High Sierra Topix

I'm heading up to Mineral King in a few weeks, and I'm super excited. We plan to enter via Franklin Pass and camp at Little Claire Lake. Then we'll head down the trail, ultimately spending night two at Lake 10,410 in the Little Five Lakes Basin. If we have the energy on day two, we plan to head up the Big Five Lakes Basin and up and over the easy off trail pass to the highest of the Little Five Lakes en route to Lake 10,410. Day Three we'll explore the Lake 10,410 area and the Big Arroyo a bit, then we'll head over Black Rock Pass and contour over to Spring Lake. Our last day, I'd like to head up to Cyclamen and Columbine Lakes and up and over Sawtooth Pass if the route from Cyclamen to Columbine isn't too sketchy. I consider myself comfortable with Class II travel, but big exposure especially when combined with terrain approaching Class III bugs me out too much to enjoy.

Can someone explain the route from Cyclamen to Columbine? With pictures if possible. When I check out that area in pictures, everything looks steep and slick. The Spring to Cyclamen route looks very straightforward. Thanks in advance!

I've included one of the better photos I found online of this area, as well as the route that looks doable based on the picture. Hopefully that will make it easier to advise me. The main part I'm concerned about is the steep slab above Cylcamen.

Looking at a slightly more zoomed in picture, it appears there may be an easier route traversing southwest up a ramp. Hard to say based on pictures of the area. I looked around on Google Earth, and the ramp/ridge looks more doable.

This could help: https://www.snwburd.com/bob/maps/two_fingers_1.html

Also Secor writes about moving from Columbine Lake to Cyclamen Lake on page 102.

c9h13no3 wrote: ↑Thu Sep 05, 2019 3:21 pm This could help: https://www.snwburd.com/bob/maps/two_fingers_1.html

Also Secor writes about moving from Columbine Lake to Cyclamen Lake on page 102.

Awesome, thanks for the help. I love the Sierras, so I'll pick up a copy of Secor's book. It's probably about time!

I did this loop a decade ago or so and loved it.

I hate exposure and didn't find the route north and then east of Cyclaman to be much of a problem. The worst part for me--and it wasn't very bad--was the steep talus above Cyclaman. If you really screwed up, I felt, you could end up in the lake. But once I made it to the boulder field, I didn't have any worries about exposure. The route was a lot of fun.

More info here: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5310&p=33670#p33670

Yeah, Maverick was a huge help. The lake basins are beautiful! You will love them. Cyclamen, incidentally, is also really beautiful.

If you look at the area on google earth, I think you'll get a better idea of what is involved.

What we did--and there well maybe a better route--was 1) climb up the ridge N/NW of Cyclaman until we got high enough, 2) traverse the scree (on google earth its the part of the mountain that looks like it is sand), 3) and then exit through a boulder field. (1) for us involved some use of our hands for large steps up and the like. (2) was the only part that made me at all nervous since the scree was loose and steep at times. (3) involved the usual being careful not to step onto loose boulders, etc, but I never felt terribly exposed.

I do not believe that the route you draw on the first photo is actually a route. I remember the east side of the lake to be very cliffy--nothing you are want to try to go up. Hopefully someone with more recent experience or better knowledge will chime in.

I received Secor's book in the mail this week and looked through his route for the area, and it matches the description by adornowest. So that's the route we'll give a go in about a month, assuming the weather holds for us! If the weather looks ugly or there is any snow or ice we'll head down Cliff Creek and out over Timber Gap. Thanks for everyone who commented for the advice, and I hope everyone gets a chance to get out this fall!