Colchuck Lake- 7.1.12

Colchuck Lake- The Enchantments
#15, 8.5 miles, 2,200 Ft elevation gain

The Enchantments truly live up to their name.  Once you enter into the lake basins you are immediately captivated by the powerful beauty that surrounds you.

Today's expedition I decided to enter from the west side.  The enchantments have two entrances; snow creek trail (1300 ft), and the Lake Stuart/Colchuck trail (3400 ft). From my previous trip back in May (hike #9) I had entered from the snow lake trail.  Today I knew it was planned for a warm sunny day and wanted to get a taste of the stoney emerald lake of Colchuck.  Taking from my last experience it is fairly difficult to make your way into the depths of these mtns in one day without that longing feeling of just setting up camp and staying for a while.  Its nice to be able to take a day trip here but the pull of her depths is quite strong.

Permits are required for overnight camping in the enchantments and Lottery ended months ago.  Not to say I will not be contacting the Leavenworth ranger station periodically throughout the season for cancellation updates. 

From either side entry it is a steady climb to the first of both lakes.  Both Nada and Colchuck sit at a little over 5000 ft.  Both lakes are almost 5 miles from trail head and perfect for the daring hiker who is wiling to make the 10 mile (round trip) trek with 7 hrs to kill.  The west entrance I found an appealing side to embark from due to its higher elevation and compelling scenery.

creek crossing just past the lake stuart/colchuck fork

Avalanche Alley

One of the many tangles of trees fallen victim to the heavy snow slides

Moments from the lake I ran into a couple who were stopped on the trail and eager to warn me of the "scary" Mtn goats that were chasing them down the trail.  Whats funny about this encounter was that the same mama and baby were also from the below pictures and the most doscile creatures I have ever seen.  This statement does not necessarily give a genreal indicator of all mtn goats since they are actually know to be very territorial and agressive.  But on this day it just makes for an interesting story.

The moment you enter the basin to the Lake you are spellbound.  It is truly enchanting.  As I walked around the edge of the lake taking it all in I became lost in my own thoughts.  Eventually I realized I
had veered off path and found myself alone on another small little lake.  Quiet and set away from the heavy boot path followers I found a moment of solitude.  Quickly I realized the bugs were the reason this majestic location was so desolate.

From the smaller lake I realized it was set apart from the larger Colchuck lake by a small ledge.  I noticed in the distance that the trail continued to the Aasgard pass from here and was determined to attempt the pass summit.  As I reached the ledge and came around a sharp bend obstructed by a large boulder I almost ran smack into a family of mtn goats.  Literally inches from the mama we stared straight into each others eyes for a hot second before I was turning on my heels and rock jumping as fast as I could.  I thought for sure she was gonna charge me for being so close to her baby.

Took a quick peek over my shoulder to see if I was about to get butted in the rear and realized mama was unimpressed with my super hero powers of flight.  I headed up a small overhang to tempt my chances of an elusive up close photo.  Feeling safe balancing on an overhanging tree I perched n awe at the little family.  Leaving them in peace I made my way back around to the main viewing area to grab a quick bite and re-charge for the trek down.  I chatted with some other folks and boasted about my close encounter while viewing the pics I had captured.

We were all so enthralled by the images on my camera we were oblivious to the fact that the family had strutted into camp feet from us.  They made a loop in front of about 20 people and stopped to pose for pictures.  It was truly a rare sight to see such wild and majestic creatures so docile like this in the wild.  It was there moment to shine in the limelight as dozens of cameras clicked away like paparazzi.

4th of July Pass- 6.23.12

4th Of July Pass- North Cascades
#14, 12 miles, 2400 ft elevation gain

4th of July Camp overlooking Neve & Colonial Glacier

Trail over a 100 ft waterfall

a little hidden lake behind the July camp

them mountains sure are pertty

US Forest Service Road 4330- 6.16.12

US Forest Service Road 4330 (from Cle Elum)- Snoqualmie Pass
Hike #13, 10 miles, 100 ft elevation gain

Made a pit stop in Roslyn and stopped in to Maggies Pantry.  Great place to stop in and grab some local produce, fresh made muffins and coffee before heading out for camping/hiking.  From Roslyn take Salmon la Sac Road past Cle Elum Lake until you past the old ranger station.  Before the bridge there is a fork, take the dirt road on the right Forest Service Road 4330.

It's really slow going as you climb a very rutted and potholed 2 lane dirt road.  Be on the alert as some 4 wheel vehicles can be coming up or down this road rather quickly around the sharp turns.

It is quite beautiful as you follow the creek along the valley for the 10 miles to the end of the service road.  On this day it took about 25 minutes to travel the 5 miles to reach the camping area just below the Tucquala lake.  It appeared this was the stopping point as I could see in front of me a 3 foot lingering snow pile and a very unhappy crew of people trying to dig out the sad little subie.  So I parked my car, grabbed my pack and headed over to see what I could do to help.

It wasnt too long of digging and trying to jack up the car before a large truck approached on the road and was able to pull the little car out in no time.

At this point as I headed down the road I realized that today was going to be more of a scouting mission rather than a destination hike.  It appeared by assessing the map that I was still 5 miles from Deception pass and cathedral rock TH.  As I gauged the snow levels around the peaks I wondered how late in the season would the snow be lingering this low?  Each trail I came upon looked un-tracked.  Scatter Creek and Paddy go Easy did not appear to have any tracks yet this year.  And the snow was heavy which lead me to believe if no one else has been traveling them than neither would I.
Scatter Creek was flowing strong and over the road fairly swiftly.  With a high clearance vehicle would have been no problem but for me I had to head down stream and make my way over a fallen tree.  It was at the moment I was crossing the creek I realized I had a friend quietly following me.  This deer was quite curious with me and followed me, shockingly close, for at least a 1/4 mile.

Eventually I parted with my walking buddy and continued down the road passing many open meadows and rambling creeks.  The clouds were out but still had a nice view of Cathedral Rock.



Once to the Lake it was a quiet walk another 2 miles to the trail heads.   I attempted to give each trail a try to see how far I could get.  I started on Cathedral first.  I made it about 15 min on a boot trail over what looked to be about 6-8 ft of snow.  Soon though the boot trail became faint and totally disappeared.  The snow was giving way in some spots and was my cue to turn around. 

Made my way over to Deception pass and made it a little farther before the snow level got heavy.  Again the boot tracks just stopped.  On my return as I reached the forest service road I ran into the kids from the stuck subaru.  They looked a little defeated as I told them the trails were not passable yet after they had just spent 3 hrs digging their car out and hiking along a road to head into the mtns to camp.  They mumbled something like "worst backpacking trip ever" just as it started to rain. 

As I made my way back I stopped for lunch along the lake and watched the rain and clouds move in and swirl around cathedral rock.   Despite the lack of actual trail time I was getting excited to plan out some future trips with the many trails that can be accessed from this secluded camping spot. 

Trail Head to Deception Pass and Cathedral Rock

End of the boot trail towards Cathedral Rock

Crossing a creek into the snow line towards deception pass

Cathedral rock

Rainy Lake- 6.12.12

Rainy Lake, Middle Fork Snoqualmie
#12, 9 miles, 2700 ft elevation gain

This day was not one of my more well planned adventures but as luck is usually on my side made for a better than planned kind of day.

I met a new hiking friend early in the morning.  A fellow traveler I met several trails past and planned for a hike I may not have attempted on my own.  I prepared for a few different routes off the middlefork and mostly figured we would "go with the flow".  But some of the routes were not in the exact location as identified from the wta hike finder???

But in this instance it may have been how fate planned it to be.  We ended up

in the main parking lot of the middle fork trailhead and not really sure where to head.  So we looked to ask the most well equipped men in the lot who clearly knew where they were going.  And turns out they were headed in the same direction.  Sheer luck as we seemed to be the only ones on the trail that day and most likely at all yet this season.  The trail head was very inconspicuous with ominous looking signs to warn off hikers.

The guys we met in the parking lot, Leif and Damien, reassured us the trail maintenance doesn't happen on the weekend and we shouldn't be turned away by the "blast zone" signs.  Well, ok.


So we figured we would follow in after them and trust in their loyal middle fork guidance.  The trail was very rustic and new and if they had not been in eye shot we would have been blindly guessing which way to go.  There are a few forks that have no identification and without knowing the trail its not clear.
 
The trail was defined for the first few miles as it meandered along the creek but around mile 3 turns into a very faint boot trail.  Around this  point is when I started cursing my choice of shoes.  My feet had taken a beating from the previous days crawl up

mailbox peak and I was expecting a relatively easy nature stroll (no snow and no wet feet).  After my 3rd fall in another creek and my bloody shins I realized I can never enter a trail without overly preparing for any scenario.  Our leisurely nature stroll quickly turned into a hardcore mission of "lets see how far we can get and still find our way back".




Not to worry friends who might be reading this I am not a total idiot and when snow tracks in the woods just end into thin air than its time to turn around.

Luckily our well prepared new friends realized we would not have a clue where to cross the creek in the snow and they waited for us to catch up.  Offering us to join them they quickly became my beacon of hope.

Now pushing on with our new group there seems to be no tracks or trails but Leif is confident on which direction to head.  He told us he had hiked this trail in the summer and it has a faint

boot trail but really rustic.  Leif and Damien were headed on to preacher mtn from Rainy Lake so I knew we would be on our own to get back.  The thought made me slightly nervous so I kept looking for trail markers.

We crawled over and under fallen trees, up and down snow gulleys and cracks.  I kept looking behind me to keep a guide point to where we had come.  The snow fields would be mixed with patches of dry dirt and these are the spots you have to be aware of so not to loose your tracks.


Once we crested a ridge it was a steep snow slide down to the lake basin. 

It was beautiful and protected from the snow melt.  At a mere 3700 feet there seemed to be at least 8-10 ft of snow still.  It was gorgeous and serene.

We parted ways with our kind hearted guides. Soon after our departure I realized how confident I am in my own instincts and ability to navigate but am limited without the support of an experienced team.  The first few miles back were a bit of a challenge and struggled a few times to find the trail. 


This trail is full of challenges and obstacles and am so thankful we met up with Leif and Damien in the parking lot.  I owe them for getting us to the lake and for such an amazing day.