Copper Lake 10.11.08

With the great weather I was looking to tuck in another Home Court peak before the weather turns unsavory. Earlier in the week I had planned on doing Shroud Mt. which is just South of Fisher lake near Tonga Ridge. I had to laugh when I got a email from Stefan hoping to pair Shroud with Terrace. His plan wasn't to leave Monroe until after 11 am which is pace that I could not keep up with. I opted to leave early and I had hoped to crosss paths sometime during the day. As it has been lately I have had some bad luck in regards to climbing. My last two outings ended in equipment failures which wouldn't allow any summits. For today I was blessed with a road closure. The Tonga Ridge Road is closed. I was very disappointed, but I tried to scramble up a back up plan. My concern was I had no other maps with me and I couldn't get cell reception without backtracking. I decided to settle for a trail hike to Copper Lake instead. I felt ok about being off my intended route because I was sure I would see quite a few people along the way. This presented another issue, I usually leash the Beagle so he just chase any deer and forget to come back. My Shepard is fine without a leash because I rarely see anybody. The Shepard is rather imposing and seems to become somewhat aggressive when he senses fear. I thought it best to leash the Shepard and hope that the Beagle would stay close. As it turns out, it worked fine. The trail to Trout Lake is it usual rocky start made even more annoying with the icy rocks. The bridge crossing the Foss River is out but there is a convenient log to cross downstream from the old bridge. This was quite interesting because the log had a nice sheen of ice over it. I decided to cheval it instead of chancing a slip. I had a little trouble refinding the trail but if you keep heading upstream you will run right into it. I passed my second favorite tree of all time
I am always in awe everytime I pass this tree. I would guess it is in excess of 25ft in circumference. I made it rather quickly into Trout Lake which I have never been to fond of. It is dank and today smelled like urinal hockey puck. I passed the turnoff for Delta lake which can be found as soon as you reach the creek for the first time. I remember the trail to be much steeper than it really is. I kept thinking I will reach the steep part soon which never really happens. As you climb the falls and the views open up

For some reason I thought the bridge crossing was out so I was happy to find the bridge intact although it was covered with a light dusting of snow. I soon reached Copper Lake bathed in bright sunshine. I snapped some pictures and soaked up the rays. I ate a quick lunch and then was off for the car. I found it funny that the descent took roughly the same time as the ascent. I passed quite a few parties enjoying the beautiful mid October day.

Approx 8 miles 2500' of climb 5:30 car to car