Yes, I went backpacking again. With summer dwindling away up here in the Northwest, I must take advantage of all days off. This time we chose Lake Ingalls. The trail head is found by driving to Cle Elum off of I-90 and exiting at #85, and then some other pretty little roads that wind through farmlands of eastern Washington. We only had to drive 9 miles on a crappy dirt road this time as opposed to 20-something so that was a relief. When reaching the trailhead, you see a waterfall off to the left of the trail. Unfortunately that is the last bit of water you will see for a long time so take advantage to fill up. This is a warm one!
The weather was gorgeous, with highs in the 70s. The trail winds through a rocky valley with views of the Esmeralda Peaks and even Mt. Rainier when you get up a bit higher. The red rock of the surrounding peaks contrasted beautifully against the bright blue afternoon sky. We were even able to see Mt. Adams off in the distance.
Checking out some rocks on the trail. Wish I remembered Geology 101...
After reaching the top of the pass, we reached a junction. One was as an "alternative" route but was not listed on the map. We chose to stay on #1390. The higher trail skirts the outer rim of Headlight Basin, a diverse little backcountry playground filled with glacier cut rocks, grass, flowers, and larch. That's where we would end up camping, seeing as how camping at Lake Ingalls was prohibited. Looking across the basin provides spectacular views of Mt. Stuart.
The trail split. Stay left for the longer route.
Mt. Stuart and larches.
Since you can't see the lake from the trail, it seems like it takes forever, even though round trip distance from car to lake is only 9 miles. We kept thinking, "Oh it must be over the next ridge," which was frustrating. The last bit of the trail is very tricky. At the very last part I had to put my trekking poles down and climb with my hands.
Yes, this is the trail.
I was leading at this time and let out a little yell and cheer when I saw the first tiny bit of clear blue water just around the corner. We made it! The water was ridiculously clear with a band of teal just around the edge. I forgot my bathing suit, and there were a few other people at the lake, otherwise I would have just jumped in! What a beautiful place this is! Views of Jack Ridge and Mt. Stuart accompany the crystal clear water, with Ingalls Peak towering above.
It was so beautiful. We spent some time just hanging out at the lake. David and I hiked around the whole thing, only to find ourselves right on top of a cliff. I became a bit frightened, but David scoped out a way down by following goat poop. It was everywhere. It was after easing ourselves down that "trail" that we noticed two mountain goats right above us! It wasn't the last that we would see of them.
We set up camp in Headlight Basin. It happened to get really cold that night, surprisingly. The next morning, we woke up to clouds. We had planned on going back to the lake that day and possibly fishing, but nobody was really motivated. There was a very cold breeze whipping through the basin which made it hard to even leave the tent. Eventually though, I had to eat, and the oatmeal and coffee helped. I walked around the trail nearby and found a little haven of wildflowers, including fresh huckleberries! They were a tasty addition to my breakfast.
I later saw David high up on top of one of the glacier carved rocks, so I decided to join him, in my pajamas and flip flops. This later proved to be a bit of a bad decision. Getting up was easy though. The views from the top were beautiful, and the sun was starting to make its appearance.
It was the part of getting down that was tough. It involved David providing a step for me with his knee while he eased me down the smooth surface of the rock. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure I would have slid all the way to the bottom. I definitely would have worn actual shoes had I known we would end up partially rock climbing! Oh well, I'm back home in my kitchen and alive, so I guess it turned out okay. We did end up going back to the lake for the rest of the afternoon. It was so relaxing and peaceful. We made some lunch, laid out in the sun, and I watched David scramble back up that goat path. Check out where he ended up!
We spent the rest of the evening watching marmots scramble around on the rocks nearby and enjoying the changing colors of the sunlight on Mt. Stuart.
The next morning was time for our return trip. We decided to try the "alternative" route back to the pass. It proved to be much shorter, yet much steeper. I was fine with that though. I'm always pretty anxious to get home on the last day. On our way up to the pass, we saw a few goats crossing the trail. There were two of them, and when I turned around again, I saw three more! What a treat this was. They didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that we were there and they went on about their business, eating every little plant they could find.
The views of Mt. Rainier were even clearer this time, and it was an easy hike back to the trail head. I'll leave you with this last photo I took of David. It kind of looks like the end of summer to me. The clouds are starting to roll in more often, and it's getting cooler (although I did spend the greater part of my day laying out at Magnusen Park yesterday). Summer is coming to an end quickly, but I'm equally excited for winter.
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