Long weekends are almost certainly a backpacking weekend and the 4th of July weekend, marking the “official” beginning of the summer is a sure one. We looked at three or four options that, after doing research we found that they were not doable. Either roads were closed or trails were not maintained. Looking further south, we picked the Diamond Peak wilderness which had been in the to-do list for quite some time. From the ranger station we learned that there was a possibility to find some downed trees in some of the trails but that they were hard at work trying to get the trails clear for the weekend. What they failed to inform us was about the other issue, snow. Read on.
Day 1: Diamond Peak North trailhead to Marie Lake
As we normally do, we drove Friday night after dropping the cats off to the trailhead. Being a long drive, we got there in the middle of the night and notice that the rest of the group were already there and probably sleeping. On Saturday we woke up early in the morning and as soon as we got out of the car we started swatting mosquitoes. With the other hand we managed to get dressed, have breakfast and get ready to hit the trail. The first part of the trail was a quick climb thru the forest with quite a bit of underbrush and downed trees. We started doubting the reports we got about the trails being clean very quickly. We passed the junction where we would come out on our return and headed south skirting the mountain. Along the way we passed several trail junctions to the many lakes you can access from this trail or from the road. Near the junction with Corrigan Lake was when we got our first grand view. In the distance we could see multiple ridges and Mount Thielsen in the distance.
At that point the trip started to get real promising. Further on the trail we crossed Emigrant Creek that comes out of Marie Lake, our intended destination and finally got to the junction with the Rockpile trail. A bit more elevation gain took us by the Diamond Rockpile where we got another amazing view that now included a big mass of water that we think was Summit Lake. The trail ended up at a T junction that gives access to Rockpile lake to one side and Marie Lake to the other. Completely unexpected to us, there was some snow patches on the ground. Following our plan, we found our way to Marie Lake navigating over small snow patches that covered the trail. Then, finally, thru the trees we saw our destination and even better, as soon as we got to the lake we saw nobody else and a big campsite on the eastern edge of the lake. We dropped our packs and walked around just enough to confirm this spot was it. Being mid afternoon, we set up camp and then relaxed, some of us wetting our feet in the cold water of a creek that feeds the lake while others getting in the lake itself which was pretty shallow.
Later that day, and trying to stay away from the mosquitoes I went for a walk around the lake. That ok me over a ridge on the North side that gave some glimpses of Diamond Peak. I found a meadow that almost looked like you could get here on a 4x4. I got some nice water colors from the north side of the lake and was able to see a lot of snow patches. On the western end of the lake I found another large campsite. It was god but far less breezy that where we stayed so the mosquitoes where even worse (if there’s such a thing). Finally, I made my way back to camp to relax, eat and go to sleep.
Day 2: Marie Lake to a meadow plus Diamond Peak Summit attempt
We woke to a spectacular day even though we didn’t get the morning sun until later. After eating breakfast and packing, again with one hand as the other was busy swatting mosquitoes, we took off going back to the T junction. After the junction, we passed a meadow with a shallow pond we thought was Rockpile lake, but then, looking at a map, we realized it was just snow melt. We had to take a small detour to avoid having to walk thru the water and shortly after that, we found the junction with the PCT which would be our route for most of the day. We thought that would make travelling easier as it is the PCT after all, right? Well, not quite, but we’ll get to that. The PCT took as higher on the south flank of Diamond Peak and at a certain point we made a hairpin turn and got to a rocky outcrop with probably the views you can get from this trail.
From this viewpoint We could see Summit lake, Mount Thielsen and several other peaks further south that I can’t identify. We spent several minutes taking pictures there before continuing on. After that turn though, it was time to start looking for any mark that would indicate or lead to the access route to climb Diamond Peak. We found it pretty easy marked with two small cairns on either side. At this point, some of us dropped our packs and headed up while others decided to stay on the trail, take it slow and relax. There’s no actual trail that goes to the summit but it’s pretty clear what path you need to take. Most of the route is rocky screw so you can only go so fast. The other thing about this climb, that is quite distracting, is the views. Each step you take makes the views better. The valley below increases, the lake becomes larger and more features appear in the distance. As it happens with most mountain climbs you think you are getting to the top and then you realize there’s a false summit. This was no different, but, we were welcomed with a huge snowfield with an edge that looked like a wave.
From that point we could see that the entire eastern flank of the mountain was white while the western side was not. We should have taken that as a clue of what we would find later along the PCT…. From the false summit, we could see the real summit not too far away along a ridge. We negotiated the ridge as far as we were able to but found a point that would have been really sketchy to pass. There was a big chasm on the side you needed to descend to and the traverse the side of the snow field to get back on the ridge. We contemplated the idea for a couple of minutes and then decided to head back down.
That adventure took as a lot longer than what we had estimated for the distance and elevation gain, but, considering the long day hours, we were not worried about the rest of the day to get to our next destination. So we ate something, got our packs and continued on the PCT. If you look at the map of the area, you’ll notice that the PCT skirts the eastern flank of the mountain right above the tree line. Remember I said that from the false summit we could see it was white? Well, it didn’t take long for us to find sections of the trail under snow.
Without traction devices, the going got slow. Not only we had to navigate and find our way, we had to negotiate slippery slopes, trees, pot holes and mosquitoes. Needless to say the going was slow and arduous and nobody had happy faces. It was a totally unexpected situation, but we pushed. At around quarter to 6 we made a stop to eat and replenish fluids. Legs were sore and spirit was low. From the map, it looked like we still had a long way to go, more that we had done so far (not counting the climb to Diamond Peak). We continued on trying to keep a steady pace. We all took chances at falling down, hitting a body part with a tree or landing in a pot hole. It didn’t get any easier and by 7 PM we knew there was no way we would be able to continue to our next destination or even navigate the snow safely, so at that point we started to look for a place to camp. Luckily for us, we pass a small snow melt creek and a bit further found a small meadow. It wasn’t perfect but flat enough to set up camp. As we did, the wind picked up and it got colder pretty quick. Almost in silence we all had dinner and hit the sack. The only thing we decided before that, was to wake up early in the morning and hit the trail no later than 8AM as we had to make up the last section of the PCT and then hike out.
Day 3: Meadow to Diamond Peak North trailhead.
We started with good energy and the hope that we would be out of the snow quickly. With the cold temperatures overnight, the snow had solidified so it helped to move a bit faster on the morning even though it was a bit more slippery. Finding the trail was also a bit easier as we were rested and with clear minds. Within an hour or so, the snow started thinning out as we passed by several snow melt ponds. The trail was also getting back in to the forest which would help a bit. AS we continued we found snow only on the uncovered areas of the trail. Anything that was under the canopy, was mostly free of snow and easy to walk on. Then, finally, we got o the junction with the Mount Yoran trail that would take us to the western side of the mountain and probably out of the snow, and it did. As we started descending towards Divide Lake (the intended destination for our second night) we passed a couple of shallow snow fields and lost the trail a couple of times but got down to the lake pretty quick.
Looking at the time, we realized it took two hours from where we stayed to the lake, something we could have not make the day before. The other relief was that we knew how long was the route from there to the trailhead and that most of it was downhill. Now that doesn’t necessarily mean easier as we found a lot of blow down on the way, but the going went better. It was a pity we didn’t get to spend the night at Divide Lake as planned. The lake itself and Mount Yoran right next to it offer some really amazing scenery. It looked like we were in a complete different place as we didn’t have those valley views or distant peaks. The we marched on, half of the way staying on a ridge line that had several unfrosted areas with views of Diamond Peak. At the end of the ridge, we passed a knob and then started descending quite rapidly to the valley. As we did, it got hotter and the mosquitoes even worse. It was hard to hike with poles while swatting mosquitoes. We had already used most of the Deet and jungle juice we had (not that it was helping). After a while hiking in the forest we came out to deep blue lake that market the bottom of the Yoran Mountain trail. Notch Lake is really beautiful although, being at lower elevation, had muddy shores and more mosquitoes.
We continued around a small section of the lake before leaving it behind as we approached the tie trail that would take us back to the Diamond Peak trail and then down to our trailhead. WE passed a couple of pond on the way that we didn’t stop to admire as by that point we were done with mosquitoes and branches on the ground. It was again a bit grueling but we were in better spirits as we were closing the loop. The tie trail ended up being easy to navigate although even less used that the other trails. Eventually we got to our junction, turned right and headed down to our cars. Despite the hard work navigating thru snow and having to stay on that meadow, this was a spectacular trip with some really amazing views.
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