We woke on TRT day 8 at Gilmore Lake with Dicks Peak standing tall in the distance. Today’s distance was kept short to allow for a climb to the top and to really enjoy the beauty of this section. It’s was a harsh start to the day with 1,500 feet of ascent in a little over 2 miles, the views, however, make it all worthwhile as Half Moon Lake gradually shrinks in size through the flowers.
The climb from the TRT to the top of Dicks Peak is easy enough at the start, just lots of loose rocks to contend with. The final ascent, however, is not for the faint hearted. If we had climbing gear, it would have come out, however slow careful progress was all we needed to reach the top. From this peak, the view is ineffable. Endless mountain ranges and countless lakes fade into the distance in every direction. The climb down is probably more sketchy than the way up – if you choose this diversion, take extreme care.
Traveling North from Dicks pass, it is then a steady decent to Dicks lake, Fontanillis Lake and the Velma Lakes. Electing to shorten our later days, we continued on past our planned stop to Phipps Creek for the night.
- Gilmore Lake (Elevation: 8,383.56 ft. Lat: 38.892406 Lon: -120.113996)
- Phipps Creek (Elevation: 7,585.93 ft. Lat: 38.961821 Lon: -120.170881)
- Start Time – 9:15am End Time – 6:00pm
- Trail miles according to AllTrails – 9.5
- Elevation Gain according to AllTrails – 1854
Map data
jollytrails.com 