Minaret, Cecile, Iceberg Lake, Solo July 13-15, 2022, Backpacking, Ansel Adams Wilderness hike

First things first;

Disclaimers and corrections

*I was informed that the correct pronunciation of Cecile is feminine like Lucile. Apologies for saying it wrong every single time. Haha

I cannot recommend this route to anyone. It is a very personal risk to take. It was very challenging and the danger was real.

*As I was heading toward the passes in the filming, the places I pointed at in the distance on approach were not the actual places I went over both into Cecile and out of. Make sure you study your map and look carefully for the route in person.

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Solo. 2 nights.

I have hiked in this general area many times but never been into this lakes chain. I decided to go to Minaret and try my hand at the passes to make the loop. I was prepared to turn back at any point if it got too spicy. I talked to the Ranger when I picked up my permit. I talked with the very few other people I met out there who had come from that direction and got their tips. The last person I met before I began the ascent out of Minaret lake told me that she definitely wouldn’t do it alone.

I did.

The Boulder fields and scree were a slow moving challenge. It took me about 5 hours to do the 3.3 miles. It’s also worth noting that the carbide tips of my trekking poles did not bite on the rock in this area at all, which made for some quick adrenaline boosted recovery moves. There were some places I needed at least one hand. There were some very steep and high consequence places with questionable footing. The traverse around Cecile had no gain or loss to speak of but was a huge boulder field every step of the way. The entrance down to Iceberg is right next to the outlet waterfall. It is very steep and very loose dirt and rock in the beginning. There were some cairns along the traverse around Iceberg. There was no snow.

This path was among the most remote and challenging that I have taken, and also the most beautiful.

Thanks for watching my videos and if you have any questions I will try to answer as quickly as possible.

See you on the trail!
~Sparkles


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