Wildcat Lake, Upper Wildcat Lake, Caroline Lake 8.27.03

After Last weeks escapade only one member got a return invite. I was in the mood for a epic day hike and since Justin had only had one previous hike I thought why not. I gave Justin strict instructions to only go as far as he was comfortable and to remember every step in requires a step out. I thought that since there were 4 lakes along the way to today's destination (Lake Caroline) it would give him plenty of chances to stop early. We set off the from the Alpental parking lot in rather cool temps. It became quite apparent that Justin would do fine when I had a hard time staying with him to the saddle above Snow Lake. I was very pleased with the time we were making and the trail was in good shape so we pressed on to Gem Lake. It became very cool wet and windy at Gem so we only stayed for a few moments. The descent into Lower Wildcat went rather quickly and soon we were on the fishing trail to Upper Wildcat. Just stay on the main trail until it splits follow the left fork to the lake. The trail is somewhat steep in places but pretty staight forward to follow. Justin was very glad to see the beautiful campsite at Upper Wildcat. I than began the task of motivating myself to make my way to Caroline Lk. Last year I scouted out the route I would take today. Attaining the ridge to the north of Upper Wildcat is fairly simple I was able to find bits and pieces of trail tending to be on the ridgeline or somewhat north of it. There are a few points that you must descend and go around. I reached approx 4700ft and gave turning around some serious thought, but decided to press on. A short time later I found a very distinct trail leading to Caroline. The trail crests at around 4850 and descends to the lake. After nearly 5.5 hours since we left the car I had a much deserved lunch. I had planned on doing some fishing but time became an issue with only a little over 5 hours of light left and a long way to go to make it out. I made my way back to camp without too much difficulty. I took a few minutes to rest my feet before we hit the long way out. The trip out was as long as we could handle but we made it to the car looking a litte worse for wear.

Squaw Lake 8.20.03

I have always felt very lucky that I am able to spend as much time as I do in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Because of this I feel like it is important for me to share this with people who haven't had this type of exposure. I usually plan at least one trip with a group of people who have had somewhat limited time in the mountains. It usually quite a spectacle to see one of these motley crews coming up the trail. Today was no exception. There was 5 of us and 3 dogs for today's trip to Squaw Lake. I had picked this hike because it is quite short and limited on climbing. I also have seen some very big trout for some of the fisherman in the group. The trail was in much better shape than some of my companions, but we ended up making it there without too much damage to the group. All in all it was one of my more memorable days in the mountains. We did see some VERY big trout but none were landed.

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Mary Lake, Margaret Lake, Upper Florence Lake 8.13.03

Upon reaching the end of the Icicle Creek Rd. I filled out my permit and noticed that a substantial area is closed due to fire. The whole Leland Creek drainage is now off limits. As I took off the Icicle creek dustbowl under pleasant temps, I hardly gave the fire any thought. If it wasn't for the constant sound of choppers I wouldn't even have thought about it again. The plan was to go to Margaret lake using the old trail, which forces you to do a ford of the Icicle. I was unable to find the trail on the other side so I returned to the Icicle creek trail for the extra hour that the new trail forces on you. I did notice along the way for a short stretch the most birds I have ever heard, there must have been thousands. I am guessing that they may have been swallows. I do know that swallows usually return to the same spot each year, and I also have been to Swallow Lakes which is in the affected fire area. So it seems to me that assuming the birds were swallows seems reasonable. Once I crossed the Icicle on the footbridge the trail meanders easily to the 3800ft mark where it joins the old trail to the lake. I passed a horseman at around 5000ft which spooked the dogs, neither had ever seen a horse. The dogs ran down the trail until the horseman realized if he didn't stop he would scare the dogs all the way back to the car. I dropped pack and climbed down 200ft of precious elevation to retrieve my babies. I reached Margaret Lake to find the last camp site still open, I have never seen so many people at an alpine lake. The camp site did not suit me so I set off to Mary Lake. I saw some more campers just east of Frosty Pass, but lucky for me there was not a soul at Mary Lake. I set up camp and ate a much deserved meal. I did fish Mary and caught many small cutts. I think the fish can spawn in one of the inlets to the lake keeping the population high and the fish small. I tried to stay up late to watch the meteor showers, but as usual I fell asleep before it was really dark enough. I did wake at 3am to see one of the brightest and most beautiful moons I have ever seen. In the morning I quickly ate and was off to Mary Pass and on to Upper Florence Lake. Upper Florence can boast of some pretty big rainbows I caught a couple of 14"" and tried all day to coax a 18-20"" that I saw cruising. I actually think the fish was taunting me, he would follow me around the shoreline only to swim away as soon I made a cast. I did find a way trail that leads to Alice Lake but I did not follow it. I talked with one man who was having some real navigational problems, it is good thing I set him along the right way. I then ran out of time so I had to return to camp. Just after cresting Mary Pass I ran into a family who I stopped and talked to for ten minutes ( a new personal record ). We swapped fishing stories about area lakes as well as routes to get to them, thanks for all the good info! I returned to camp to find 2 groups totalling 9 people at the very small Mary Lake. I broke camp in record time and hit the trail. I was hoping to find the old trail so I could cut an hour of time. I found it without any problem and had no trouble following it. The trail has very many blowdowns but they are very manageable. I lost the trail when it crosses Frosty Creek at 3100ft. Instead of backtracking to find it, I thought it is less than a 100ft why bother. Well there is good reason that the trail continues on downstream before crossing the Icicle. The area is extremely brushy and swampy, not to mention it is difficult to find easy going once the Icicle has been crossed. I did finally manage to find the trail on the other side. I very thankfully started the long dusty way out. I ended up getting out near the same time as I would have if I would have stayed on the new trail. So much for saving an hour!

Dog Mt 8.5.03

I guess every climber has the one climb or destination that something always goes wrong or doesn't quite work out the way you would like. Mine is Cougar Lake, this is the fifth time I have tried for the lake over the years.I have yet to wet a fly in it's waters. I have tried from every angle, today's attempt was to combine a visit to the lake with one of Dog Mt. I parked just past the Bare Mt trail where the road now ends and walked the approx 1.5 miles to the Lennox Creek Trailhead. The weather was warm and very humid as I made my way up the mostly unpleasant trail. There are many springs in this area keeping the trail rooty and muddy for long stretches. In typical fashion for my Cougar Lake attempts I had a boot blow out, but not bad enough to keep me from pressing on. I reached my jump off point for my summit bid of Dog Mt at 4200ft and left trail. As I zig zagged my way up the bench system on Dog mt's north side it began to steadily (much to my suprise) rain. The leafy plants soon became very slippery and I decided that the descent would be more challenging that what I was looking for. As I dropped back to the trail it was apparent that I had made a good choice. With time still on my hands I continued on trail towards Anderson Pass. This area has always left me with fond memories. I stopped to have lunch on one of the many polished slabs that overlook the Lennox Creek valley. As I sat I looked to the south and noticed easy access to the ridgeline via the rockslides maybe the sixth try will be the charm. The slog out went without incident.

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