Forum Index > Trip Reports > Frosty Pass - Doelle/Chain Lks - Icicle Loop 8/27-28/2012
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HitTheTrail
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PostTue Aug 28, 2012 7:18 pm 
This trip was meant to re-trace a route my wife and I took in the late 1970’s when there was an official trail between Frosty Pass and Doelle/Chain Lakes. Not knowing what to expect in the way of trails, I wanted to get started hiking at daybreak. For some reason that didn’t happen. Then on the way up the Icicle I acted as a Good Samaritan and picked up two hitchhiking, Enchantment looping, backpackers at the Snow Lakes TH and made an out of the way trip to drop them at the Stuart TH. My act of kindness was rewarded about five miles up the Icicle trail where I was attacked by two big dogs from a trail side camp. One dog responded to the owner’s yelling but I had to hold the other one at bay with my trekking poles for almost a minute until the owner pulled it away still snapping and lunging at me. With that interesting start I headed up Frosty Pass. The Frosty trail is brushed over in places but has been logged out this summer.
Doughdog Ck crossing is low now
Doughdog Ck crossing is low now
Boulder field below Margaret Lk
Boulder field below Margaret Lk
To my surprise, the route from Frosty pass to Doelle Lakes is trail all the way. Some of it very good trail. Even where the tread is not so good it is still very visible and easy to follow. I never lost it one time all the way to Lower Doelle.
Meadow along high route
Meadow along high route
Along high route
Along high route
Trail along high route
Trail along high route
SW side of Snowgrass Mt.
SW side of Snowgrass Mt.
Glacier Pk view along route
Glacier Pk view along route
Bulls Tooth above Doelle Lk
Bulls Tooth above Doelle Lk
Meadow below lower Doelle Lk
Meadow below lower Doelle Lk
Lower Doelle
Lower Doelle
Upper Doelle Lk
Upper Doelle Lk
Bulls Tooth reflection in Upper Doelle
Bulls Tooth reflection in Upper Doelle
I made camp at Upper Doelle around 5:00 pm. It rained several times that night so when I went on to Chain Lakes the next morning lots of things got soaked.
Upper Chain Lk tarn
Upper Chain Lk tarn
Upper Chain Lk
Upper Chain Lk
HitTheTrail above Upper Chain
HitTheTrail above Upper Chain
Lower Chain LK
Lower Chain LK
Fossil at Chain Lk
Fossil at Chain Lk
Not wanting to do another night with wet gear I pushed on down to the Icicle and to my car making it a one nighter. Still a good trip.

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Conrad
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Conrad
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PostTue Aug 28, 2012 8:19 pm 
Glad you tried, and made, it!

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HitTheTrail
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PostTue Aug 28, 2012 8:36 pm 
Conrad wrote:
Glad you tried, and made, it!
I think your comment about going in an opposite direction than you did actually helped. When I hit the hunter's camp/meadow where the "trail" is vertically separated I was on the upper side and could see the trail restart at a lower elevation. Also, when I came out into the meadow below lower Doelle there was a trail across the grass that was easy to follow. Thanks for your tips.

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touron
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PostTue Aug 28, 2012 8:36 pm 
Looks like a great trip! up.gif up.gif up.gif

Touron is a nougat of Arabic origin made with almonds and honey or sugar, without which it would just not be Christmas in Spain.
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MLHSN
What goes here?????



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MLHSN
What goes here?????
PostTue Aug 28, 2012 9:04 pm 
Glad you made it there, I know you've been planning this one for a while. Thanks for the update on the trail up from the Icicle. I was curious what condition it is in.

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HitTheTrail
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PostTue Aug 28, 2012 9:09 pm 
MLHSN wrote:
I was curious what condition it is in.
Did I mention that I saw fish in every lake I passed?

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wolffie
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PostWed Aug 29, 2012 10:10 am 
White Pine Ck loop That Frosty>Doelle trail makes for a fine loop out of White Pine Ck TH

Some people have better things to do with their lives than walking the dog. Some don't.
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HitTheTrail
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PostWed Aug 29, 2012 10:37 am 
wolffie wrote:
White Pine Ck loop That Frosty>Doelle trail makes for a fine loop out of White Pine Ck TH
Yes, I agree. You would get to see a lot more and from up higher. My loop was only around 25 miles and a lot of it was on the Icicle Valley trail.

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cartman
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PostWed Aug 29, 2012 11:12 am 
That's a great route. Though Green Trails shows the trail between Frosty Pass and Doelle Lakes as unmaintained, I was also surprised how good the trail is on this trip three years ago. What a beautiful area, especially from Chain Lakes north.

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Foist
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PostWed Aug 29, 2012 11:36 am 
Dogs suck. Nice report.

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MLHSN
What goes here?????



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MLHSN
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PostWed Aug 29, 2012 12:54 pm 
HitTheTrail wrote:
MLHSN wrote:
I was curious what condition it is in.
Did I mention that I saw fish in every lake I passed?
That I'm sure. biggrin.gif I was actually pretty curious about the Trail up from the Icicle. I had heard reports anwhere from: It doesn't exist to looks beautiful.

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HitTheTrail
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PostWed Aug 29, 2012 1:22 pm 
MLHSN wrote:
I was actually pretty curious about the Trail up from the Icicle.
Like I mentioned, it has some thick brush in open areas below Margaret Lk but the forest trail is in pretty good shape. The log cuts looked less than a week old. Maybe the horse people did some clearing. I did talk to a party of bear hunters on top that had just taken horses up.

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wildernessed
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PostThu Aug 30, 2012 12:11 pm 
up.gif Nice shot of Snowgrass.

Living in the Anthropocene
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Hikingqueen
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PostThu Aug 30, 2012 5:37 pm 
Sorry about the dogs, but nice photos!

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wolffie
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PostThu Aug 30, 2012 10:02 pm 
I recall seeing cutbow trout surfacing everywhere in Grace Lake. The outflow pond was swarming with fingerlings. Along the Frosty>Doelle trail, I recall a notch with a faint unmapped trail leading off to the N or NE -- wanted to follow it, but no time. Probably many old trails like that, hunters' or sheep trails. The thing below Deadhorse Pass is likely an old sheep camp. Dogs don't "suck". Ill-mannered dogs are objectionable. NOTE: fording White Pine Creek just above the Wildhorse CK jctn. might be troublesome until late season. I recall fording it at night early Sept., carrying the sucking corgi. The upper White Pine Creek Tr was charming, overgrown, moss on the rocky parts.

Some people have better things to do with their lives than walking the dog. Some don't.
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Forum Index > Trip Reports > Frosty Pass - Doelle/Chain Lks - Icicle Loop 8/27-28/2012
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