Posted by Phillip Noll on August 6, 2007 at 11:19 AM
Thanks to everyone for your input. Here's our draft itinerary. Wherever there is a "?" I am looking for suggestions. Also, let me know if I have anything here that isn't do-able.
Day 1: Drive to Purgatory, camp at Purgatory CG/Lime Creek Rd.?, Sunset-Molas Lake
Day 2: Sunrise-Engineer Mtn/Lime Creek Rd., drive to Ice Lakes TH, Backpack in to Ice Lake, Sunset-?
Day 3: Sunrise-Island Lake, hike out, drive to/camp at Alta lakes via Ophir Pass, Sunset-Alta Lakes?
Day 4: Sunrise-Alta Lakes, drive to Telluride, Bridalveil Falls, Imogene Pass, camp at Yankee Boy, sunset-?
Day 5: Sunrise-Twin Falls (YBB), hike to Blue Lakes Pass, drive to/camp at Gray Copper Gulch area, sunset-?
Day 6: Sunrise-GCG, drive Corkscrew to Animas Forks(camp?) via Hurricane/Calif. passes, Sunset-Oh! Pt.
Day 7: Sunrise-Oh Pt.?, drive to Lake City, North Clear Creek Falls, Camp near San Cristobal, Sunset-?
Day 8: Sunrise-?, drive to American Basin and camp, Sunset-?
Day 9: Sunrise-Sloan Lake, Cinnamon Pass, head home.
I'm tentatively planning on camping at American Basin on Sunday 8/12 and Monday 8/13 and heading home some time on Tuesday. Let me know if you are going to be in the area at those times and I'll keep an eye out for you.
I haven't been to American Basin before, but based on the topo and the altitude, I'm not expecting many trees.
Posted by Todd Caudle on August 6, 2007 at 12:07 PM
Man, that's way too structured for me! Conditions might just make your actual itinerary look a lot different than this military-drill-looking schedule. Quality, not quantity.
Posted by Joshua Hardin on August 6, 2007 at 12:13 PM
Ambitious but probably doable as far as the distances you have to travel. If you get decent shots in half of these places consider it a good trip. The weather has been unpredictable at best. It is now monsoon season so count on a good amount of rain, especially in the afternoons. No there aren't a lot of trees in American Basin.
Posted by Phillip Noll on August 6, 2007 at 12:30 PM
Military drill! I'm about as polar opposite from "military" as one could get! However, I don't frequent this area and I want to make the most of my 9 days so I thought I would see how I could maximize my time there. The itinerary is just my thinking on paper. Weather and conditions will, of course, dictate our actual route. Besides, we may find a place we really like and decide to veg-out there for several days. We'll see.........
Posted by Kalin Wilson on August 6, 2007 at 2:46 PM
Just a couple of notes about Ice Lake basin:
The basin faces east with high ridges to the west (either the upper basin ridge if your in the lower basin or the peaks around the upper basin). Afternoon clouds can foil sunset plans, also, due to the orientation and the ridges, warm afternoon light doesn't last long depending on what you're after.
If you camp in the lower basin, I'd allot 1-1.5 hours to climb to Island lake and have time to get set up for sunrise. I didn't hike the traverse to Island lake but it took me about 40-45 minutes to hike from our camp in the lower basin to the upper basin. Island lake at sunrise should be nice.
American basin is oriented northward. There have been reports that it's good at sunset.
American Basin is both a sunrise and sunset location. You'll have plenty to shoot, from suriving streams, to cascades, to watery tarns that give reflections (you have to work hard to find the tarns, and it may be too late for it). There are no trees at the trailhead.
Frankly, having just done the ice lakes basin/island lake area, I'm not sure that island lake is a sunrise location. I think you'd be better off staying in ice lakes basin for sunrise, and then getting up to island lake by about 8:00 when it is still in shadows or later in the afternoon when it is fully lit. The flank of mountains between ice lake and clear lake appear to block sunrise in island lake basin. Island lake is more about the amazing color in the lake then the dramatic mountain/alpenglow reflection. The dramatic view is in ice lakes basin. That being said, island lake is a must do if you hike into ice lakes basin. it is awesome.
A word of advice, brings lots of rain gear into ice lakes basin, and try to camp on the trail-side of the creeks. we got caught on the wrong side of the creek during a flash flood up there a couple of weeks ago. The relatively medium waterfall at the head of the lower basin looked like niagara falls (literally, it at least quadrupeled in flow after about two hours of rain). We lost a day of shooting because we could not safely cross back over the stream. But it is well worth your efforts to get there.
Posted by Jody Grigg on August 7, 2007 at 12:46 PM
Philip in the San Juans you need to be flexable with your schedule due to the varying weather patterns.
Discussion
7 repliesDay 1: Drive to Purgatory, camp at Purgatory CG/Lime Creek Rd.?, Sunset-Molas Lake
Day 2: Sunrise-Engineer Mtn/Lime Creek Rd., drive to Ice Lakes TH, Backpack in to Ice Lake, Sunset-?
Day 3: Sunrise-Island Lake, hike out, drive to/camp at Alta lakes via Ophir Pass, Sunset-Alta Lakes?
Day 4: Sunrise-Alta Lakes, drive to Telluride, Bridalveil Falls, Imogene Pass, camp at Yankee Boy, sunset-?
Day 5: Sunrise-Twin Falls (YBB), hike to Blue Lakes Pass, drive to/camp at Gray Copper Gulch area, sunset-?
Day 6: Sunrise-GCG, drive Corkscrew to Animas Forks(camp?) via Hurricane/Calif. passes, Sunset-Oh! Pt.
Day 7: Sunrise-Oh Pt.?, drive to Lake City, North Clear Creek Falls, Camp near San Cristobal, Sunset-?
Day 8: Sunrise-?, drive to American Basin and camp, Sunset-?
Day 9: Sunrise-Sloan Lake, Cinnamon Pass, head home.
Thanks!
I haven't been to American Basin before, but based on the topo and the altitude, I'm not expecting many trees.
The basin faces east with high ridges to the west (either the upper basin ridge if your in the lower basin or the peaks around the upper basin). Afternoon clouds can foil sunset plans, also, due to the orientation and the ridges, warm afternoon light doesn't last long depending on what you're after.
If you camp in the lower basin, I'd allot 1-1.5 hours to climb to Island lake and have time to get set up for sunrise. I didn't hike the traverse to Island lake but it took me about 40-45 minutes to hike from our camp in the lower basin to the upper basin. Island lake at sunrise should be nice.
American basin is oriented northward. There have been reports that it's good at sunset.
Have fun!
Frankly, having just done the ice lakes basin/island lake area, I'm not sure that island lake is a sunrise location. I think you'd be better off staying in ice lakes basin for sunrise, and then getting up to island lake by about 8:00 when it is still in shadows or later in the afternoon when it is fully lit. The flank of mountains between ice lake and clear lake appear to block sunrise in island lake basin. Island lake is more about the amazing color in the lake then the dramatic mountain/alpenglow reflection. The dramatic view is in ice lakes basin. That being said, island lake is a must do if you hike into ice lakes basin. it is awesome.
A word of advice, brings lots of rain gear into ice lakes basin, and try to camp on the trail-side of the creeks. we got caught on the wrong side of the creek during a flash flood up there a couple of weeks ago. The relatively medium waterfall at the head of the lower basin looked like niagara falls (literally, it at least quadrupeled in flow after about two hours of rain). We lost a day of shooting because we could not safely cross back over the stream. But it is well worth your efforts to get there.