Bloodsucker Lake Eldorado NF

November 4, 2009

This will be my 50th hike of the year, which is easily a personal record.  As the weather is cooperating nicely, I head up into the mountains once again, hopeful of accomplishing something a bit different today.

A mile or so north of the Lyons Creek crossing on Wrights Road, I turn right onto Forest Road 11N28, wondering whether it is reasonably negotiable by car.  It is.  Although a couple of spots would have been problematical without good clearance, some three-plus miles of relatively painless travel take me to the end of the road.  It is approaching 60° as I arrive at 10 a.m.

According to my topo map, a short half-mile walk will connect me with an established pathway to my objective, with little elevation change.  That proves to be the case.  Spotting a dry pond to the right, I know from the map that I must veer north when the trail appears; surely enough, a signed junction is close at hand.  The trail itself is vague and needs some maintenance, but it isn't too difficult to follow.

The sign's "½ mile" designation seems like an underestimate, but I quickly reach the lake anyway.

Bloodsucker Lake and Pyramid Peak, 9984'

This body is so named because it does indeed support a colony of leeches.  No swimming here!  And no fish, either.  To my disappointment, none of the lake's infamous inhabitants are in evidence as I explore the southern shore.

Blue Mountain, 8773'
The leeches are hiding

On the return I walk through the dry pond, then head for a big boulder that looks vaguely familiar.  Continuing in what I believe to be the correct direction, I am somewhat distressed at not having spotted any of the markers that I had placed earlier, including sticks propped up unnaturally against flat rocks.  Eventually realizing that I have drifted too far southward, I am content to continue a longish downhill trek toward a junction with the Lyons Creek Trail.

This pond is in blue on the map
This is where I got off-track

In truth, I had an ulterior motive for visiting this particular spot; I'll share the details on a future outing.  But for now, to make a long story short, I incur another mile or more of scrambling over brush and huge fallen trees, plus an additional mile on two different roads.  Somewhere in the jungle I even lose my map, although it has been pretty much memorized by now.

Lyons Creek is barely flowing

§: Well, I wanted something unusual today, and I certainly got it.  While traipsing through the forest with no navigational aid excepting the position of the sun, there was adequate opportunity for contemplation of the breakdown in trip-preparedness.  In the process, I managed to triple the length of the return leg and quintuple the required elevation gain.  You can do better.  Bring a compass or GPS, and don't leave it in the car.

• Trailhead: 5 miles east of Kyburz on US-50, then 5 miles north on Wrights Road, then 3.3 miles east on FR-11N28 and 11N28B
• Distance: 2 miles (excluding my big detour)
• Elevation: 7320' to 7410'
• Hikers: none; leeches: none observed
• Rating: 3

Scenery
Difficulty
Personality
Solitude

September 2021: The route up to the lake and along its eastern side has burned.