Backpacking Okanogan National Forest : Copper Glance Lake & failed attempt at No Dice Lake

Joined
May 3, 2018
Messages
290

Hello all,

I've been really busy backpacking this summer so I haven't had time to post here as often as I'd like. This is a trip I did in late june to help me physically prepare for an 8-day mountaineering Bailey Range Traverse in ONP which I completed successfully two-ish weeks ago. I'll be releasing a feature-length film of that adventure later in the year once I get through my video backlog (I got videos to do about the Winds, Idaho's Lost River Range, more Chelan-Sawtooth videos, OlympicNP and Eagle Cap/Wallowas)...

Anyways, for this trip I loaded my pack up to about 60lbs to get used to carrying a heavy load / mountaineering gear. It was really hot out which helped the misery. It was originally going to be a 3 day 2 night that just turned to an overnight with a long day 2. Day 1 was to Copper Glance lake. On my way up I scared a massive cinammon colored black bear who took off running FAST. Only one other person camping at the lake, it was quiet and pure bliss there. The isabella range towered over the lake. I did some recon that evening of my snow chute I (thought) I had to go up and over to get to the cross country / off trail area of No Dice Lake which would be Night 2 of my trip. It rained a bit on night 1 but not too bad. Tons of fish in the lake. Some mosquitoes no where near as bad as the Winds though.
R255bsf.jpg

Copper Glance lake and my snow chute for Day 2 on the left. Larches everywhere.
AZOoXxj.jpg

ONEodQZ.jpg

EcOfu81.jpg


Day 2 I set off up the steep snow chute with my ice axe, crampons and 60lbs pack. Going up close to 2000ft elevation in 1 mile, most of it being the last .25 miles. It was hot and pretty exhausting up to the col as I was still a little out of shape. When I got up past the snow slope I put my pack on some rocks and went the last 200 feet uphill on very loose and rotten rock to check out the col and to finally see No Dice Lake with my own eyes. Turns out I read the map wrong because when I crested the col I was greeted with a rotten drop and instead of seeing No Dice Lake I was looking straight into the heart of the Pasayten Wilderness. Peaks like Nanny Goat, Billy Goat, Lost, Many Trails, Lago, Ptargmigan, Three Pinnacles North and Monument Peak. A massive gust of wind hit my face as if the range was laughing at my failure in misreading a simple contour map. I was one chute over too far. To get to the correct chute I had to lose all 2000ft again down the steep snowfield and go back up the right one. I couldn't traverse over due to rotten rock and needing actual rock climbing equipment due to the rock towers. It was beautiful though as crushing as it was. The clouds looked bad in the distance, looked like thunderstorms. I began my descent down the steep snow field. I slipped on the upper portion and had to self-arrest with my ice axe. Which I did successfully, huge confidence booster. The down climb of the steep field was worse than the ascent, especially knowing 80% of all climbing accidents happen on the descent. I finally made it down to the skree field and I was exhausted. I saw the chute I needed to take. It had no snow and was all rotten rock. I was tired as hell and felt defeated, so I chalked it up to a loss and vow to return another time.
pjZaxOX.jpg

hvpBNE3.jpg

Scramble to the snowfield.
cwAsk35.jpg

Tarn.
Q5ZSH1o.jpg

5MYOMsl.jpg

My goal was to follow the snow the whole way up left.

I went back to Copper Glance Lake to camp another night there. I started hearing big booms and Lacey messaged me on my SAT messenger. She was just leaving her dad's place with her friend in Mazama (about 10ish miles south west of me), her message read that Mazama was getting smoked by a massive lighting and thunder storm and it was probably headed my way, it was also being forecasted to go on until noon of Day 3. I ended up hiking out the 5ish miles as fast as I could. Dropping elevation fast. Booms going off like crazy in the distance, almost as if there was a boom noise every 2 seconds. The last mile the thunder just stopped and the skies started to clear. When I got to my truck there wasn't a cloud left. Are you fucking kidding me? Mother nature made a fool of me twice on this trip! OH well, I saw some cool stuff and got one hell of a workout. Back to the drawing board.
VfKKB6o.jpg
 
Good to get out there and learn lessons! Haha and hopefully you agree that that last photo of the soft clouds and pink lighting made it aaaallllll worth it! Thanks for sharing!
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
NorthwestWanderer Backpacking Okanogan National Forest : Tiffany Mountain Backpacking 4
B 3P Backpacking Tent Recommendation and Nemo Aurora feedback Gear 3
TrailScot Capitol Reef NP - 5 Day Backpacking Adventure from Chimney Rock to Burro Wash - October 2023 Backpacking 10
Mikjik86 Backpacking Indian Peaks Wilderness - King Lake - August, 2023 Backpacking 0
J Backpacking in the UK Backpacking 1
2eez4life Suggestions: Uintas Backpacking with some rock climbing routes Trip Planning 0
M Backpacking 50 miles in the Uinta Mountains for 5 days with ~50 pound pack Backpacking 4
forest dweller What do you think are the most essential nutrients while backpacking? General Discussion 17
B 2P Backpacking Tent Recommendation Gear 13
forest dweller Favorite backpacking foods...convenient, easy, delicious, nutritious? General Discussion 20
forest dweller You guys keep a backpacking gear checklist in Microsoft Word you don't mind sharing? General Discussion 13
forest dweller I have tons of backpacking food past it's expired by date... General Discussion 10
maisweh Backpacking Maze - Please Critique Trip Planning 11
DrNed Backpacking Light Memberships Resource Discussions 6
ANelson Backpacking with a 600MM Lens General Discussion 13
E Weeklong+ backpacking recs in Yellowstone NP? Trip Planning 11
mikejones3 New Backpacking / Hiking Weight Calculator App Gear 0
R Backpacking in the Pacific Northwest Trip Planning 7
NorthwestWanderer Backpacking Grand Teton National Park : Fossil Pass,Fox Creek Pass,Indian Lake,Alaska Basin,Hurricane Pass,Ice Floe Lake,& Snowdrift Lake Backpacking 19
Mikjik86 Backpacking The Wind River Range - Wyoming, September 2022 Trip Reports 3
norwegianxplorer 6 days Backpacking Norway in the Fall (Part 2) Backpacking 4
V four day backpacking trip in southern Utah starting this weekend Trip Planning 4
norwegianxplorer 6 days backpacking Jotunheimen in the fall Trip Reports 4
Desertratgal Backpacking/Packrafting Needles and Maze Districts of Canyonlands Trip Planning 3
BJett Amazing Appalachians - Backpacking/Packrafting the AT and Nantahala River Backpacking 5
kwc Backpacking on the Northville Placid Trail (NPT) Backpacking 13
norwegianxplorer 7 days backpacking Breheimen/Glacier Home National Park in Norway Backpacking 2
SeanIsADesertRat Old guys backpacking in Dark Canyon Backpacking 17
norwegianxplorer Backpacking the Lofoten archipelago in arctic Norway Backpacking 6
Mikjik86 4 Days Backpacking Grand Teton Wilderness/Teton Crest Trail - Wyoming, July, 2021 Backpacking 0
T Southern Utah Backpacking ideas for MLK Weekend? Trip Planning 21
norwegianxplorer Backpacking SAREK NATIONAL PARK, Arctic Sweden, Camping Above RAPADALEN delta. Backpacking 7
TrailScot Canyonlands NP Needles backpacking permit in winter General Discussion 5
ghsmith76 Looking for best multi-day Backpacking Trips near Livingston, MT Trip Planning 6
norwegianxplorer Finding Hidden Glacier, 9 days backpacking Jotunheimen National Park Pt3, Norway. Trip Reports 0
norwegianxplorer Highest Mountain in Norway, Galdhøpiggen, the start of a 9 day backpacking trip in Jotunheimen national park Backpacking 0
montanaclimber Americans: where was your favorite international backpacking trip? Trip Planning 25
norwegianxplorer 5 days Backpacking Rondane National Park, Norway Backpacking 3
norwegianxplorer Backpacking Norway, Femundsmarka National Park Pt 3, Grand Scandinavian Hiking & Backpacking Tour Ep4 Backpacking 0
norwegianxplorer Backpacking Rogen Nature Reserve, Sweden & Femundsmarka National Park, Norway Pt2 Backpacking 2
norwegianxplorer 10 days Backpacking Femundsmarka National Park and Rogen Nature Reserve, Norway and Sweden Backpacking 8
norwegianxplorer Backpacking Scandinavia, Norway & Sweden June-September Backpacking 4
andyjaggy A couple of Backpacking Trip Report Videos Backpacking 0
NorthwestWanderer Backpacking Idaho's Cecil D. Andrus-White Clouds Wilderness : O'Calkens Lake & Bighorn Basin Backpacking 2
forest dweller How did you meet most of your backpacking companions? General Discussion 83
LarryBoy World's Wimpiest Backpacking Trip Trip Planning 19
Jamesoutside life Looking for backpacking buddy montana aug/sept Noobs: Introduce yourself! 0
RyanP Snowy Range (WY) easy backpacking recommendations? Trip Planning 4
norwegianxplorer How a Reindeer herd w/calves invaded my camp & started fighting over turf, backpacking Femundsmarka NP Norway Backpacking 2
D Backpacking Advice in the Winds, Teton Wilderness and the Washakie Wilderness Trip Planning 8

Similar threads

Back
Top