Route:  Myrtle Lakes, Gold Lake, Hardscrabble Creek traverse
Climbed:  June 5,1993


Location: Alpine Lakes Wilderness.

Day 1: Park bike and cars.  Start hiking at 3pm.  Beautiful summer
day.  Make Myrtle lake by 7 and camp at large site N.E of outlet
stream.

Day 2: Circle lake on E then cross to west and pick up trail leading
to upper lake where we meet a fisher dude.  Circle upper lake on W and
pick up trail leading to saddle.  From saddle traverse SW above lake
until we find a gully leading to ridge.  Travel S on ridge until we
judge we can descend to fools gold lake.  There we meet the same
fisher dude who says that from the pass above the upper lake he
descended and traversed S.E. then S in a treeless band until he
reached a gully then ascended to fools gold lake.  This seem
preferable.  Plenty of snow at fools gold lake.  Lunch and nap on
rocks S of lake.  Then, a big cloud comes over ridge and ends our nap.
Pack up and cross through gap to the E.S.E. of lake.  Cross a
beautiful valley and ascend a snow gully through band of cliffs.  Top of
gully brings us to the country between gold lake and Big Snow
Mountain.  Snow covered here.  Descend to Gold Lake (little snow).
Very beautiful here.  Plenty of sign of people.  Most probably come in
from N.  Should be a trail from Dorothy Lake.  Clouds thicken and rain
begins as we are cooking dinner.  Rain on and off all night.

Day 3: Weather not better so we decide to hike out.  Ascend valleys
and ridges toward Big Snow Mountain, passing small lakes and cascades.
More snow as we ascend.  Rain turns to snow by the time we are at the
pass above upper Hardscrabble Lake.  Very wintry day.  Descend snow
slop S toward upper Hardscrabble lake.  We shift to another snow,
talus slope to right (W).  Snow turns to rock then to trees.  No clear
way down so we descend E through the trees to meadow.  Then S through
meadow to N shore of lake.  Circle E to outlet stream.  Pick up a trial
and descend on N side of outlet stream.  Circle lower lake on N and W
sides (counter clockwise).  Short rest then rain begins again.  Follow
a spotty trail through forest about 50-100 ft W of stream.  Eventually
this opens to clear cuts and there is no good trail.  Descend
clearcuts to old path which leads through brush to old road.  Descend
very overgrown road to main valley road, about 1 mile W of roadhead
where my bike is.  Richard goes for the bike, but I find a passing
driver who is willing to give us a lift down to our car.





[Route description written by Tom Unger]