Humphreys Basin 2022

Humphreys Basin is an ideal place to leave the trail behind and wander from lake to lake over generally gentle terrain. Mt Humphreys, the Glacier Divide or both are always in view for easy orientation.

Due to a late start from the North Lake trailhead and dark clouds that threatened to intensify the occasional drizzle, we opted to camp at Piute Lake the first night. At our campsite, we were entertained by Clark’s Nutcrackers busily picking out pine seeds from the treetop cones.

The next morning, after a quick walk to Piute Pass to catch our first glimpse of Humphreys Basin’s expanse, we followed the trail down but accidentally passed the turnoff to Desolation Lake by about ¼ mile. We stepped off the trail that would have taken us to Hutchinson Meadow and headed due north over easy terrain, eventually meeting the trail to Desolation Lake again.

As the trail heads north to its terminus at Desolation Lake, Mt Humphreys rises prominently on the right while Lower Desolation Lake sits below on the left in wide open terrain. Desolation Lake itself lives up to its namesake. I could not imagine anything thriving in such a rocky and windy environment. From the lake, we turned west over a small ridge towards the next lake, where few of our campsite requirements were met. So we continued down to another lake which looked promising from afar and even better close up. From our campsite at the lake, our excellent views of both the Glacier Divide and Mount Humphreys were almost over-shadowed by a bald eagle flying directly overhead.

The next day, we traversed up to the top of Puppet Pass with our day packs. I’m not sure if we took the most optimal route, as there was one section before reaching the ramp to the final plateau where we had to climb up a short vertical slab of rocks amongst bushes. At the top of the pass, we could see Puppet Lake and its neighbors Alsace Lake, Paris Lake, Lorraine Lakes and others. The path down the other side of the pass looked steep and slippery so we did not venture further. After taking photos and having a snack, we backtracked to our campsite to further explore the immediate surroundings and enjoy sunset hues of oranges, reds, and purples.

The next day, we packed up, strolled across the beachfront portion of our lake, and soon found ourselves admiring the idyllic ponds and streams along the outlet of Lower Desolation Lake. We reconnected with the trail to Piute Pass. At the pass, we saw dark clouds accumulate on the east side. Descending down the trail, we passed under the dark sky and through falling rain, arriving at the trailhead which was dry and warmer.