Day 2
3255ft gain/loss 11.7 miles Glad it didn’t rain, we load our equipment, and make our way to the trail head, and are there by 8:20am, and on the trail. It’s a large parking lot, but there are only two other cars present when we arrive. Keep that in mind for later…The trail enters forest right away, and in short order, starts switchbacking up hill through old growth forest. The trail is well maintained, and soft, fir needles blanket the dirt.
Up, and up, for the first 2.83 miles, you gain most of the elevation, roughly 2700ft. Towards the top, you approach a ridgleline, that gives you great views towards the peaks that surround Blanca lake, towering, granite monoliths that rise far above the treeline, bare except for their attendant snow fields. Looking NE, you can see Glacier Peak, shining in the morning sun. It helps to spur you onward, wanting to see more.
…Still, it cast’s a pretty reflection off of it’s still surface, hiding the reality of the lake.
At the highest point, you cross a small meadow, before heading downhill to Blanca Lake, and along the way, you pass what appears to be a brackish pond, called Virgin Lake. Is it so named because no one has ever swum in it? Could be a reason for the odd name, given to such an ugly lake, or is it because…? Guess I’ll never know. Still, it cast’s a pretty reflection off of it’s still surface, hiding the reality of the lake.
Down, and down, the trail is muddy and steep on this side, and you can see where several boots have skidded down the slick clay here, trying desperately to gain purchase. Finally, we reach the shores of Blanca lake, a light emerald, milky green from the glacial silt from the Columbia Glacier that feeds it. Blanca is a large lake, and fills the cirque created by the impressive granite walls of the surrounding mountains that tower around the bowl.
The weather is perfect for taking pictures, and we stop to snap a few, high, puffy clouds dot the sky, and the blue sky against the green lake, and red tinged rocks provide a spectacular sight. Across the lake, in the distance, we can barely see a twin waterfall running downhill from the glacier, which is visible from here. It fills us with the desire to get closer, so off we go, to find a way around the edge of the lake. It’s clear it won’t be possible around the east shore, as the cliffs crowd steeply around the shoreline.
Once down at the next flat, and where the trail seems to end, there is a small beach next to the outlet stream, a log jam clogging the exit. Not enough to provide a bridge across, more of a jumbled mass of floating timber. There’s a couple dads here with their children, and it must be obvious by our demeanor that we want across, so one of them comes over to offer, “there’s no way to get across except to wade”…Perfect. Off come the boots, and we wade across slick submerged rocks, wood, and debris to the other side.
You can imagine how cold glacial water can be. On the opposite bank, there is a faint trail leading along the shoreline, and we follow it to the other end of the lake, where it becomes a scramble, over a large talus field, jumbled boulders of granite having fallen off of the high peaks above, creating a huge run out of rock that slopes right into the lake. From there, we pick our way up another slope created by generations of loose rock being piled into a ridgleline, that runs left of the main stream coming from the glacier above us.
From there, sidehill across slick rock granite, smoothed by water and glacier ice to a saddle, that allows you easy access to the twin falls we could see from below, and the glacier itself. It was all worth it, as the views here are inspiring…You can look back across the lake, towards snow covered Glacier Peak in the far distance, then turn, and let your eyes follow back up the cirque towards Columbia Glacier, where its surrounding peaks block out the sky. Taking lots of pictures, we can only hope we capture some of the rugged beauty that defines the place.
Now, to hike up on the glacier. We stay to the right, as it seems flatter, and the ice is solid, and rough on the surface, providing good footing. Water flows across the surface, and creates small streams that cut into the ice, revealing the frozen blue that can only be seen from thick, ancient ice. The crevasses are small enough that we can step or jump over them, and before long, we’re on the top of the flat section that stretches all the way to the bowls end, where the snow continues up the sides of the peaks, like a frozen wave. We’re near our turn around time, so we stow cameras, and head back down the glaciers flow, using our trekking poles to insure that we don’t exit like runaway toboggans down its slippery slope.
At the waterfall, we decide to follow the water downstream, as an exit strategy. Not an entirely good one, as around the bend of the stream, the water has cut a path great for water, not so great for getting down, as it creates a slot canyon that provides no hand or foot holds. So, it requires us to leave the stream bed, and when we do, we run into a 30 foot sheer drop off. Not going down that way, either. In the end, we find a way to cling to brush, hand over hand, down to a more manageable trek back to the lakes edge.
From there, it’s a return trip back along the shore, to the creek crossing. As we round the last bend, where we can see the opposite beach, we run into, on this side, about 8 or 9 people that have taken up residence. Its kind of a shock, and from here we can also see that there must be at least 20 people milling about on the opposite shore. Wow! Did this place fill up! There are also now about 4 tents filling about all of the flat area on that shore. Just another reminder of why we like to hit the trail early…
Back across the other side, a voice asks if we were the guys on the glacier. Yep, that was us! Guess that orange shirt stands out a long ways away…Along the trail home, we must pass at least another 25 to 30 people on their way in, and the parking lot? It must have been jammed, as there are cars parked on both sides of the road leading to the parking lot, and down the road for another several cars! It’s just hard for us to imagine, that so many people come here.
We passed people that had no packs, were carrying no water, and some of them were in deck shoes and jeans, for crying out loud! A great day hike, and one that I’m glad we were able to make. In about 12 miles, we were able to see a lake, glacier, waterfalls, high peaks, deep forest, and a variety of terrain. We were already scouting out where we would camp if we came again, giving us more time to explore, and possibly do some peak bagging.