Gunsight Ridge to Badger Lake ski tour,

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Koda
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Gunsight Ridge to Badger Lake ski tour,

Post by Koda » March 15th, 2010, 8:39 pm

Had an awesome weekend snow camping and touring the Badger Creek wilderness. Started at Pocket Creek TH and basically went straight up the ridge. From the TH is was a boot pack up to about 4500 feet where we could use our skis to climb. This route involves a lot of brush typically not seen this time of winter. Once above 5000 feet the snow is deep enough to climb with skis, but your always deviating from your bearing to get around taller brush, down tress etc.
We set up camp at the top of Gunsight Ridge above Jack Lake (or is it Jean Lake, does anyone know?) The view at the top of the ridge is outstanding and it was a beautiful clear night to camp with views into eastern Oregon and south to Mt. Jefferson when the clouds allowed. The views of Mt Hood from this vantage point are outstanding.

The next day we skied down to Jack Lake and then down to Badger Lake for lunch. Even though we didn't have time to summit Badger Butte, we did make it about half way up. The beautiful glades seen earlier from Gunsight Ridge were too tempting and made for fantastic powder skiing in some of the best snow all winter. I think next time, camping at Badger Lake would be a great base for a full weekend of ski touring, I would love to see the view from Badger Butte. I have never toured this far out in the Badger Creek Wilderness in winter and it was such a remote and quiet place to enjoy. Unfortunately, in the far distance, the sound of snowmobiles could be heard getting closer.... closer.....

The hike back up to camp was long. This is a steep ridge to hike with about 1200 vertical feet in just under a mile as the crow flies! So here is the bummer of the whole trip. As we made our return to Jack Lake, we discovered the whole lake and surrounding terrain covered in snowmobile tracks. What a disappointing sight to see the sleds had tracked up the whole area having fun doing cookies on the frozen lake surface. The smell of 2 stroke fuel lingering in the air, our skin track destroyed. The beauty of the little frozen lake ruined by sled tracks. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate snowmobiler's but this is a designated wilderness area and thus the reason I go to these places is to be away from civilization. I was still outdoors enjoying nature so this didn't ruin my trip or anything but was pretty disappointing to work so hard to enjoy solitude only to be visited by the very technology I wanted to escape for the day.
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Jack Lake 1.jpg
unfourtunately, this is my only picture of Jack Lake...
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Gunsight Ridge 2.jpg
Badger Lake 1.jpg
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BrianEdwards
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Re: Gunsight Ridge to Badger Lake ski tour,

Post by BrianEdwards » March 15th, 2010, 9:15 pm

Wow, BEAUTIFUL pictures! Looks like quite the trip!
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mattisnotfrench
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Re: Gunsight Ridge to Badger Lake ski tour,

Post by mattisnotfrench » March 15th, 2010, 9:31 pm

Nice pictures! I love these winter scenes. That looks like Jean Lake. It's a lovely spot, very isolated.
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Splintercat
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Re: Gunsight Ridge to Badger Lake ski tour,

Post by Splintercat » March 16th, 2010, 11:20 am

Wow - GORGEOUS photos! Perfect mix of clouds, sky and snow on that pano! I know right where you camped. There's a nice car camp there, next to the Gunsight Trail and the shale butte/outcropping on top of the ridge (I'm assuming that's where the pano is from). That's where I fell on my butt last summer and mashed my hand nicely along the way. There's also a good view of Jean Lake from just below the road, and I suspect that's how you got there.

I'm a bit surprised to see snowmobile tracks on Jean Lake. There's no road to the lake, and the trail is through trees, so they must have found a path there from the road... weird. Badger is technically outside the wilderness, along with the umbilical cord that is the road -- this is because the dam on Badger is part of an old irrigation district, and is presumably maintained (they must have a high-clearance maintenance truck!)

It's a really neat area, and surprisingly remote, given that Bennett Pass Road cuts right along the ridgeline... but it's not exactly maintained to autobahn standards..!

Tom

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Koda
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Re: Gunsight Ridge to Badger Lake ski tour,

Post by Koda » March 16th, 2010, 2:38 pm

the sled tracks entered and departed Jean Lake to the west, the tree's are open enough in there to get thru, so my guess is they came in on Bennet Pass road (from the Bennet TH). To add to the story, when we returned to camp our tent was surrounded by just a few feet with sled tracks and footprints right up to the tent vestebule door. We were camped just off the road of course. I'm really glad I wasnt there when they buzzed our tent as I consider it rude to drive any motorized vehicle right into someones backcountry camp, I understand them being allowed on the road, but they could have walked up to say hi... im assuming they thought someone was home and wanted to say hi, they didnt steal anything.

Anyways, thanks for the compliments on the pics, the area is beautiful and I love how remote it is in winter. I hope to winter camp in there again, mostly to ski the n~nw aspect of Badger Butte... is beautiful tree skiing and a long descent. Just getting in there with a full overnight pack in winter is a LOT of work!!!!

I looks like the consensus of this thread that the little lake is Jean lake. I have a map that calles it Jack Lake, and I think I have seen it listed as June lake somewhere... confusing.
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BrianEdwards
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Re: Gunsight Ridge to Badger Lake ski tour,

Post by BrianEdwards » March 16th, 2010, 3:45 pm

Splintercat wrote:The dam on Badger is part of an old irrigation district, and is presumably maintained
The last time I was at Bonney Crossing, there was an irrigation ditch in the vicinity that was flowing at a pretty good clip.
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Splintercat
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Re: Gunsight Ridge to Badger Lake ski tour,

Post by Splintercat » March 16th, 2010, 6:46 pm

Definitely June Lake on the topos (and Brian's ditch is Highland Ditch). Too bad about the snowmobiles. They're lucky they didn't end up stranded in 4 feet of very cold water. I don't have a problem with snowmobiles traveling on roads, but I have a HUGE issue with them going off-road, no matter the snow level. Besides, it's unsafe for the riders.

Koda, for comparison, here are some photos from the same area taken last summer - the view from further up Gunsight Ridge:

Image

The view from the shale dome along the road (with campsite):

Image

Jean Lake:

Image

Badger Lake:

Image

VERY cool to see these places in snow! :)

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Koda
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Re: Gunsight Ridge to Badger Lake ski tour,

Post by Koda » March 17th, 2010, 7:10 am

I love winter, but viewing your photos I can't wait for summer weather. Spring fever is hitting early this year! I bet our photos of Hood were not too far from each other, its a great comparison. thanks for sharing Tom
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Water
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Re: Gunsight Ridge to Badger Lake ski tour,

Post by Water » March 17th, 2010, 11:19 pm

It is Jean Lake. Yes it gets Mis-labeled on many maps and such but the FS trail lists it as Jean lake.

I absolutely love the ski tour. That whole Gunsite/bennet pass/gumjuwac/badger area is probably my favorite in the mt hood vicinity! What type of gear do you use? AT/XXskis?telemark?etc?

The standout thing to me is that JEAN LAKE IS WILDERNESS AREA!!!!!!! Once you go off that road there is a sign normally on a tree (might have gotten busted with tree fall in the past year) that says this is the badger lake wilderness.
I fish and stay at Jean lake and am utterly dismayed to know those machine were polluting it (sleds drop a fair bit of oil)--I am sure they have contributed some to the environmental degredation.

Sorry but I'm fuming about that.. Lord knows few people on skis, snowshoes, or foot make it into Jean Lake during the winter -- but I am guessing a handful of sleds do each winter, for shame.
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Koda
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Re: Gunsight Ridge to Badger Lake ski tour,

Post by Koda » March 18th, 2010, 11:56 am

I use AT gear for my ski tours. There is excellent skiing in places on Gunsight Rige, and I now have my eye on returning to Badger Lake to ski Badger Butte's NW aspect, although with this el-nino winter that might not be until next winter. Badger Butte has the right combintaion of ~N aspect, elevation and slope worth skiing. It's a big hill and will offer plenty of fun descending on skis. Just getting to it on foot in winter is a long approach with a full pack... Will probably camp right at Badger lake next time.

no worries venting about the sleds in the wilderness. You are right that sleds can leak oil. I imagine that not all snowmobilers violate wilderness boundarys, but with any activity group one bad apple can ruin it for all and I certainly would not mind never hearing the noise pollution when im out at the least, but I respect they have their places to play... just wish they respected the boundarys.
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