Return to Spider Meadow and more...

David's sister Lara is in town from Baltimore so we decided to take her on a little Northwest adventure. When choosing our destination and also considering the fact that Lara has never been backpacking, we decided on returning to Spider Meadow. The hike into the meadow is really pretty flat compared to other hikes we've done this season, perfect for a new backpacker.

After driving nearly 3 hours out to Phelps Creek Trailhead, we were greeted with an unpleasant site -- a full parking lot, with cars lining the dirt road nearby as well. It was disheartening, especially since it was a Monday. "Don't these people have to work?", was all I was thinking. David reminded me that this trailhead leads to a lot of different destinations in the area -- Spider Meadow, Carne Mountain, Seven Fingered Jack, Lyman Lake, Phelps Creek Basin, etc. We left reluctantly, hoping to find a place to sleep that night.

A couple of creek crossings later we reached the meadow, about 5 miles into our trek.

Lara and I in Spider Meadow

It looked a lot different from the last time we were here in June. The snow had completely melted off of the trail and the meadow was filled with big tall stalks of grass and wildflowers. It was a beautiful sight. We walked another mile to the other side of the meadow where we stopped to pump some water.

David pumping some fresh water.

Our new pump worked like a charm. Armed with fresh water, we continued up to our real destination, Spider Glacier. We reached a trail split after hiking through the trees on the opposite side of the meadow. We headed left towards the glacier and Lyman Lake.

The trail ascends very sharply from this point forward. It switchbacks up fields of scree, with majestic views into the valley. The trail through the meadow is just a tiny line piercing the valley below. The mountains get bigger, and you can see further. Parts of this trail brought me back to Peggy's Pond where I felt like I might fall right off of the mountain. It's tricky footing, but as long as you can walk, you can make it.

Lara and I on a steep part of the trail.

After reaching the top, our hearts sunk. There was a tent at the first campsite. As we kept exploring for more, we realized that it would be slim pickings. There were tents at nearly all campsites. We were tired, and the effort it took to hike around the knolls was draining. We had to cross the water coming from Spider Glacier, hike up another steep little hill, and then we finally found a place to camp. We set up our tents and had a delicious beef stew from the lovely Mountain House. I can't say that I was entirely disappointed with our campsite. In fact, it was one of the best. The views were stunning.

Not a shabby spot.

Seven Fingered Jack.

Spider Glacier, from our camp.

We huddled by the fire the rest of the evening, made s'mores and tried to rest up for the next day. Our goal was to hike up the glacier and make it to Spider Gap.

Me and Lara by the fire.

We woke up to yet another sunny day on Tuesday. While we were eating breakfast, we watched as a few other hikers made their way up Spider Glacier. It didn't seem too strenuous, and nobody was slipping around too bad. We lathered up our sunscreen and bug spray and headed out. The hike up the glacier was a little difficult on the steeper parts, but it really wasn't super hard. I think the worst part of it was the glare coming off of the snow. It reminded me of being up at Mt. Hood again. Lots of people were hiking that day and it was fun to talk to them and see where they all were going. Some were headed out to Lyman Lake, which we could see from the top of the glacier, a.k.a. Spider Gap.

Me and Lara hiking Spider Glacier.

A lunar landscape near the top of Spider Glacier.

When we reached the Gap, we were greeted with more stunning views. Lyman Glacier was off to our left, with Lyman Lake tucked away deep in the valley below underneath Sitting Bull Mountain and Dome Peak. It was another beautiful sight to see.

The view from Spider Gap.

Lyman Glacier. Dome Peak.

Me underneath Chiwawa Mountain.

As we were thinking about heading back, we saw a young couple slipping and sliding on the snow. We decided to take another route, which lined the ridge adjacent to our campsite on the other side of the glacier. There was a faint path that was never hard to lose because of these little rock formations that people had built to line the trail. The path took us right along the edge of Phelps Creek Basin which provided for some pretty sketchy views into the canyon. You wouldn't want to fall from here.

David, looking into Phelps Creek Basin.

We decided to stop and build our own rock formation, since the current one had fallen down and the trail was tough to follow at a certain point. It was the biggest and best in my opinion.

It didn't take us too long to get back to camp. We enjoyed a dinner of chicken pesto pasta, and s'mores for dessert. We headed out Wednesday morning. The hike down wasn't nearly as difficult as it seemed on the way up. The trip turned out to be a great success. Lara had a great time, and we will return to Spider Meadow again someday.

Me and Lara, almost back to the car.

When we got back to Seattle, we had Lara and her friend AJ over for a wine night. We got a pretty late start considering we were hiking and driving all day. Wine and tapas along with the movie "Bottleshock"was the perfect ending to a great week. Now it's back to the grind...until next Monday that is :)