#Alpine Lakes Wilderness

[vintagecamping]

Hiker in Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Washington

1992

[softwaring]

mountain rat 🤠

[eopederson2]

Gem Lake, Alpine Lakes Wilderness, 2003.

[pcttrailsidereader]

It's Been a While

In 1981 my hiking parters, Jim Peacock, Rees Hughes and I were just past about half way on our first PCT hike. We had started at the Columbia River and were heading to Rainy Pass. We had given ourselves thirty days to get there. By today's standards we sound like snails. Then, it felt just fine, if not more than enough, to walk anywhere from twelve to fifteen miles a day.

Just past our halfway point we came to Waptus Lake in what was then the newly christened Alpine Lakes Wilderness. The trail out of Snoqualmie Pass was marked by numerous clearcuts and a fair amount of rain and low clouds. Eventually we walked around a bend into welcome sunshine to dry out and buoy my flagging spirits. By this point we had our hiking legs and we had found our routines.

From my journal entry, July 15, 1981, "Upon reaching Dutch Miller Gap trail, which is essentially at the bottom [of a long descent of 26 switchbacks] we had a decision to make. Camp here or nearby Waptus Lake. We could see the lake from the beginning of our descent- it looked very inviting. Consequently we reluctantly pushed on..."

Arriving at Waptus lake we started at one campsite and eventually moved to a second site. Unfortunately we didn't get much time to catch up on journals, washing up, etc. since we arrived late in the day. We did enjoy a fire even though it was still a relatively warm evening. As a full moon rose over the lake this served as one of the high (no pun intended) points of our day. That full moon made me ponder where I would be at the next full moon.

The next full moon I was back home fully recovered from a case of Giardia I had picked up on the hike. Little did I know that it would be forty four years later before I would see another full moon rising above Waptus Lake. My friend Dick Simpson and I had planned another backpacking trip together for this late summer. We have gone on several over the years. One is described in 'Crossing Paths', Rees and my book of hiker/writer stories entitled 'The Pleasure of Your Company'. This time Dick suggested we hike to Waptus Lake going in at the Salmon La Sac trailhead. The trail is just over nine miles long with some minimal elevation gain and loss eventually following the Waptus River to the lake.

When we arrived at the lake I was completely caught off guard by the stunning view of Summit Chief and Bear's Breast mountains rising on the south end of Waptus lake. How could we have missed this in 1981? Well for one thing it was apparent from my journal that we were wiped out from a long day of hiking and for another from where you descend to the lake shore off the the PCT you are in ancient woods that block views to the south. That was a relief to realize all this time later since this view is unforgettable.

Summit Chief and Bear's Breast peaks...the PCT traverses the right side of the lake shore in this picture.

Being at Waptus lake in late September is different from visiting in mid July. We did have sunshine but the air was cool and the nights cooler still. The late morning and through the day brought a steady wind down lake from the south and west. Even with the wind Dick went for swims every day while I was less motivated and only waded knee deep. Revisiting Waptus with Dick was everything I had wanted. Time with Dick, a return to a part of the PCT I had not been on in a very long time, and three days of getting around on day hikes both south and north on the PCT. We didn't go real far in either direction but seeing Cathedral Peak in the not too far distance brought up more memories from 1981. There was a lot of story telling on my part to share with Dick.

How often do we experience something in our lives and it is seemingly a one off? A box ticked, an experience that makes up a long list in one's life. That is often the case for some of my life experiences. Not so true of the PCT. I doubt I will re-walk the entire PCT again but going to Waptus Lake and a few other memorable spots along the trail motivate me to not put off those visits. For me the hikes I have experienced on the PCT have clearly been life changing and continue to reward me with rich dividends. Going back to Waptus transported me back to a time when I was much younger, maybe a bit more naive, while learning about my self and where I was headed in this one short life. I am still learning and still finding my way, hopefully less naive and just a bit older. It's been a while...

Dick along the Waptus River

[nature-hiking]

Milky way over the mountain lake - Alpine Haute Route, July 2021

photo by: nature-hiking

[dopescissorscashwagon]

By Mark Stewart 📸 : Mark's first shot from his most recent off trail backpacking adventure in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. What an amazing place and experience!

[scrapblring]

hiking in a heat wave

Snow Lake, Washington

[backroad-life]

Credit: Peter Thomas

[wildernessjournals]

Lower Alpine meadow and a group of small ponds teaming with trout. Pinnacles Lakes Basin, John Muir Wilderness, Sierra Nevada Mountains, California, USA  Photo by Van Miller

[wanderwherethewifiisweak]

🪻🌼🌸🫶🏾

Vancouver Island // British Columbia

[eopederson2]

Mt. Stuart from Ingall's Lake, Washington, 2001.

Etherial!

[pcttrailsidereader]

This photo was taken about 10 miles north of Snoqualmie Pass in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Gregory McWade, who took the photo, noted that the "mountain goat is casually looking out over the landscape, equally as impressed with the views as I was."

[imlivingmylife]

Upper Holland Lake

Bob Marshall Wilderness

[nature-hiking]

Alpine mountain lake - Adlerweg, Tirol, Austria, October 2022

photo by: nature-hiking