Balsam Lake Mtn, Graham, doubletop 3/18-3/20

[LtHiker]

I am trying to get some interest going on thebackpacker for this trip but no luck so far anyone here inerested?


Hike into Balsam Lake leanto on a Friday, then early saturday get the summit of Balsam and then bushwack over to Graham and depending on time maybe over to Doubletop, returning to the leanto for saturday night.

LThiker
-------------
update 1/6/2005 (thanks Pennsy)

Everything you always wanted to know about this trip but afraid to ask. Keep in mind that I have never been on this section, and my info is gathered from the Topo program and other sources. The routes and distances I plotted may not be exact, but I think they are pretty close.

Here's the map route. To see all the details, I'd view it at full size.
http://community.webshots.com/photo/122379718/245741240QObAIi

Trailhead (elev 2535') to the Balsam Lake Mt Lean-to (elev 3500'): 1.35 miles (route marked in red)
The trailhead is located at the end of Beaver Kill Rd near the entrance to the Balsam Lake Club. Follow the blue blazed Dry Brook Ridge Trail .9 miles, and turn left on the red blazed Balsam Lake Mt Trail (route marked in green). The Dry Brook Ridge Trail continues straight (route marked with white dashes). Continue on the Balsam Lake Mt Trail about .4 miles to the lean-to on the left. There should be a spring on the right. The elevation gain from the trailhead to the lean-to is about 1000 ft. The first .9 miles is a gradual climb, but the last .4 miles to the lean-to is very steep.

Lean-to to Balsam Lake Mt Summit (elev 3723'): .37 miles (route marked in green)
Elevation gain is only about 200 ft. Steep just above the lean-to but levels out somewhat towards the summit and lookout tower.

Balsam Lake Mt summit to the herd path leading to Graham Mt: .79 miles (route marked in blue)
it's about a 400ft drop in .6 miles to where the BLM trail meets the blue blazed Dry Brook Ridge Trail. Turn left on the DBR trail and start looking for the herd path in about .2 miles. The path to Graham is supposed to be an old abandonded road frequented by snowmobiles, so hopefully it will be easy to spot.

herd path to Graham Mt summit (elev 3868 ft): 1.67 miles (route marked in yellow)
the route I marked is just a guess as to where the actual herd path is. Hopefully it will be obvious, since it's supposed to be an old road. Elevation gain is around 630 ft, most of it in the last .7 miles.


Graham summit (elev 3868 ft) to Doubletop summit (elev 3860 ft): 1.57 miles (route marked in purple)
again, the route I marked is a guess. There may not even be any herd path at all. It could be a total bushwhack. The col drops to 3000' so it's 800+ ft down and up to Doubletop, and vice versa. I have the waypoint posted below for GPS'ers, and the compass bearing from Graham to Doubletop is 128 degrees.

Total mileage from the lean-to to Graham summit and back is about 5.7 miles. Going to Doubletop and back will add about 3.2 miles, for a 9 mile day. Time of day, conditions etc will decide if that is doable.

Waypoints:

Balsam Lake Mt: 42.04592 N, 74.59404 W, elevation 3721 ft
Herd path to Graham: 42.04708 N, 74.57927 W, elevation 3302 ft
Graham Mt: 42.03926 N, 74.54960 W, elevation 3868 ft
Doubletop Mt: 42.02759 N, 74.52821 W, elevation 3860 ft
compass bearing from Graham summit to Doubletop is 128 degrees.

 

[MattC]

Looks like you're planning very carefully. I did all those peaks recently.
When Halite and I were up there recently, we missed the Graham path and hit Balsam Lake Mt 1st. We easily found the herd path on the way back-it's just a little north of the trail junction. We were on and off it the whole way to Graham, and Halite was keeping track of a pretty much due east bearing as well, just to check ourselves.

Expect a good deal of blowdown on the Graham path. Do your best to stay with the path, but it would be wise to not completely rely on it. Some of other notable points:
There is that little hill between BLM and Graham which you'll walk around on your approach-you won't ascend Graham until you're well past that.
Be careful not to start descending into Turner Hollow-there is a spur of the old road that goes that way.
There are very few conifers on Graham, and none at the summit. If you get into conifers on the way up, you'll need to correct towards the east.
You'll know you're almost on top when the hardwoods open up and become dwarfed and scrubby. If the wind is up, you'll immediately understand why they're like that.
You may already know that there is an old TV relay tower ruin up there.
Can't miss that!

As for Doubletop, I've only gone from Seager and the Big Indian side, so I can't advise about the route from Graham.

Lastly, I'll PM you the name and # of the caretaker of the property on which Graham and Doubletop stand. Not everyone calls for permission, but you may want to as a courtesy. Obviously these mountains are especially important to be respectful of so these folks will keep allowing us access.
I think you'll have a blast up there, it's a beautiful area. Good luck.

Matt

 

[LtHiker]

Matt thanks for the info. I didn't know that there was a caretaker, or that he needed to be called. I will definately give him a ring te week before the trip.