Island Peak - 219 Days to Departure - Lake Serene

Winter brings a whole new level of peacefulness to the mountains. It keeps the crowds away and those who are prepared to venture into the outdoors and break through a deep layer of fresh powder can enjoy solitude even along otherwise popular and overcrowded routes.

Lake Serene is one of the destinations where in the summer one has to arrive early, before the parking lot fills up, and then fight his way up among hundreds of others just to be met by barking dogs and screaming kids. Nothing serene about it.



In the winter it is a different experience. We arrived at the trailhead around 9-ish and we were the first ones to lay tracks in the fresh snow. Later another group caught up to us and they were the only people we encountered the whole way up.

The fresh snow under our boots reminded me of my childhood. It was almost always snowing hard in Czech Republic from November all the way to February or March and the sweet sound of snow crunching under our feet brought back so many happy memories.



It wasn't until we reached the more open areas higher along the trail when we decided to put snowshoes on. They made the remaining part of the trip much easier as we found a significant amount of snow there. The lake was hidden under a white blanket and the serenity of the area was disturbed only by occasional avalanche sliding of the cliffy face of Mt. Index.

What a great day at Lake Serene!



Sunday February 26, 2012
RT: 7.9 miles
Elevation gain: 2600 ft
Time: 8 hours

Mt. Persis 5/25/2009

With few of our regular hiking friends being gone backpacking for the weekend Andrew and I decided for a hike close by. We chose Mt. Persis just few miles East of Sultan.



It proved to be a great choice. Great workout on a steep scramble path and amazing views from the top with Mt. Index being so close it seemed we could nearly touch it.

Skyline Ridge 2/4/2009

Sometimes days just turn so good it feels it's too good to be true. Today was one of those days - sunny, blue sky, warm - those are few words that would briefly summarize today. It really felt more like a spring than a winter and it was absolutely awesome.



Rather than sticking to the road on our way in we cut it straight uphill, following trail created there by the weekend crowds (so glad we were able to get there mid-week). Popularity of this area combined with a lack of fresh snow made the trails so hard packed that snowshoes were not necessary. We brought them along in case we encounter deeper powder higher up or in case the snow softens later on being exposed to this extremely warm day but they ended having a fun ride on our packs both ways.



We arrived to the lake in good time and taking advantage of this gorgeous day, we headed for the ridge… and the views. This was by far the most exciting part of the trip. With just little more elevation gained, grand views opened on both sides and the trail here was lined with amazing snow formations.



What a fantastic day to be outside!

Lake Walhalla 1/18/2009

Sunday turned out to be rather cold but pretty good day to be out. The
sky was clear all the way to Stevens Pass and then we drove into a
fog. Usually it's the opposite way but fortunatelly the fog lifted
once we were on the trail letting us enjoy some of the much
appreciated sunshine.



We followed Smithbrook road for a while and then turned to proceed
through the forest. That's where the uphills started... and with them
came the views.

Our route took us to the lake overlook and from there we followed
snowshoe tracks little bit more up McCausland mountain; however it was
pretty windy up there and we did not have enough time to summit so
soon we decided to retreat back to the calmer area.



According to the "Snowshoe Routes in WA" book the trail is about 7.5
miles; however both road signs we saw along the way and GPS reading
Steven gathered suggested that the route was indeed 2 miles longer.

Lake Susan Jane 12/06/2008

Every year I organize a snowshoe trip and potluck party afterwards to celebrate my birthday. This year was not different... We had our snowshoes and all winter gear ready for our planned adventure to Lanham Lake. The only thing that was missing was the snow. We started to head up Hwy 2 thinking perhaps we'll just hike the trail but along the way the plan got re-evaluated and we decided to go for a longer trail.





We started at PCT trailhead on South side of Hwy 2 and hiked up following the trail all the way to the top of the hillside, overlooking the nearly snowless ski area. We encountered snow cumulation on the ground and some icy patches on the trail as we were nearing the top.





Once atop we took a short break and then dropped down on the other side. We found more snow here. Not enough to snowshoe or ski but plenty to enjoy the sound of it crushing under our feet and definitely enough to make the area look wintry and peaceful. The trail led us under powerlines, back to the forest, accross some rockslides, and then we finally arived at the lake. Easy outing, all together about 7 miles and about 1500 ft elevation gain.