Ibantik lake

[elkaholic]

This last weekend I took our scouts to Ibantik lakt in the Unitas. This hike was to be an overnighter and a practice hike for the 4 day trip we will be taking next week. We began our hike at the crystal lake trail head and started with the trail that goes past cliff and Clyde lake. It has been several years sense I have taken this trail but once again I was shocked at the beauty of the Unitas. this trail is perfect for beginers with lots to see and not too strenuous. One of the things I wanted to see with this practice hike is how the scouts would handle being off the trail because next week we have a 2 mile section of our hike that will be off trail. As we came around Clyde lake we made our way over to john lake and found a shelf that lead right up to the notch. The boys did great



We took a few min to enjoy the view from the notch and looked for the mountain goats before heading down to Ibantik lake



I have never been over the notch before so this was a new experience for me. The trail switched back and forth through several small ponds until reaching Ibantik lake. As we arrived we were very disappointed to see that there was a large (30+) group of young men and women already at the lake and they had occupied all of he camp sites on the east side of the lake. We made our way to the west side of the lake and found a suitable site, set up camp, ate dinner, and got to the fishing. As the eavning set in the fishing got better and better. Everyone who casted in caught fish and several boys who had never caught a fish were able to find several eager brookies that wanted to make their day. One of our boys was so excited about his first catch that he had his fish cleaned and in a frying pan within three mutinies of landing the poor thing.



after enjoying some camp fire fish we tucked in for the night. The next morning I was up early trying to enjoy some solitude and good fishing when I noticed that there were a bunch of mountain goats only a few hundred yards up the shore. I hurried back to my tent to get my camera and got back just in time to catch the last one of the group



following some tasty oatmeal we packed up the gear and headed out. This trip was a great success. The weather was perfect and all of the scouts not only survived but I think they may have even had a little fun even though it wasn't a video game.



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[DrNed]

I think the goats come down to that spot regularly to graze in the meadow.
I was able to get fairly close to a group of them. My daughters told me they
would stumble over their tent stakes as they were moving about. Glad to hear
all went well, and good luck on your up coming trip!

 

[Rockroller]

Great trip report! I made that hike last year. There were mountain goats running all over the place. I didn't catch any fish but it didn't matter. I could sit there and watch the goats all day. It's amazing where they can go and how easy they can climb the cliffs. Beautiful place to go for sure especially with scouts or kids.

 

[Nick]

When I was there, I only saw some goats from a distance, but I saw a bunch of wool stuck in the bushes up by the notch. Must be a good spot for them. Bummer to hear about a group of 30+ anywhere in a wild place. No bueno. Sounds like a fun trip though. It's a magical and amazingly accessible area.

 

[WasatchWill]

You guys went the hard way up to the Notch. I'm also sorry to read about that huge group already there. Somebody having a youth conference there or something or what? That is one of my outdoor pet peeves, seeing groups of 20+ clearly violating group size limits of 12-14. Glad it still worked out for you guys though and that your scouts were able to have a good time from the sounds of it.

 

[elkaholic]

I think the large group was a youth conference. But I wish they would have stayed at wall. As far as the hike up, I don't think it was harder. It was a little longer by about a half a mile but the climb was very gradual all the way up and the scenery was way better. The next time I get up there I think I would take this route again.

 

[WasatchWill]

I think the large group was a youth conference. But I wish they would have stayed at wall. As far as the hike up, I don't think it was harder. It was a little longer by about a half a mile but the climb was very gradual all the way up and the scenery was way better. The next time I get up there I think I would take this route again.

I don't know. Coming down from Clyde and Cliff, particularly the drop down to Watson Lake, then the drop to Cliff Lake, and the drop from Cliff down to Lily Lakes all made me think going up the Notch trail past Wall is definitely the easier way with much less of steep parts. Then again, sometimes coming down those steeper parts are harder than going up. That is, going up is harder on the lungs, but coming down is harder on the muscles and joints and hitting a loose rock and losing balance is more of a concern when coming down. I do think the route up Cliff Lake let's you see more.