Snow Lake- Last Day in July

As cool as it has been this summer, it should have come as no surprise that Snow Lake was living up to it's name on the last day in July, 2011.  After last weeks extravaganza to Paddy-go-lucky Pass, I was grateful for a short hike to a reasonably short hike.

The lower section of the trail was clear of snow except a thin remnant where an avalanche had piled up earlier in the year. One and 1/2 miles in, the sign demarcating the junction with of the Source Lake and Snow Lake trails was clearly visible.  Only six weeks earlier, the sign was buried under six to eight feet of snow and there was no sign of the turnoff.  At that time, the only safe passage was to Source Lake- now the trail was clear but rocky as it climbed back toward the east.

Just above the Source Lake cutoff

Although the temperature was mild, a fine mist was falling. The cooling effect was pleasant and reminded me of how hot this exposed section of the trail can be on a summer day.  In fact, the switchbacks to the top seemed much gentler than I remembered from previous visits.
The stairs near the top were steep and water from melting snow created a constant drip along the path. 

Stairs near the summit

Flowers on the heather

The moisture and melting snow gave room for "spring" flowers, even on the heather.  A glance down provided a perspective on how steep this section of the trail is.  In places, the trail is cut from sheer stone. It must have been back-breaking work.

 

At the crest of the trail, the trail was covered with two to three feet of snow.  The lake basin was draped in fog and the lake was all but invisible 400 feet below.  I scampered about half way down to the lake and a few details appeared out of the gloom.  The lake remains covered with ice and snow except for a thin blue ribbon along the near shore.

Rather than hike all the way to the lake, I chose to climb about half way up one of the open snow fields.  I post-holed in next to a boulder and realized the snow was getting treacherous.  So, I pointed my boots down slope and skied back to the trail I used to wend my may down.

Cascading snow-melt from a face abov

e the trail.

It was a short hike back and the temperature warmed to 70 degrees as the sky cleared.I stopped to admire a cascading torrent just across from Alpental.   It was nice to make it back to Seattle by mid-day instead of dinner time. 

Snow and sun but no Snow Lake

My son Austin and I went hiking today on the Snow Lake trail.  It was great to have him along and it was probably the nicest day so far in 2011 on the west side of the Cascades.  We left the parking lot about 11:30 and it was in the the low sixties with a clear blue sky.  Within 100 feet of the trailhead we hit the first bit of snow and it was increasingly patchy for the first 3/4 of a mile or so. Torrents of water were cascading from the steep, rocky cliffs to our right, and new vegetation was beginning to poke through the soil where the snow had been clear for more than a few days.

It was Austin's first time in the mountains for the summer and his first time hiking on snow. He was struck by the beauty of the scenery and the oddity of being on the snow without skis.  We past a few hikers going up and down the trail but the numbers were fairly low for this trail, which often feels like an Interstate highway on a summer day, presumably because of the amount of snow. 

After a mile and a half or so we began to approach the area marking the end of the long gentle climb up the creek valley where the trail splits, and the switchback to Snow Lake cuts sharply to the right and upward at a steeper grade. As I surveyed the snow-covered terrain, I concluded that the track we were on was not following the usual alignment, which was not too much of a surprise, given the amount of snow.  Below to our left we could see a second, faint track that seemed to me to be the proper location for the true trail.  I suggested to Austin that we boot ski down to that area, and lent him my poles for stability.  He pointed his boots down and make it 100 yards or so without incident.

He used my camera to film my descent:

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We continued on until we rejoined the previous trail and made our way toward Source Lake.   We reached an overview but the lake, which is really a pond at the best of  times, was covered with several feet of snow and avalanche debris.  We were both tired and getting hungry so we turned back toward the car.   Many more people, including families with young children and couples poorly dressed for the trail conditions were on the trail as we we made our mid-afternoon descent.  Austin was chatting about food on the way down and at one point was recounting a recipe for Japanese fried chicken.  He was describing how he "cooked the chicken in olive oil until the batter is golden brown" and a young woman we passed commented that his description was making her hungry.  By the time we made it to civilization we were starving so we stopped in Bellevue for pho at the Lotus Square.  It was a delicious end to a spectacular day.