Backpacking at Noble Lake
Last weekend my brother, Yana, and myself went backpacking at Noble Lake. This was the 2nd time we’d gone up to the Ebbett’s pass area (last time we went to Spicer Reservoir). I really like the area, especially Lake Alpine. Lake Alpine is simply gorgeous, and probably worth the drive all in itself.
We hiked in Saturday and found a campsite on a hill above the main lake. It was windy during the evening, and rained a little bit so we moved camp to a lower, more sheltered spot. Sunday morning we decided we would try to climb Highland Peak before going home. We didn’t expect to make it before our self-imposed noon deadline but ended up making really good time. We followed the trail towards Bull Lake, but at the saddle turned left and climbed the ridge towards the peak, which unfortunately meant we had to climb up and over Peak 9741. Next time, I would cut straight to the saddle between Highland Peak and 9741.
From the 2nd saddle, there was a faint trail up the ridge to Peak 10824. Mostly class 2, with a little class 3 near the top. We ended up not going past Peak 10824. Highland Peak was probably another mile away, but only 100 feet higher, and it didn’t seem worth it. We ate lunch on top and then headed back down. There was enough loose rock near the top to run down in great sliding leaps. We made it back down to the lake by around 3 and headed home.
