07/22/03 Hiking Lake 22 Trail(5.4 miles round trip):
I'm over in the Glacier Peak area on Mountain Loop Road just past Granite Falls.
Saw the trail sign to Lake 22 that said 2.7 miles to the lake. TopoUSA said the trail gained 1300 feet in elevation so off I went. Passed 3 nice waterfalls along the way. 3/4 of the way up I got great, but hazy, views of ridges and peaks across the valley, a couple of which still had snow on them.
Lake 22 was designated a natural area in 1947 so the NFS would have an area to compare to managed areas. The lake is only 1.5 acres but has rugged granite walls rising up 600-700 feet or so. Pine trees cling to the wall where they can and several large snow patches were scattered here and there... and this is late July at 2500 feet.
After the hike I went exploring a little and found the Boardman Lake Trail. It's only 1.6 miles round trip so off I went again. I passed Lake Evan, a small lake with tall pines all around it. The trail gained 200-300 feet on the way to Boardman Lake which is about 5 acres. A craggy wall rose up at one end 400 feet or so.
07/23/03 Hiking Ice Caves Trail(2 miles round trip):
Today was a first. Rather than hike or paddle or do chores or do nothing, I had to solve a mouse problem... actually several mouses. I must have picked up a whole herd of them when I camped in a field a few days ago. They're in the cab and in the back. I found one dead one in the cab. Then as I was driving along, one climbed up my leg and sat on my lap looking at me. I picked it up and threw it out the window. At night, one little sucker runs up and down my leg while I'm sleeping. Of course they're getting into my food and I'm afraid they'll do damage to my computer or wiring. I've emptied the cab and back and checked everything out but they must go hide while I'm doing that and come back when I'm done. Today I drove 30 miles into town for some mouse poison. Hope that does the little buggers in.
Stopped off at the Ice Caves on the way back. This is an easy 1 mile walk to a ravine at the bottom of a couple tall peaks. Avalanches come down the ravine and land at the bottom during the winter, creating a huge pile of snow and ice. Here in late July the snow was still backed 100 feet up the ravine. Snow melt and runoff undermines the ice and in some places creates holes and caves. Everything is unstable and collapses frequently. Despite the warning signs, people still climb on the ice and people still get caught and die on the ice.
07/24/03 Hiking Heather Lake Trail(4 miles round trip):
Yesterday morning the truck had a little trouble turning over. Last night, after sitting for a couple hours, I again had a little trouble getting it started. Rather than play games with the battery, I went into Marysville for a new one. I got to Wal-Mart just before the Automotive Department closed down. I camped overnight at Wal-Mart in case it was something draining the battery and not the battery itself. I was afraid maybe the mice had chewed through some wire or something. So far, so good.
I hit the Heather Lake Trailhead at 7:30am and started up an incline with hardly any light at all. I could see where lots of huge old cedars had been cut down years ago. You could see where they had cut wholes in the trunk so they could place spring boards on which to stand while cutting the trees.
The first 1.5 miles is just a steady, but easy incline. The going gets steeper for 1/4 mile or so and then eases up as you finish the 1000 foot climb. Heather Lake is a couple of acres with the usual 500-700 foot bluffs and peaks surrounding half the lake. Very pretty.
Later I found the Kalcema Lake Trailafter following a dirt road about 5 miles. Great views on the way too. This trail is only 1 mile round trip. I thought I'd follow up the Heather Lake Trail with a couple of other short ones on this day. Kalcema Lake is about 1 acre with a bluff several hundred feet high.
I found Coal Lake5 miles up another dirt road and Independence Lake Traila little farther on. .7 miles of ups and downs of moderate difficulty brought me to Independence Lake. Another lake 2 acres or so and a 700 foot peak nearby.
07/26/03 Hiking Ashland Lakes/Twin Falls Lake Trail(7 miles round trip):
50's and clouds burning off at 7:45am at the trailhead. This is a Washington State DNR (Dept. Natural Resources) trail. It consists of Beaver Plant Lake, Upper and Lower Ashland Lakes and Twin Falls Lake. The trail starts at 2500 feet, goes up to 2900 feet at Upper Ashland Lake, down to 2700 feet at Lower Ashland Lake and down to 2000 feet at Twin Falls Lake.
40 minutes brought me to the Beaver Plant Lake junction. It's only 1/2 mile to the lake but I swung right towards Upper Ashland Lake, also 1/2 mile away. At 1/4 mile I came to the junction of the Bald Mountain Trail. Upper Ashland Lake is about 3/4 miles long but only 100 yards wide and is completely surrounded by pine trees. A short distant farther is Lower Ashland Lake, about 10 acres or so, also surrounded by pines; no bluffs or peaks.
Past Lower Ashland Lake is an unsigned trail that leads off to Twin Falls Lake. The trail drops 700 feet and is much more rugged than the previous sections. Twin Falls Lake is 1.5 acres or so but has 100 foot granite cliffs rising up around much of the lake. A waterfall drops down in a shower to feed the lake. The rest of the cliffs are topped by pine trees. Very pretty.
The other waterfalls flows out of the lake. Actually I called them Twin Trickles rather than Twin Falls. The outflow trickles down over rounded granite ledges 50 feet or so and then drop 150 feet to the creek way below.
07/27/03 Hiking Perry Creek Trail(8 miles round trip):
60's, hazy, 8am at 2000 feet.
The first mile is up a fairly easy but rocky trail. A big wall appears on the other side of a deep valley. The wall gives way to steep slopes as the second mile becomes steeper. 2 miles into the hike brings you the Perry Creek Falls at 3400 feet. The good part of the falls is hidden down a steep, narrow gorge as it drops 30-40 feet.
The next mile is somewhat easier with shorter ups and some level spots on the trail. Lots of raspberry bushes and huckleberries. The last mile is much steeper as switchbacks lead up through a forest of pines. This mile took me about 1.25 hours until I reached 5000 feet. Great views out over a ridge to a deep valley. Mount Baker protrudes above distant ridges. Nearby bluffs and crags on both sides of the valley add enjoyment to the vista.
On the other side of the ridge are great views of the Big Four Peaks less than 1 mile away. While having lunch, looking out over the valley, a bird came by and warbled his song bugging me for a handout. I tried to get a couple of pictures of it back dropped by the valley and Mount Baker. They came out so so.
07/28/03 Hiking Mount Pilchuck Trail(6 miles round trip):
I hadn't planned on doing this hike. The trail description didn't sound all that great but I met a guy on the trail yesterday who said it was a 'must do' hike so this morning, off I went. 60's, bright sunshine, at 3150 feet at 8:45am.
The first part of the trail is through forest with a moderate incline. Unfortunately I picked up a couple of horse flies that followed me all the way up the trail and back again, buzzing around and around and around. Really, really annoying. I came to a boulder field with the sun shining right in my face so I really couldn't see anything in front of me. Not seeing any trail I set off across the field. Half way across I still didn't see anything so I started up the field. Nothing up there either so I turned back. Then I saw another couple heading up the edge of the field. When I got there I found a trail of dirty rocks where others had gone before and followed it up to the trail.
The rest of the way is out in the sunshine over a really rocky trail and I could feel them even through my hiking boots. Great views of Mount Baker and Three Finger Peaks appeared and helped serve as a distraction to the rocks and the steepness of the trail. The knees were complaining quite loudly.
I got to the top at 11:30 and found one of the best views I've seen anywhere. Big wide valleys lay below with mountains ranges, peaks, crests and ridges, one behind the other and more behind them. Mount Rainer in one direction, Glacier Peak in another, Mount Baker and Three Finger Peaks in another, Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands in another and more peaks and mountains everywhere. Really great stuff.
A scramble over some large rocks and boulders lead to a lookout tower at 5250 feet with many old photos.