Lake Powell, Mount Alice, and Pilot Mountain.

My friend and regular hiking partner Dan had Mount Alice on his list for this year.  This is such a spectacular peak and of course Wild Basin is so beautiful it didn't take much to convince me to go for a repeat.  My only condition was that we additionally attempt the "easy" way to get to Lake Powell and possibly add Pilot Mountain on the descent so I could get some photos of it.
He was game, and off we went!
We started from the Wild Basin TH at 3:50am, which set off pictures of Loch Ness Monsters in my head...
We got to Lion Lake one just before sunrise, with the nearly full moon soon to set behind the continental divide.  Already two of our days goals were quite visible.  The distinctive diamond of Mount Alice and the crumbling arm of Pilot Mountain.  Very little wind this early in the morning gave some nice reflective photos, but nothing like we'd see later. 

Sunrise and Chiefs Head Peak.

Lion Lake Two, which lies a short hike uphill from number one.

Snowbank Lake, which lies a short hike uphill from number two.  The namesake snow bank is actually pretty small at this point.
From here we went left or south to gain the ridge and continue west to Hourglass Ridge.  This is pretty mellow over tundra and talus, with a faint trail visible most of the way up. 

Sunrise casts the shadow of Pagoda Mountain onto Mount Alice.

We arrived at Hourglass Ridge proper, and snared this great view of Mount Alice in the morning sun.  It certainly looks alot different and less intimidating from this angle.
From here, we went north.  The ridge can be taken to Chiefs Head Peak, and farther even to McHenrys.  There is a finger of land that extends northwest off the ridge, and this is the way to descend to get to Lake Powell.

McHenrys Peak and Notch along with Stone Man Pass.

We finally gained sight of the lake.  I didn't realize how reflective it was when I shot this photo.  It looks like a whimsical upside down heart shape from above.
The descent is on tundra, with more and more large blocks of talus towards the bottom.  A loss of almost 1000 feet brought us here, to a place of true solitude and peace.

Reflections of things to come.

What is wrong with this picture?  Notice the rock and grass in the upper right hand corner...
Well, if you haven't figured it out, I flipped this photo.  The top part is actually the reflection in the lake.  That is how amazingly still the water was. 

Here is a second photo the right way.  It looks like a mirror was laid down below me.  Incredible!
Due to there being no trail to it, and the "easy" way requiring an 18+ mile round trip with around 5000 feet of gain, this lake is seldom visited.  But it is worth it.  We thought this lake probably sees the same number of visitors each year as Pilot Mountain, which is to say in the single digits.  
We took a nice snack break, and then made our way back up to Hourglass Ridge.

On the way back up, points west.

Now back on Hourglass Ridge, we make our way to Mount Alice.  Though it looks intimidating, the worst part is probably on the small connector between the ridge and Alice.  Things narrow, with some easy scrambling and a bit of exposure.

On the way up, we both stayed near the west ridge of the mountain to find a fun scrambly route to the top.  You could also stay more to the east for a less scrambly option.  Staying near the ridge did provide some great views!

And then we were there!  The good thing about Alice is the high point you see from the bottom is actually the top.  No false summits here.  It is hard to tell what might be the true highest point, though the western hump is cairned and holds the register, which was missing a cap and anything inside.  See also in this photo Chiefs Head, Pagoda, Longs, and Meeker.

And looking south along the divide to Wild Basin.  It was good to be back and see so many familiar places and relive so many memories.

We descended south and east from Alice, continuing to cut south as we could.  I thought this gave a unique perspective on the mountain.  The diamond looks alot different from here. 

And again, the third, seventh, first, and second highest peaks in the park.  I've now ascended them all.

On the way to Pilot Mountain.

We arrived at the top of the loose scree and talus gully I had ascended to get to this peak last year.  There is a large boulder near the top of this which blocks the way up.  This also marks the place to start out on the grassy ramps towards the peak.

Pretty mellow travel at first on wide grassy ramps.

Which narrow slightly...

And then slightly more...
Until you come to a pile of talus which you climb over, loosing some elevation on the other side.  This is where the going gets tough.  Ascend the fourth class chimney feature.

Dan going up.  Last time around, I commented that I found the transition to and from the chimney to the face on the other side the hardest part.  I'd say that held true again.
Upon arriving at the top of the chimney, you'll now have to traverse and ascend some cracks in the rock to the top.  This keeps you in third class territory. 

This summit is tiny, with room for just a few people.  Dan looked south over the edge and uttered an expletive.  It is also super exposed.
There is alot of history here.  The register was placed in 1974, before either of us was born.  Actually the year my parents married.  It has not seen many ascents in the time since.  Last year wrapped up with a whopping ten.  This year we were numbers two and three.  That is pretty incredible to think about, and why these minor peaks are places that stand out in my mind. 

We went back up the gully and traversed over to descend Mount Alice's grassy eastern slope.  This was way better than taking the gully back down from Pilot.

Pilot as seen from below.
We were able to pick a good way through the trees, and avoided any bushwhacking for the most part.  The day was heating up pretty well, and I was quite warm.  "Unless it's thundering, I am swimming in Lion Lake," I said. 

Not pictured this time, but this lake is not very deep and it was less of a swim and more of a fall backwards into thigh deep water. 

It's always hard to believe we were up there shortly ago.

Chiefs Head Peak.  We saw two other parties of two at or near Lion Lake, and very few others on the way back to the car.

I did see this bunny along the trail!
Here are some beta photos to help you along the way.  I have circled the large boulder blocking the scree gully in pink.  If you take the gully up, continue up to the right of this boulder before crossing over to the grassy ramps above it.  If you come from Alice, just consider this boulder a marker to find the right place to start.

 The boulder.

 Route on the grassy ramps, with the chimney crux circled in red.

 The boulder as seen from below.

Route as seen from below.
We made it back to the car right around 3:30pm, giving us an almost twelve hour day.  All things considered, not too bad.  I think we estimated something like 5700 total feet of gain over 19ish miles. 
All in all, a great day in the park, visiting or revisiting some very worthy destinations.  Mount Alice is fun in and of itself, but for those of you with the spirit of adventure, consider adding a visit to Pilot Mountain on the descent.  Lake Powell is breathtaking, and worthy of a visit.  Consider the effort to get there and back well worth it to have this alpine tarn all to yourself!  It was rewarding to climb Longs, but it is the destinations like these that my heart truly seeks.
Lake Powell, Mount Alice, and Pilot Mountain:
Lake Powell, 11540 feet: 9.1 miles each way, 3040 foot gain (but close to 4000 total since you ascend to around 12500 on Hourglass Ridge).  Strenuous.
Mount Alice, 13310 feet: 8.8 miles each way, 4810 foot gain.  Second class.  Strenuous.
Pilot Mountain, 12200+ feet: 9.5 miles each way via Mt. Alice, 3700 foot gain.  Fourth class.  Strenuous.
Along the way you'll pass:
Lion Lake 1, 11080 feet: 6.3 miles one way, 2580 foot gain. Moderate.
Lion Lake 2, 11420 feet: 6.9 miles one way, 2920 foot gain. Moderate+.
Snowbank Lake, 11521 feet: 7.1 miles one way, 3021 foot gain. Moderate+.

Pilot Mountain via Lion Lake #1.

Unfortunately this post will not be accompanied by any photos.  I took the camera with me, but did not take the battery.  Oh well.
I started on August 2 from the Wild Basin trail head at 645 am.  The hike up was mellow; the air was cool but not so much that I had to put on a long sleeved shirt.  I took the campsite shortcut trail, passing by Siskin which I would hit on my way back to go to Twin Lakes.
This is the first time I have hiked to Lion Lake this year, and I was reminded of how steep the trail gets after splitting from the Thunder Lake trail.
I made it to Lion Lake in decent time.  From here, you have a great view of Mt. Alice and Pilot Mountain, and can basically work your way to the scree slope between them. The book indicated that you should head south around the lake before continuing on.  Since I felt I was closer to the north side of the lake I went around that way.
There is some wet and marshy terrain to navigate near the inlet from Trio Falls.  If you don't have waterproof boots, I may recommend going this way, but crossing the creek a little higher up.  I took the other way around the lake on the way back and found it to be equally wet.
There is some light bushwhacking involved as you make your way towards Pilot Mountain.  Nothing too involved or difficult.  Some talus and boulders to work around as well.
You will arrive at a bowl that looks up a talus/scree slope with a grassier slope slightly to the north.  You could take the grassy slope to ascend Mt. Alice, but I would recommend staying in the slope to the south which contains more talus and larger boulders and less scree.  I took the scree slope down, and I feel it would have been a bit easier to navigate the talus since the scree is at a steep angle and very loose.
Eventually the talus slope will come to an end with an impassible wall.  To the left is the steep rock of Pilot Mountain itself, to the right the scree filled slope.  It does look like you could ascend the steeper rock directly, but I would not do so without real climbing gear and knowledge.  It doesn't look too steep looking up, but once you are at the top you can see how steep it is, and to fall without the protection of a rope would certainly mean serious injury.
I crossed the scree slope to get to the chest high solid rock on the north side of it to provide stable hand holds to work my way up.  This is a second and third class ascent.  A helmet would be recommended here, particularly if you are following someone else up as some rock will be kicked loose, and the slope is enough that it will tumble quite quickly down.
As you gain altitude, you will notice a large boulder coming up that looks as though it is blocking the way.  This is a marker to remember, as I hit the boulder I looked left/east and saw the grassy ramp described which leads to the summit of the mountain.  I felt the scree was too much to cross as there was nothing visible that looked stable for hands or feet, so I scrambled up to the right around the boulder.  From here I was able to cross the scree much more easily before hitting the ramp.
The ramp starts out three to four feet wide, and it is a good place and vantage point to stop for a drink or bite to eat and prepare for what lies ahead.  The next fifteen yards or so contain the most difficult part of this hike.  The ramp will narrow, and now looking down the northeast face of Pilot Mountain is very, very steep.  Be sure to use caution here and take your time.  If you were to fall, you would have to self arrest almost instantly; this is made difficult as in many places the rock is smooth with no features to hold onto whatsoever.
The ramp will turn into rock, and continue to narrow until you reach a chimney feature (almost vertical rock on three sides) that lies between the eastern summit and the knife ridge that continues to the west.  This is upper fourth class, and again, a place where you do not want to fall.  Fortunately there are large hand and foot holds to help you up.  I felt the transition from the top of this to the eastern ridge was the hardest part.
Once you gain the top, the ramp is down to about six inches wide and no longer contains grass.  Continue east for a short distance over this third and fourth class rock.  The summit is shortly thereafter, and WOW!
I think the view from here may be the best I'll get all year.  You tower over Falcon Lake to the south, with Thunder Lake and Lake of Many Winds also visible south.  You can see Tanima Peak, Isolation Peak, The Cleaver, Mt. Alice, Longs Peak, Mt. Meeker, Copeland Mountain...  The list goes on.
It was truly inspiring to take in and to know that I have now ascended or been to almost everything I could see looking back to the east.  I thought about how much time I have spent in Wild Basin over the past year and how I am now very close to my goal of hiking to every named feature in this area.  Pretty awesome.
I wasn't expecting a summit register here, but there was one, and it was intact.  It was placed here in 1974, and I would estimate there have been less than 100 registered ascents since then.  I was the sixth this year, with only four in 2011.  Compare that to Longs Peak, which I have heard estimated in season gets something like 100 ascents A DAY!
This hike is longer and more technically difficult, though with less total gain.  I was able to kind of get cell reception up here, but could not place a call or send a text.  I was able to see that it was now 1120, giving me 4.5 hours to get here.  Not bad.  I hung out at the top for a bit before turning back.
Again, I took my time and care to descend the third and fourth class face to the chimney.  I took it slow down that as well, and made it back to the grassy ramp.  I took this back to the scree slope, and decided to descend this directly.  I got going pretty fast when I decided to butt slide down it, and stopped myself.  I got back to the chest high rock on the north side of this slope and used it to provide stable hands and feet at times for the descent.
I did make it down but I felt as though it took me more time to go this way than it would have to cut back to the talus slope.  I will do that next time I do this hike.  After all, I do have to go back to get photos for you!
I continued overland with some light bushwhacking until I ran into Lion Lake #1.  I went south around it this time, again traveling through some wet terrain until I was able to hop the outlet.  Back on the trail I made good time down.
When I got to the sign for Siskin, I followed its trail up to get to Twin Lakes.  I got to the campground and looked around for cairns or anything that looked like a trail.  I didn't seen anything, so I just headed due north from here.  The hill is steep and I was dripping sweat in no time.  You will arrive at a point where you see some granite boulders coming up- this is not quite it.  There is still another slope to ascend.  I was reassured by seeing footprints and the holes from hiking poles here- at least I was going the right way.
The first lake came almost as a surprise.  It is very pretty and lily padded with large boulders in and around it, particularly to the east.  Now here is when I encountered some trouble.  I was not sure which of the lakes this was and if I should go east or west to find the second.  I went west and eventually stumbled onto a unmaintained trail that was marked with cairns.  I followed this, loosing altitude until it seemed to end in the middle of nowhere.  It felt like I was not going the right way and had gone too far, so I followed the trail back up.
I was now on the north side of the lake, and again the trail seemed to stop in the middle of nowhere.  I continued on around the lake and headed east for a bit.  Eventually I gave up.  I am not sure where the other lake is or which one I was at, but I tried!  And it was relatively easy to find one of the lakes.  Very pretty as well, with great views of Copeland, Tanima, and Eagles Beak.
I headed back down hill and met up with the Thunder Lake trail a little bit above Siskin.  I took the Campsite shortcut back.  I was feeling pretty fresh and made good time, getting back to the car exactly at 445pm.  Despite some time lost looking for the other lake and really taking my time after descending Pilot Mountain, ten hours is entirely reasonable.  I feel if done by itself, I could probably get there and back in eight or less.
Make no mistake, this is a very long and both physically and technically demanding hike.  But given the truly spectacular view that you will most likely have all to yourself, as well as being one of the two to six people per year to get this view...  I will be back to it, that is for sure.  It would be fun to do after hitting Mt. Alice via Hourglass Ridge.  That would be a long and adventurous day for sure.
Pilot Mountain via Lion Lake #1:
Pilot Mountain: 7.6 miles one way, 3700 foot gain.  Up to difficult fourth class near summit.  Strenuous.
Twin Lakes: 3.25 miles one way, 1340 foot gain.  Moderate minus.

Mahana Peak.

With the hiking season rapidly winding down and quite a bit still left to do on my list for this year, I had planned a long long day hiking in the park this week. I was able to leave work early and got to bed at an ok time (considering my alarm was set for 345am), but like a kid the night before Christmas, I had trouble falling and staying asleep. I woke up when my alarm went off and didn't feel rested, but got up and got ready to go...
Early morning from Thunder Lake trail.
Meeker and Longs.
Tanima Peak and Mt. Alice.
Mount Copeland. I was not happy to see snow on it already.
Wild Basin in the early morning.
First sun strikes the land. I could see frost on many of the low lying plants, and everything was glittering in the dark as I used my headlamp.
The trail splits and I stayed right to go to Bluebird Lake. Left would take you to Ouzel Lake.
I saw these deer above me. Two ran, and one kept a sharp eye on me as I passed.
The Bluebird Lake trail is steep and definitely more difficult than the trail proceeding it. I was happy that the trail had been cleaned up from the avalanche over the winter of 2011. There was a part that was hard to pass.
This area is something to remember because it looks like the lake will be right after it. But it won't. Still a little more to go.
Looking back.
The snow cave cut by Ouzel Creek had finally collapsed.
When you see this area you know you are almost there.
Bluebird Lake in the early morning.
Since I wanted to do Mahana peak, I crossed Bluebird at its outlet, and headed around. Supposedly there are cairns marking the way up to the higher lakes, but like last year I didn't see many. I should have taken a picture, but look for a large boulder with some overhung sections on the right. Head up the talus to the left of this, cutting west and north as you are able. This will take you above the granite benches on the north side of the lake and you will avoid all of the trees and most bushwhacking.
Above Bluebird Lake.
The tiny Lark Pond overlooked by Ouzel Peak.
Pipit Lake and Ouzel Peak.
Being above Pipit Lake will allow you an 'easy' ascent up into the saddle between Isolation and Mahana peaks. There is a short scramble up some talus. I made this hike up last year and it is just silly how much better shape I am in this year. Last year I remember feeling fairly like I was dying. This year I could feel a little burning in my legs and quickening of my breath and pulse, but no more.
Copeland and Ouzel as seen from the foot of Mahana Peak.
Shortly, you top the rocks and see Isolation Lake. This lake has got to be one of the highest in the park at 11980 feet, and at around 8 miles in with a 3500 foot gain, truly one of the most isolated.
Ouzel Peak as seen from Isolation Lake. A nice place to stop for a high altitude snack and great to pump water from- it'll be ice cold!
From here you head north up into the saddle. Head west to get to Isolation Peak or east for Mahana.
Looking up into the saddle.
The climb up the talus is not bad really. The time of year made it a bit trickier. There was not enough constant snow to put on crampons, but my shoes were slipping all over the place. I played it safe and stayed on rock only. There is one false summit, but the real summit is shortly after. I took a long break here.
Mount Copeland from Mahana Peak.
Ouzel Peak and Pipit Lake from Mahana.
Longs and Meeker.
Isolation Peak as seen from Mahana Peak.
North along the continental divide you can see Tanima Peak, Boulder Grand Pass, Mt. Alice, Chiefs Head Peak, Longs Peak, and Mt. Meeker.
Panorama showing five peaks over 13000 feet- Isolation, Mt. Alice, Chiefs Head, Longs, and Meeker.
Panorama from Copeland to Isolation.
Panorama from Isolation to Copeland.
Your somewhat cold friend on Mahana Peak, 12632 feet.
I had planned for a somewhat longer hike here. I was thinking of ringing the bowl of Ouzel Creek and Cony Creek atop the continental divide. But I hadn't planned on the snow! Just two weeks ago there was no snow on Copeland and the divide south of Mt. Alice was clear three weeks ago. Looking across at a fourth class descent with some snow on it did not inspire me to attempt this.
I wasn't feeling so hot either. I think the lack of sleep from the night before was getting to me. Now, if I had known before I had ascended Mahana that my day was going to end there, I probably would have done Isolation first and then Mahana. But I wasn't feeling great, and thought it would be in my best interest to start back. I decided to take Mahana ridge down east and rejoin the Bluebird Lake trail near Chickadee Pond.
The tundra hiked well. There was already intermittent snow up to two feet deep in places, in addition to snow from last year that hadn't melted. In fact I encountered a large snowfield in my way and decided, for a cheap thrill, to glissade it. The old snow was smooth sailing, but the newer, softer snow on top of it put the brakes on and I actually had to use my ice axe to propel myself forward! Ah well.
Glissading down this was not all that thrilling but it was cheap- only cost me a wet butt.
To give you some scale the snow field above is the highest and largest one pictured here, to the right and above center of the image.Sandbeach Lake as seen from Mahana Ridge.
Chickadee Pond and Ouzel Lake seen from above.
A good look at the entire forest fire area.
Longs Peak and Mt. Meeker from the ridge.
Three pictures of the same view? I thought it was about the best I got on my hike.
Back below tree line. This was in the forest fire area, and at the altitude there has been little regrowth. It was kind of creepy to walk through- like a tree graveyard. Going was easy until I started to hit the bigger trees, a large portion of which have now fallen over. This made navigating a pain. In addition the hill down to Chickadee Pond as recommended by the book is very steep. For those reasons if you would like to do Mahana Peak I would recommend the approach via Bluebird Lake as described above.
At Chickadee Pond overlooked by Copeland.
Back up from farther down.
I kept seeing these discolorations in the fire area and though it was soil erosion or something. When I got closer, I could see it was Aspen groves that are changing color.
After a long day I finally made it back to the car. This hike took me around eleven hours, but really could have been much shorter. The descending the ridge took much more time than the longer ascent. But oh well. As always a fun day in the park.
Hiking to Mahana Peak will allow you some great views of surrounding peaks, lakes, forest, and the continental divide. It seems to be a hike that not many do, but it is fun and the reward is high.
Mahana Peak(12632 feet) from Isolation Lake:
8.1 miles one way, 4132 foot gain. Easier strenuous hike due to gain and distance.
Other destinations:
Isolation Lake:
7.8 miles one way, 3480 foot gain.
Pipit Lake:
7.2 miles one way, 2920 foot gain.
Lark Pond:
7 miles one way, 2840 foot gain.
Bluebird Lake:
6.3 miles one way, 2478 foot gain.
Chickadee Pond:
4.8 miles one way, 1520 foot gain.