All the pics here (click me)
Natalie had to grade all weekend so I was going to get back out backpacking but due to a prior commitment on Saturday I turned my plans into a day hike.
I headed out of Seattle around 9am and headed the hour and a half to the trailhead out I-90. I have done this hike quite a few times at this point and it is one of my favorite quick getaways. It is 4 miles in to a beautiful alpine lake. The first 3 miles are pretty flat and then you gain 1300-1800 feet in the last mile or so.
I was not sure what the conditions were going to be this time of year so I packed several items to make it a good trip. I carried my flyrod on one side of the pack in case the lake was snow free (link to fishing trip in 2008), and on the other side I packed my ice axe figuring that if I had enough time I might try to get back up to Alta Peak (link to this hike in 2008).
Well both the fish and snow gods were against me and I did not use either of my toys to fish or climb but it was a great 8 mile dayhike. The lake was still snow covered and because of how low the snow started (3000ft) it took me a bit longer to get up to the lake and I did not have time to attempt Alta. So I ended up hanging out in the sun up at the lake for about an hour taking in the silence and looking out over the lake with a cool blue ring around it where it was starting to melt.
The highlight of the trip ended up being down in the valley where the hike is generally a little boring. All of the wildflowers were out in force. The ground was packed with trillium and some other yellow flower (pictured above) that I feel like I should know the name of. There were dozens of snow melt waterfalls running down the ridges and it smelled like spring. Check out the pictures link above to see all of the flowers.
It was a great day to soak up some sun and I look forward to getting back out. Hoping to head out on a legit backpacking trip in the next few weekends so more coming up.
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Avalanche lily (Erythronium grandiflorum)
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