Enchantments Traverse 10/10/2009

Between being extremely busy at work, writing articles for Treking.cz, working on my book, preparing for vacation, and trying to get out to the mountains as much as I can, I left a pretty large gap opened in my trip reports.

Finally weekend came when the weather is not tempting me to get out and get soaked and few hours in front of my computer with a cup of Elderflower tea looking back at some of the great trips I did in a last month sound so much more appealing.



Probably every hiker and every climber near and far I met would brag about the Enchantments, series of lakes of pristine beauty nested in high country near Leavenworth, WA. Obviously the area got my attention and climbed to the top of my list of places to visit very fast; however most people take several days to enjoy and explore the trail, which was not an option for me. Sadly, for a long time the only way I could admire its beauty was through photos of my more fortunate friends.

Then Aaron came with an idea of trying to complete the trip as a one day traverse. It's 18 miles shuttle and several thousands feet elevation gain... but it was done before. The seed of this idea was planted and within next few month we fed it by planning more details for this epic adventure and let it grow to eventually become reality.

The date was set for October for two reasons. First and foremost, October is the season of the larches and what could be better time to visit this larch-friendly region then when the trees are in the peak of their festive show... and secondly, there is still reasonable amount of daylight in October.



As it often happens with our group, the early start we planned did not happen to be so early. After a morning coffee stop and excruciatingly long wait for a breakfast sandwich, we were lucky to get to the trailhead at about 7:00 a.m. We found it packed, not surprisingly condidering the rather positive weather forecast for the weekend.

Soon we were marching up the shallow grade in the beginning of the trail towards the first lake of the day - Colchuck Lake - some 5 miles from where we started. Not part of the Enchantments this lake still makes pretty rewarding destination for a day trip. This is where most people call it a day and turn.

We only stopped here for a brief break. With the most formidable part of the trail just ahead of us, we were soon back on our feet. Aasgard Pass did not look quite as terrifying on an approach as I expected, but as soon as the 2000+ climb in less then a mile started, it quickly bacame obvious that conquering this relentlessly steep slope will not be a piece of cake. And just as we started to warm up to the terrain, the snow and ice came slowing up our progress some more.



We were nearing the top when we came upon a really tricky part. Two ways to go, one more trecherous than the other. We were not the only group trying to deal with this Hillary Step of Aasgard Pass. Two more groups gathered here contemplating which way is the easier/safer one to take. Climbing over an iced up rock where slipping would cause short hard fall and sliding long ways down possibly bumping into many obstacles in one's way, or climbing over a small wall, where wrong step could mean a long fall. After a brief debate we chose the wall as a easier route and safely made it up.

Once we topped the pass, we entered the world of mesmerizing beauty. Consisting mostly of bare rocks, peaks tempting to be climbed, and Isolation Lake peacefully nested in the middle of all this beauty.. This open high country was definitely a place to take one's breath away.

Things got little easier for next few miles as we followed the trail visiting more beautiful lakes and entering the world of golden larches along the way.

It was suprisingly cold. Even after the sun broke free from the clouds, it never warmed up. Definitely the type of day you're so thanksful for gloves and a hat but considering we did not have time for any longer stops and were nearly constantly on a move, the chilliness did not bother us much.



One more tricky spot awaited us around Lake Vivian where we had to descend icy slope. It ate some time but we managed to navigate through this section safely and continue on our journey. The sun started to set at this time and we still had about 10 miles of distance to cover.

The darkness caught us just before we reached Snow Lake and we finished the last 8 miles with our headlamsp ablaze. This part of the trail leads mostly through forest and is not as scenic as the rest of the route. Knowing no amazing vistas are hidden in the darkness and being able to enjoy night sky full of stars and giant moon rising was beautiful experience and a perfect way to finish a agreat day.


18 miles + 5000 ft el. gain = 15 hours of a great adventure. Lets do it again next year!

Exploring East Side of the Mountains 6/14/2009

The clouds lined our way as we headed to our Eastern Washington Adventure. At one point the fog was so thick we could have never guessed we are driving through the mountains if we didn't know the area.



Then we drove over Snoqualmie Pass and about 3 minutes later, the clouds started to break. Few more minutes later we saw little bit of blue color in the sky and after several more miles we drove into a reasonably nice day.



Our first stop was a Petrified Forest Interpretative trail near vantage. Whole 200 ft of elevation in about 3 miles with variety of caged petrified trees on display along the trail. It was a neat thing to see; however there was no reason to linger in the area too long as except for the trees which despite the nice variety of species looked one quite like the other in their petrified form, there was not much more to see and soon after we finished our loop, we headed few miles east to where our second trail started.



The beginning of this trail was promising. Nice path leading along Columbia River, offering beautiful views, going to backcountry of the state park. There were not many cars at the trailhead and it seemed we'll have this peaceful area to ourselves. Why there weren't many hikers around, we figured our relatively soon.



The nice path turned into a narrow trail shortly after we started which led us onto a cliffy bluff where it narrowed some more and offered little to hold on to. I was quite surprised I found this trail in regular hiking book. We decided to turn at a point where we only had about 3 feet wide path full of loose rock and roots to walk on and long way down if we slipped.



It was still rather early when we finished this unexpected scramble and decision was quickly made to head for Ancient Lakes. We stopped at a local restaurant for lunch and then were on our way to our next adventure.

I really like area of Ancient Lakes. It seems there's always something new to do every time I visit. This time we not only reached the waterfall, we also scrambled little scree slope to get to above it. From this top part the views were amazing and we spend long time chilling out before the though of the long drive home made us head back

Mazama Ridge/Reflection Lake Loop 4/19/2009

The South side of Mt. Rainier offers such a great winter playground and despite the longer drive it’s a very worthwhile destination. Once again the forecast lured us down there with a promise of a sunny day and spectacular views.



Driving into Paradise was completely different experience from the previous weekend when during our Camp Muir ascend the area swallowed us in a thick never-ending fog completely blocking any possible views in all directions. The weather today was delivered just as promised and except for few very cool looking lenticular clouds, the sky was blue and all mountains were out in their full beauty.



This time we headed towards Mazama Ridge. The trail started nearly flat letting us enjoy the views of Mt. Rainier but the easy part did not last long. Soon we found ourselves climbing our first hill…. and even small hills took some sweat on this hot day. Our effort got rewarded with really good views of Tatoosh Range and other major peaks sitting in distance.



Another hill - steeper and longer – took us atop Mazama Ridge. We followed the ridge for a while; soaking the views and enjoying the nice day; then dropped to Reflection Lake for a lunch break before completing the loop following Paradise Valley Road.

Reflection Lake 3/22/2009

Area of Reflection Lake is beautiful no matter the weather conditions. If sunny the Mt. Rainier and surrounding peaks provide for spectacular views and on a cloudy day there is plenty of peaceful white winter wonderland to explore.



We started on a gentle uphill that led us to an intersection of several trails. Since the conditions were good, we chose to proceed on fairly leveled grade under an avalanche slope rather than take the detour around it. Once on the other side we took a little side tour down hill where after a while of fighting with annoyingly unsupportive snow we found ourselves at the bottom of a small valley. Most of the beauty above us was hidden behind a thick curtain of clouds but the few brief views we had were pretty impressive.



After taking a little break here we made our way up and once reconnected with the main trail we continued to Reflection Lake and little further until we found a nice lunch spot overlooking Louise Lake where we sat down for a lunch break.



Just like last year the weather started to get better on our way out. It felt so good when the sun got out; but after few minutes we were back in cloudy, snowy conditions which stayed with us for the rest of our trip.

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!

Kelcema Lake 1/28/2009

I've been wanting to snowshoe to Kelcema Lake for quite a while. 3 years to be exact. The first time the trip was planned (in 2006), I got sick and spend the day in bed feeling miserable. The second time the trip was planned (in 2007), windstorm came and shattered our hiking plans all together.



When an unexpected opportunity presented itself of having a day off during the week, I knew this will be the perfect trail to go and explore. Third time the charm...Our mid-week trip turned out pretty good. The road was plowed all the was to Deer Creek and Martha's Subaru had no problems getting into a little snowy parking spot.



The trail was on a longer side - 9 miles RT. There was not much fresh snow around but there still was a fair distance of breaking the trail. Most of the trail took us up snow bound forest road and while gaining elevation we encounter several spots where damage to the road likely from recent storms was visible.



The whole route was very interesting but the last 0.4 miles was the most exciting part of the trip. That's where the trail left the road and took us through beautiful wintry forest.

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.

Ingalls Lake 11/09/2008

We braved our way through a monsoon only western part of Washington State can produce with hope of having better weather luck on the other side of the mountains and once again we succeeded.



There was some snow patches along the the last few miles but the actual road was clear and even though there were several parts significantly etched with potholes of various sizes, our passanger car had no difficulties reaching the trailhead.



The trail was clear nearly all the way to the pass with only occasional patches of snow to cross. The snow coverage became more solid once we crossed the pass and started to descend into the basin where we were surrounded by the beauty of rocky slopes stepping out of clouds and disappearing again as we proceeded further giving the basin amazingly mysterious feel.



We explored the basin throughly in a search of the lake... and finally found it,
mostly because we were lucky to meet a local hiker who pointed us to
the right direction.



Great day to be outside!

Stuart Lake 10/25/2008

Beautiful day to be outside. The morning was rather chilly but warm layers and the first uphill warmed us up fast and the sun got warmer as the day progressed also.



It was neat to feel the difference between the sunny spots and shady areas. As soon as we sank under the forest canopy the chill started to bite us immediately.



It was an easy relaxed hike with only 1600 ft elevation gain, great views of surrounding mountains, and sweet surprise at Colchuck/Stuart intersection left for us by Andrew’s group heading to the Enchantments.



We tool our time to enjoy both the trail and the lake where we found a nice sunny spot by the shore and took about an hour to chill out and explore.

Hidden Lake Peak Lookout 10/11/2008

The week was chilly and brought first solid snow cover to the
mountains. It was clear we'll get to enjoy some of it since we were
starting high and gaining 3000 ft.



The recently reopened road to the trailhead was in perfect condition.
Steep in places but as smooth as mountain road can be and my Focus had
no problem making its way up.

The morning was chilly and with the first part of the trail leading
through forest where sunshine could not reach, we started with gloves
and hats on. Soon we reached 4300 ft where we saw first signs of
snow. The snow patches on and around the trail became more frequent
as we gained elevation and the snow cover got solid in about 5000 ft.



There was a section with several icy patches where we had to be
careful not to slip but the further we went the more we felt like
being in a winter wonderland and soon we found ourselves on a fresh
white snow, surrounded by peaceful beauty of the mountains.

Further on the lookout became visible sitting on the top of the peak
but at that point we started to doubt that we'll be able to actually
get up to it. We were in about a foot of snow now.



We could not get so far in without trying though so once we got below
the peak, we went to check out the route up. It didn't look bad but
with snow covering spaces between the rocks, making it very easy to
step on unsupported spot and fall through, we decided it was not safe
enough to proceed.



Instead we found nice sunny spot with a view of the lake where we
enjoyed lunch, delicious brownies (thank you Beth), and some hot tea.