Back to Back Knee-Thrashing

Andrew and I debated for a bit about where to go on our Saturday off, since the forecast was for unreasonable heat and clear skies. Yes, the clarity is a rare thing in our neck of the woods, so we didn't want to waste it, but also didn't want heat stroke.

Eventually we decided to check out Twin Lakes, by Monte Cristo, a place we've been meaning to see for years.

Whole set here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrdrfishasuar/sets/72157624602826593/

At the end of the day it was a total of about 20 miles, with many thousands of feet of elevation gain (with steep climbs both ways)... but completely worth it, gorgeous in its own right, and we definitely know it's worth coming back. We both drank about a gallon and a half of water through the day, and definitely not enough food... which is why we stopped for Mexican food in Granite Falls, I had a huge burrito AND a big quesadilla.

You take the Silver lake trail. Therefore you pass Silver lake on the way there.


While the portion to Silver lake is most of the climbing, it is by no means all of it. The trail from Silver to Twin is pretty fantastical however, and gorgeous.


Also, Andrew and I have similar views on what makes a good photo.


Almost to the high pass above the lakes... see how cool the trail is?


Instead of dropping down to the lakes we decided to scramble up a little peak above them (we ended up going down later anyway, for water)

Pretty spectacular huh?


On the peak, which may or may not have a name.


The lakes must be fairly deep, to have such a rich color.


Many flowers, also, the lakes are bigger than they look.


There are some pretty remarkable vertical cliffs at the east end of the lakes.


We were shirtless the entire day, working on our full body lobster impressions.


One last look at the lakes.


One last photo of the awesome trail (this was on the way down)



Exhausted and trashed as I was, I had already made plans to hike Monday to hike with Lauren, which gave my one day to try to recover from both soreness and sunburns (not complaining, just cringing). And of course what hike to I pick other than my all time favorite, Gothic Basin!

The hiking book I have calls this hike "relentless", and for a good reason, there are portions of the trail that go more or less straight up (in order to see someone ten paces ahead of you, you have to crane your neck).

Whole set here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrdrfishasuar/sets/72157624742954610/

The forecast was about the same: TOO DAMNED HOT. So I packed my chacos and hiked around the basin with them, walking in the ice cold ponds and waterfalls (SO refreshing). Also, I got the makings of my first chaco tan, which is a big deal for an REI employee.




Lauren enjoying a sweet waterfall with a view.


This was pretty amazing, like my own little discovery channel special. We were sitting there watching this mother grouse and her babies, she was completely unconcerned about me (sitting ~5 ft away). Then suddenly she made this little hooting noise, and the babies sprinted for cover behind rocks and in cracks, and become completely motionless. I looked around for the cause, and saw a hawk overhead, just passing by (or hunting, who knows). As soon as the hawk was gone, she made more hooting and they all jumped up and went about their business. Too cool.


One of the babies.


My poor Reeses were completely liquefied.


There was a solid breeze, so it wasn't hot enough to swim... but in fact just right for napping. Lauren slept a solid 15-20 minutes or so.


She also knows how I like people to act for photos.... ridiculous! Goofy faces and exaggerated poses make for fun photos... so... don't take yourselves so seriously.


Also visited the mine shaft... like caving, but not exactly.


The heather is in full bloom.


And I'll end with that beautiful photo. If you are willing to be not-serious in a photo, you are, in fact, qualified to hike with me. All applicants are seriously considered, but I reserve the right to turn down pouty or fussy people.

Keep it secret, keep it safe. (Bathtub Lakes)

There is a push among local hikers to keep this hike on the DL. The reasoning is that it is right downhill from Mt Pilchuck (literally), which sees many, many thousands of visitors every year. And what have we seen in places that get a lot of visitors? That's right, probability states that a certain amount of those people will be assholes and/or morons, and those people will either: a) Shit in the lakes, making everyone sick. b) Burn down the forest. c) Leave huge piles of beer cans and cigarette butts all over. Or even d) all of the above.

Alright fine! I'm over-simplifying. But only because I've seen it happen, but I also know there is a correlation between difficulty of getting somewhere and being less likely to find idiots there. So here I go, risking the wrath of... who knows... to tell you about this fine place you can go.

I've heard you can get to it from a ridge traverse from Mt Pilchuck too, but we took the bear-pinnacle lake route. Hike to Pinnacle lake (short, with very reasonable elevation gain), the follow the crappy trail around the south side of the lake and just start walking up the rocky gulch on the far side.

They're nice, like a cross between Gothic Basin (one of my favorites) and Rampart Lakes... if that means anything to you. But unlike those places, I think you'd see a fraction of the people than at those places.

Another possible deterrent to keep the crowds away: in 2006 (a week before a backpacking trip I planned in this area) two women were found shot dead on this trail!




Pinnacle lake, you can see Andrew and Josie following the brushy path.


The gulch... rough going, made worse by horrid swarms of mosquitoes.


When we got up to the basin, sunset was rapidly approaching, and there was a cool low cloud bank in the puget sound basin.


Best picture from the trip


lots of wildflowers


We didn't really get a chance to explore...another time, perhaps.




We didn't get to explore because the following morning we were greeted by a wall of fog (well, we were inside the cloud, to be accurate) so it kinda sucked.








I brought you some flowers... please love me!


That is all.

Two of Washington's more beautiful lakes

Through late July, I was lucky enough to hike to two of the alpine lakes in Washington that I think are prettier than most.

First up was Colchuck, which I think I've gone to almost every year for some time now.... Normally however, I go there in early June... but with all the late snow this year, the trail was covered until mid-July, which is nuts.

Anyway, the forecast threatened temps near 90, but odd clouds and a nice breeze kept it closer to 75 the whole time.

The obligatory mountain yoga.


Mountain acrobatics (I was pretty proud of myself, but the jumping pictures were much more popular)


That being said, they are really cool jumping pictures.




I'm not actually THAT buff, but sometimes I can pretend.....


And at last, the lake itself, dramatic as always


About a week later, I took a car full of beautiful girls to the beautiful Blanca lake.




Having only been here in September, its usually not even an option to swim without getting hypothermic. Here we are sitting on the rocks, gathering the courage to jump in the glacier-fed water.


The exuberant Lauren was the first to take the plunge.


And everyone followed in kind






With my cowardly self being the last one...


The swimming was great, and plenty hot enough to dry off/not freeze to death (in fact, the top few inches of the lake were not ice-cold). One last look at the lake:


Stay tuned, the real hiking season is just getting started...