Escaping The Nutshell

2023-08-09 Tourmaline Lake

Parking at the Fern Lake Trailhead we hiked to Fern Lake, then Odessa Lake.

2023-08-09 Odessa Lake

The first part of the hike from the trailhead to Fern Lake was a very different experience than I expected, due to the East Troublesome Fire that burned this area in 2020. The trees left standing are black, and the wildflowers have taken over, especially fireweed (Chamerion danielsii).

2023-08-09 Flowering fireweed meadow near Fern Lake

We started our trek up to Tourmaline Lake from the west side of Odessa Lake. There is no trail up to Tourmaline Lake. There are occassional patches of trail and/or cairns, but nothing coherent to get you there. The last time we did this climb was 11 years ago, and our memory had faded.

The route we took up is the northernmost one shown on the GPS tracks. This way was very rugged, and once we reached Tourmaline Lake, we were not inclined to return the same way. The return route was significantly easier, and is the southernmost route on the GPS tracks.

If we would do it again soon, we would basically ascend by our return route, beginning the ascent from Odessa Lake before reaching the Tourmaline Lake outlet where it spills into Odessa Lake, then ascend straight up (northwest) for awhile until getting above a band of cliffs overlooking Odessa Lake. Then we'd go southwest for awhile, above the cliff bands, and finally in a general northwest direction to Tourmaline Lake.

Tourmaline Lake is pristine and beautiful, with no signs of humanity. We saw no person at Tourmaline Lake, or on the way up or down between Tourmaline and Odessa.

The total distance was about 10 miles (5 miles one way), with an elevation gain from the Fern Lake Trailhead (8165 ft, 2489 m) to Tourmaline Lake (10580 ft, 3225 m) of 2415 ft (736 m).