Wandering Daisy wrote:

Also, when you and Harlen did your trip did you see these lakes? I sure would like to go down there some time.

I did see them Nancy. After the saddle over to Tunemah's basin, I spied a giant, weirdly balanced boulder. I pointed it out to Michael, and asked if he would mind popping up on it for a photo, but he was not in the mood, and headed on down. I milled around on that ridge, admiring those very lakes, and then of course, I had to climb to the edge of that balanced rock to test my fate. My fate was fine, the rock too big to notice me, but I sure noticed the drop-off. I was going to scoot out on my ass, but I thought if it did start to go, I'd be better off on my feet, so I did manage to stand on it. See the shakey photo:

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I also noticed this Texas-looking lake from the top of Tunemah Peak. That basin looks like a really crazy-steep descent, better suited for rolling boulders off. It lies one basin south of where you were camped, and in this photo, if you enlarge it, you can see the lake Michael and I camped at, right under the "Sentinel Peak." Did you check this lake out? How did the descent look to you?

[Wandering Daisy]

The gully to get to your Texas shaped lake from the lake just below where you camped is steep boulders- looks loose. I had thought of hiking it but decided it was too difficult. Then you also have to get to the base of the gully.

gully to Texas Shaped lake.jpg

As for the lakes in my 2006 photo, there is a steep gully in north of the saddle between it and Tunemah Lake and it was full of snow/ice in 2006 so I did not go down it. I did not bring ice-axe or crampons. If you look at Google Earth, the steep rock slabs seem to be layered dipping downward and very cliffy. I think the way to get to it would be from the north.

Lots of little nooks and crannies to explore!