[ragman and rodman]

Friday the 13th wasn't going to stop our group from trying a new route in the Ancient Lake area... a route that Charles Hickenbottom (aka rocman) had found several days earlier. We parked at the end of Ancient Lake Road where it is gated... then hiked across the mouth of Ancient Lake Coulee to the west end of the mesa that separates Ancient Lake Coulee and Dusty Lake Coulee... where we did a Class 3 scramble up to the top of the mesa... then continued east along the top of the mesa for more than a mile until we decided to follow a good path that led us down to the floor of Ancient Lake Coulee... where we continued on down the coulee for 1.5 miles to close the loop portion of the trip... leaving a short walk back to our cars. 6 miles roundtrip, gaining 1085 feet of elevation. None of us (other than Charlie) had ever hiked on the western portion of the mesa... and it really added a different flavor to the trip... being able to constantly look down on Ancient Lakes and Dusty Lake for more than a mile of the trip. In addition to the Class 3 scramble to get up to the top of the mesa, there were at least two other short Class 2/3 sections of down climbing along the top of the mesa. Photos, trailhead directions and downloadable GPS track of our trip in the Ancient Lakes area. ..

[wildernessed]

That is a nice route we have had some lunches up there the double coulee view is interesting.

[texasbb]

I gotta try that walk on the mesa.

[wildernessed]

[ree]

Sure is a pretty area.

[BarbE]

This mesa route is a most interesting way to visit this area. Almost felt like a new place.

Several ups and downs along the ridge

Mesa route

Not this way!

Larkspur

Highpoint

Down climbing

Mesa views

Dusty Lake

Ancient Lake(s)

Back down