Lavender Col - near perfect day

We climbed the Lavender Col in near perfect weather. We parked well past the latrine about 1/2 mile from Wright's Lake. All the info from this site really helped to know what to prepare for. We found a little snow in the staircase section but is was easliy passable, though very slick. The V-notch move is not too difficult, and the final climb to the top past the notch was almost the easiest section in terms of rock quality. The descent from the summit back to the notch is a little tough to find, so watch for that. We had a little rain and sleet on the descent, but nothing terrible and we were equipped for inclement weather. The scree slope is nasty and not alot of fun. I tried to stay out of the little stuff as much as possible, but even the big rocks are very loose and unstable. I recommend trekking poles on the route, especially for the descent, though my climbing partner used them going up as well. Yankee Boy Basin and the Blue Lakes are a beautiful place - we spent about 30 minutes on the summit and the views were amazing!