Tripe Divide Peak

Trailhead: Crescent Meadow

Took the Tamarack/Elizabeth pass trail on the way up.  Took the High Sierra trail back to Bearpaw Meadow on the way back.

Had hoped to also tag Lion Rock but no acclimation and insufficient time nixed that plan.

Made the mistake of cutting through the meadow above Tamarack Lake on the way back.  Turned out to be a swamp and I soaked my shoes and socks.

On the way up I went around the south side of Tamarack Lake and then up.  On the return I cut across the meadow and then dropped down thru a cliff band on the north side of the lake.  This almost didn't work.

On the way up to Triple Divide Pass I angled up from the extreme west end of Lion Lake.  This wasn't too bad.  On the return I angled down lower and this proved to be unpleasant.

Part way up from the pass (on Triple Divide's West ridge) I stayed on the right side.  Then when progress was blocked I switched over to the left (north) side and on the crest as needed.  This was a little tricky at times but worked.  On the return I decided to stick to the south side of the ridge.  I already knew I couldn't just descend straight down because of a low cliff band so I tried to stay higher and crossed over several ribs until I connected with the route I had taken on the way up.  This didn't work all that great (still tedious and lots of loose material) but might have been slightly faster than the crest and north side of the ridge.

GPS recorded 38.4mi

Log

03:16a - Start time, Crescent Mdw
02:22p - Summit Triple Divide Peak
12:29a - End time, Crescent Mdw

Avg 1.8mph

Crescent Mdw to Triple Divide Peak: 11 hrs 6 mins

Total time: 21 hrs 13 mins