Aug 9, 2010…Beehive to ridge, over and down…tr #279…
hike # 365
by Betsy
Another nice day with just a 30% chance of thunderstorms but decided to go back again to Beehive Lake, el 6457’ elevation, try for the ridge and see if we could get down to Little Harrison Lake. At the trailhead we saw another couple headed up. I like having the trail to ourselves but it is summer time! We never caught up to them and never saw them. This week, on the advice of a friend, we finally bought a canister of bear spray…and began to carry it today. I am trying to decide if I too should have a canister of it on my belt.
Up the same steep trail on the granite and we had to make a decision on how to get up to the ridge. No matter what, we kept getting lost, not really knowing where to head off trail. Did a small bit of bushwhacking, but couldn’t remember how we did it other times. We need a GPS that talks to us! After much whacking and rocking, we ended up exactly where we were last week…but from there we were able to find a way up to the ridge. BUT it was still too far south of the descent chute and had to climb up and over some big rocks north. The views kept getting better and better and it was freaky looking down.
With the chute now in sight, we figured ‘easy peasy’. HA! The chute is a narrow canyon type thing with vertical sides and almost vertically down. Today it was wet and most likely very slick, and slipping and sliding down it is not something you want to do. Deciding not to take the chute today, we found another way to get down, equally steep but much safer and hung on to the small brush trees as we descended. Poles were useless and dangerous. Jim slipped fell down once and I kept waiting for him to stop sliding. Then no sooner was he up when I went down and I kept saying to myself…okay, you can stop sliding now! Omigosh. He wouldn’t help me up till he took my picture!
Now we were much closer to beautiful Little Harrison Lake and as much as we longed to get down to it, after wandering around back and forth on the vertical slope and not finding a good way down the steep side to the lake, we decided it would be best to abort the plan. We may be getting too old to be doing these kinds of things. And we rationalized that we had done it a couple of times in the past, so we knew we could, and besides, the view of the lake from up above where we were is prettier than being at the beautiful lake itself. So we sat down and ate lunch, while marveled at the lake and the gorgeous vista that lay in front of us. Took lots of pics. Still some snow.
Now to get back up to the ridge. It certainly was easier than going down and we clung once again to the stunted scrub pine, pulling ourselves up. Back up to the top of the ridge, we took more pictures and began to hear voices down at Beehive Lake. Following the same route down as we took up, we found a group of five people enjoying themselves at the lake and of course, right in the spot where I wanted to take my picture, right where Twin Peaks loom majestically behind the lake!
Left home 8:25
Started up 9:30
Got to ridge 11:50
Turned around 1:30
Left lake 2:40
Got to truck 4:15
Total miles hiked 12 miles
Total hiking time 6 hours, 45 minutes
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