Created 19-Jul-21
Modified 20-Dec-23
2021-07-17 | The Sphinx (Sugarloaf) | 2517 Max | 1849 TH | 38.0 km | 1849 TA | w/ Peter
This area I’ve visited in various forms between backpacks to Egypt lakes and also day tripping up onto Healy pass for larches. Good thing I was energized today as it was a bigger 13 hour car to car epic. Healy creek went by easily enough (felt longer coming out) and once in the alpine we stashed drinks in the creek for later. Wildflowers and opening views had the cameras out in force now. A break for first lunch at the pass, we were able to get quite close to a marmot intent on eating some plant right down to the roots.
Dropping off the pass through big larches we wound down to the mysteriously empty Egypt lake campground. The shelter is still boarded up (Covid). Beyond the campground a climb past the turn off to Egypt lake we were soon at the shores of blue blue Scarab lake. A detour to the waterfall between Scarab and Egypt lakes is totally worth it. More climbing, then a drop to the base of the Sphinx. We didn’t visit the shore of Mummy lake, preferring to view it from above. The only scrambling on the day, loose dirty / rocky climb on quartzite to the summit for second lunch and take in the spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and lakes. Thankfully the smoke wasn’t too bad. Temps were getting up on the way back and we treated some water from a creek to help on the return to our stash in the Healy meadows. Shade on the climb to Healy pass again was welcome. Third lunch at the water stash and then the long decent to the parking area through the forest with some mosquitoes along to keep our steps bright. Quite a fulfilling day, and somewhat surprisingly didn’t leave my feet pancaked or sore as I expected with that many km’s of travel. Nice that it was on National Parks quality trails all recently cleared of downfall etc.
© Clayton Ditzler
