Day 3
9.7 miles, 1261ft gain/3760ft loss. Another big day awaits us, and we are overjoyed to awake to no fog, even though the reminder of last night is everywhere, the spent fog having left its moisture on everything here at the lake, making the rain fly on the tent soggy.
After loading our gear, we follow the trail up along the base of Sasha Peak that switchbacks steeply through talus slopes of granite to a saddle that looks into the Doelle Lake basin that we are about to enter, and the Chain Lakes area that we have just left. Great views here of mountain peaks distant in the southwest, possibly Mt. Hinman, or Mt. Daniel. To the northwest, we spy Mt. Baker, and below, the deep turquoise blue of Upper Doelle lake.
We stand here for several minutes, making sure that our cameras and memory banks take in their fill. Then, we begin our downhill tromp to reach the edge of the lake. Before long we stand at its banks, and snap more pictures before moving on. It, too, is ringed with trees here on the vegetated edge, and the steep bowl that it sits in, below Bull’s tooth, is sheer scree and talus slope right into the lake itself, giving evidence to the fact that over the centuries the mountain has been slowly crumbling into the Doelle Lake Basin, just as it had in the Chain Lakes region.
…it was good to see something feeding on the mosquitoes for a change…
Seems every lake that we have seen on this trek has been the same. Further down the trail, we come to lower Doelle Lake, and are amazed to see the fish leaping out of the water. It was as if someone had electrified the water, and the fish where trying in vain to leave their watery confines to escape the torment! Reminded me of popcorn popping over an open fire, with the kernels dancing and jumping out of the frying pan. Too many to count! A regular trout feeding frenzy, as the cloud of mosquitoes that hovered just over the surface of the water provided a target rich environment for the hungry fish. It was a sight I loved to see, not only for the sheer amount of trout out of the water at any one time, but for the fact that it was good to see something feeding on the mosquitoes for a change…
…we are glad to see that even though many maps do not show a trail, one still exists…
From the lake on, most maps do not show a trail anymore, unlike our Alpine Lakes Wilderness map, where we first got the idea to do this loop in the first place. Armed with our GPS unit, that’s been downloaded with an approximate route to follow to Frosty Pass, we are glad to see that even though many maps do not show a trail, one still exists. There is a faint trail that must have been the original one that we see on our map. It drops down into a flower filled meadow that Doughgod Creek meanders through, before disappearing on the far side.
Beautiful plumage here, a patchwork of color, as each flower species has claimed its space, providing large solid colors of red, purple, and yellow scattered throughout the meadow’s tall grasses. It is at once, unique and beautiful, for usually these meadows are interspersed with all the varieties, making a rainbow effect. Across the meadow, we find the traces of trail once again, and follow it uphill for a ways through old forest, which thins to huckleberry, and vine maple, which are better suited to cling to the steep slopes that we are now traversing.
The trail follows the ridgeline here, and it’s pretty easy to follow, as there is not much real estate for the pathway to deviate from. It’s along this part of the trail that we stop and have lunch, for the views stretch on endlessly. A good breeze is blowing, and helps to keep the mosquitoes at bay. Below us, in dense forest, we can see the cleft that is the Doughgod Creek drainage, running southwest of the backside of Bulls Tooth Mt, which eventually reaches Icicle creek.
I’m thankful that we are staying high on the ridgeline, instead of traipsing through that! Once again, we can see the distant snow covered mountains to the southwest that must be either Hinman, or Daniel, the only prominent peaks in the region that remain snow and ice covered. Back on the trail (which is still easy to follow here), we come to an embankment above another small meadow, and lose the trail. It disappears here on the hillside, and we cannot find it. Taking bearings, and following our predetermined route on the GPS unit, we slog downhill across the meadow, and make our own way towards Frosty Pass. Good thing there isn’t much underbrush to slow us down.
After about a half hour or so of route finding, we’re happy to finally cross the trail once again, and it is more visible now than it ever was, creating a deep furrow in the grassland here. If it is so well travelled here, how did we lose it at the hill? We mark where we re-joined the trail, and press on to Frosty Pass. Now, when I think of a pass, I think of an area that is above treeline, and provides views of the area, but Frosty Pass does not fit into that mold. It merely seems a trail junction to me, at a flat spot in a meadow, surrounded by alpine firs that have grown tall enough to block out any view that might once have been.
…like stopping every once and awhile to give the ol’ brakes a chance to cool off!
We’re now back on trail #1592 that will head downhill to the junction with trail #1551 on Icicle creek, where we plan on spending another night. Having looked at the map, we know that from here on, it’s all downhill to our next campsite along the banks of Icicle creek, near a bridge crossing. Neither Greg or I prefer going downhill, as it’s hard on the knees, so we decide to take our time, hoping not to wear our already taxed knees out, like stopping every once and awhile to give the ol’ brakes a chance to cool off!
…hand carrying Nalgene bottles with water, and in casual attire….Like, shorts and tennis shoes! Where in the world did they just come from…
We pass the junction for Lake Margaret, not wanting to backtrack, and minutes later, we stop to talk to a couple of guys that have no backpacks, are hand carrying Nalgene bottles with water, and in casual attire….Like, shorts and tennis shoes! Where in the world did they just come from, for as far as I can see on the map, to get to where we’re at is no short day hike!!! They warn us of thick underbrush to come, and not far from the Lake Margaret turn off, we realize they are right. Waist to chest high, the brush is thick, and confining, holding in the moisture on this warm day, creating thick, dense air that is harder to breathe, like a sweltering, humid jungle. For 45 minutes we battle the brush, pushing our way through, being careful where we put our feet, for the ground underneath is rocky, and unstable. It would be very easy to turn an ankle here.
Sometimes, in desperation, I would find myself slashing at the unyielding brush with my trekking poles, yelling at the same time, longing for a razor sharp edge on the poles so that I could inflict greater damage on our new nemesis…It’s enough to drive one crazy, I tell you!!! Then, we reach the tree line, and with sighs of relief, the brush gives way, if only momentarily. We would have to wade through these spots 2 more times, as the forest ends and the open areas breed more of the thick greenery. The rest of the trail is unremarkable tree shrouded trail, but at least we are free from beating the underbrush.
We reach the banks of Icicle creek, and there is a bridge that looks as if it could hold a truck, it’s that wide and stout. I assume it must be designed for the horse travel that sometimes occurs. During our entire trek, we passed several horse camps, but never saw their intended occupants…The first campsite on this side of the creek was already taken, so we crossed the bridge, and found several flat, needle covered tent sites under the firs, maybe a 100 yards or so from the creek crossing. Very nice spots, as well, close to the stream. We had no sooner plopped our gear down at the spot we chose for the night, when two more hikers showed up, and asked if they, too could camp here.
…Using the TOPO software and trails, I had traced our route for the unit, and following the existing trail to the creek, it showed that we had missed the track that I had traced at home by a looong ways…
No problem, this area looks as if it could hold 10 tents…They broke out their Green Trails map, and asked us if they could tell us where they were, because according to their map, they were in the wrong place! Breaking out my Alpine Lakes map, we compared, and there seemed to be quite a discrepancy, on which direction the trail here went to cross the creek. Then, it dawned on me, as well, why I kept wondering why the trail that we had preloaded into our GPS unit seemed so wrong…Using the TOPO software and trails, I had traced our route for the unit, and following the existing trail to the creek, it showed that we had missed the track that I had traced at home by a looong ways…
You have a tendency to trust what the GPS unit is telling you, yet how were we to know that there would be such a huge difference? Turns out, it was a mile long discrepancy, a good reminder to use maps as a guideline, not as a rule…I don’t feel so bad now, knowing I was not the only one that was confused by the differences in the maps. Log on now to find the real trail!!! I must add here, though, that the Alpine Lakes map, of the three, was the closest to the actual. We run a line between trees, and because the day is sunny and warm, we get a chance to dry out our soaked tent from the night before.
Peeling off our boots, and dumping them out, reveals all of the varied terrain we’ve been over today. Fir needles, forest floor duff, dirt, burrs, all manner of flora and fauna from our headlong scramble through thick brush, end up in a pile on the ground. I’m shocked to see that there isn’t more granite…A long day, and we’re glad to be able to rest weary knees. The days of up and down are starting to really take a toll on Greg’s…