The wife and I went from Elizabeth Lake to Emerick then to Vogelsang earlier this year. (then to Bernice and Florence Lakes...)
We went directly down Echo Creek and then headed almost due east to Emerick (to it's outlet).
The only issue was that the granite was very disjointed after heading east
and at one point we actually had to throw our packs down a crack and
go down the crack to get down. The section right before Emerick was very
steep also. Everything else was simple.
If it's late in the year after getting back on the trail towards Sunrise you
can go between the "Dolly Domes" and cut some more time off (done that).
Anyway, it's do-able but I wouldn't recommend you do it unless you have
some experience and have already done the Merced Lake trail.
The "disjointed" section may be too much for some...
Check it out on Google Earth to get an idea of what you are getting into.
The section I haven't done looks pretty simple from Echo Creek to the Cathedral fork.
North to where river really starts turning ... (very beautiful area), and then SW from there to the trail...
Anyway, Have fun..
Post Edited (11-23-08 11:29)
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