Three Musketeers Ridge - 7.4.2012
The approximate route from our campsite in the Upper Enchantments to our high point on Three Musketeers Ridge... ~8 miles roundtrip, gaining ~2340 feet of elevation.
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After spending most of Tuesday in the tent, I woke up at 4:50 a.m. on July 4th to this view of the moon over Little Annapurna.
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Looking to the east I saw this... and quickly put my boots on and hustled for higher ground.
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At 5:07 a.m. I got this shot of the sunrise behind Prusik Peak... the best 4th of July fireworks show I could ask for.
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Sunrise hitting McClellan Peak.
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Sunrise hitting Little Annapurna and Dragontail Peak... with a bonus moon.
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A closeup of the sunrise and moonset on Little Annapurna.
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Prusik Peak at 5:25 a.m... most of the red color is gone now.
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The morning sunshine has brought out mother and baby.
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Snowdog and BarbE enjoy the sunny morning from our camp (7440')... McClellan Peak behind.
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The goats are prowling... looking through the gap to Navaho Peak in the Teanaway... Mt. Rainier in the distance on the far right.
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One of our campsite guardians.
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A pretty nice view from my tent site.
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Snowdog and BarbE put on their crampons to prepare for the day's journey.
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Descending toward Inspiration Lake... with Little Annapurna behind.
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Inspiration Lake... Prusik Peak and The Temple in the distance.
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Above Perfection Lake now... we will be heading for Prusik Pass... the low point on the ridge left of Prusik Peak.
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At Perfection Lake (7100')... McClellan Peak in the distance.
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Gaining elevation now toward Prusik Pass... looking back on Perfection Lake, Little Annapurna and part of Dragontail Peak.
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At Prusik Pass now (7500')... looking down on Shield Lake and Earle Lake... and out to Edward Mesa... with 'The Mole' at the left end of Edward Mesa.
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Still in the Prusik Pass area... BarbE walking over toward Prusik Peak to try and find the best route down to the lakes.
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BarbE and Snowdog discussing options... Enchantment Peak is above.
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I've started to descend from Prusik Pass on exposed rock and dirt... looking up at Prusik Pass now.
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Here comes BarbE and Snowdog.
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After running out of rock and dirt, BarbE and Snowdog glissade the rest of the way down to the basin.
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Heading for Shield Lake... still a couple hundred feet above the lake.
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At the south end of Shield Lake.
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Going along the east side of Shield Lake.
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At the north end of Shield Lake... looking back on Prusik Pass and Enchantment Peak.
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Almost to Earle Lake now... looking at the very wide stream that connects Shield and Earle.
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Past Earle Lake now and dropping down to Mesa Lake... Edward Mesa in the distance.
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Looks like we are going to get cliffed-out at Mesa Lake.
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Ascending from Mesa Lake now... on the western end of Three Musketeers Ridge now.
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Ascending Three Musketeers Ridge now... looking back toward Prusik Pass... The Temple on the left... Enchantment Peak in the center... with Cannon Mountain somewhere high on the right.
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We can see two of the Musketeers now... with the third being hidden by the two on the left... but can we get there??
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The north side of The Temple from Three Musketeers Ridge.
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Enchantment Peak from Three Musketeers Ridge.
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Edward Mesa from Three Musketeers Ridge.
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Three Musketeers Ridge is a very gnarly ridge... huge boulders and lots of menacing trees... and I think that I have labeled things correctly.
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BarbE and Snowdog working their way along Three Musketeers Ridge... Edward Mesa on the right.
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A pano shot from Three Musketeers Ridge... The Temple (left), Enchantment Peak and Cannon Mountain.
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We have reached what is going to turn out to be our high point... BarbE looks for a route... looks like it would be fairly easy to get up to the high tree just below the leaning rock... but then what?
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ragman is past the high tree and just below the leaning rock... and has found a chimney.
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BarbE and Snowdog come up to the high tree.
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I have climbed up the chimney... and looking down to Snowdog and BarbE.
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BarbE got this photo of ragman on our high point (~7500 feet).
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Looking down on Toketie Flats (lower left)... Toketie Lake (center)... and Leavenworth in the distance.
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The western Musketeer... which is blocking the middle and eastern musketeers.
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BarbE and Snowdog hanging out just above the chimney.
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We found an easier route on the way down that allowed us to get off of the ridge sooner and save some ground by skipping Mesa Lake altogether.
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Back at Earle Lake.
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Almost back to Shield Lake.
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The north end of Shield Lake... looking up to Prusik Pass and Enchantment Peak.
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A closeup of Prusik Pass (left) and Enchantment Peak.
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Snowdog and BarbE lead the charge toward Prusik Pass.
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Looking back on Shield Lake as we hike back up toward Prusik Pass.
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Back on rock and dirt now.
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Prusik Peak.
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Almost back to Prusik Pass.
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From Prusik Pass we decided to take a short side trip... gaining another 100 feet of elevation for this view of McClellan Peak.
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Looking at Perfection Lake (left) and Inspiration Lake... with Little Annapurna and Dragontail Peak above.
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BarbE and Prusik Peak.
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Looking down on Lake Viviane.
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Snowdog and BarbE leaving Prusik Pass and heading down to Perfection Lake.
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Walking around Inspiration Lake on the way back to camp.
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BarbE and Snowdog above Inspiration Lake... our camp is on the other side of the rocks above.
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Still gaining elevation back to camp.
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Looking back at Inspiration Lake (left), Perfection Lake (right)... with Prusik Peak and The Temple in the distance.
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Still gaining elevation.
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Camp is just around the corner on the left... Little Annapurna is above... an up and down, tiring day of hiking.
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