Day 3
2386ft gain/2010ft loss 11.57 miles. Our longest day. When we woke up and ventured outside, we were bummed to see the fact that…You couldn’t see. Fog had completely socked in, and visibility was down to about 100ft, so seeing the reflection of Glacier Peak in Image Lake was out. Drat! That was something that I had hoped to film for months, but it wasn’t to be…
Depressed, and a little angry, I packed up my stuff. Hopefully, this grayness would lift before we got to the Upper Lyman Lakes? I could only hope for now that it would burn off in time, for it is another of the places here that I was hoping to be able to see, with Lyman Glacier at the base of Chiwawa Mt., its blue ice being the source of water for most of the Lyman Lakes. Packed up and ready to go, we leave the Image lake area, and begin the long return hike back to Lyman Lakes.
By the time we reach the Suiattle/Cloudy Pass section, we notice, climbing to the top of Cloudy Pass, that the fog seems to be lifting. Enough so, that when we reach the pass, we can barely make out the upper lakes from here. Great! If we’re lucky, the weather will hold. The low cloud level creates a dramatic mood and I can only hope that it translates well in pictures…Back down through the wonderful meadow here at Cloudy Pass, into the tree line, it’s not long before we reach the shores of lower Lyman Lake, and we’re glad to see that the spot we had the first night is open.
…and impossible to resist snapping more and more pictures, in a desperate attempt to capture for a moment, the analog to digital…
Quickly, we set camp, and head out for upper Lyman Lakes, filled with the hope that the weather will hold long enough for us to get our desired pictures…A short jaunt later, and we break out into open meadows, filled with wildflowers, and small pools of water, probably collected from snow melt and the recent rains. It’s idyllic, and impossible to resist snapping more and more pictures, in a desperate attempt to capture for a moment, the analog to digital…
At the upper heights of this mystical little park, there is a small flat before descending down into the Upper lakes basin, and from this vantage point, it creates the dilemma of trying to decide which is more beautiful. Back in the direction we came, with the blue of Lower Lyman Lake surrounded by groups of trees, meadows, and stark granite walls, the park like setting below to our right, with distant views of Cloudy Peak, and its gash of stark white granite? Or, ahead of us, a green tapestry of carpeted meadows and small copses of trees growing right up to the edge of jumbled granite boulders, speckled with the red from the stones of Red mountain, the blue ice of Lyman Glacier now easily discernable, creating the ice blue waters of Lyman Lakes.
…adding even more delight to the eyes in a place that is already teeming with inspiration!
If I were allowed to give monikers to the landmarks here, I would name this Decision Pass, as it aptly describes my lack of being able to make one. That would change, however, as I descended down into the upper Lakes basin. Once we reach the flat of the meadows, we can see that there are Larch trees growing here! Amazing, I’ll bet, during the fall, when they turn one of the most beautiful colors of the third season, glowing golden in the sun. It’s as if they seem to know where they are to grow, adding even more delight to the eyes in a place that is already teeming with inspiration!
The pathway perfectly navigates this garden, like walkways that navigate amusement parks, this one being built for hikers. No matter where you look, everything provides treats for the eyes. As a backdrop, the granite walls here are sheer, fencing this special place off from everywhere else. Over the centuries, large chunks have sloughed off, and lie in piles at the bases. Pieces of Chiwawa Mountain are interspersed with grey and black granite rock, creating a mix of color not often seen in the Cascades.
…From the piles of rocks to the base of the mountain, it looks like a Marscape, because everything here is tinged reddish-orange…
In places, they are piled up, pushed up in waves from the glacier long ago. This left a depression, that forms the beginnings of Lyman Lakes, and the retreating glacier is now sitting at the base of Chiwawa Mt. From the piles of rocks to the base of the mountain, it looks like a Marscape, because everything here is tinged reddish-orange. From the piles northward, is where everything looks as if it is a manicured garden, creating a line between that which is fertile, and that which is not, as if the piled rock has created a garden wall.
Water flows down between the piles of rocks, and it keeps its ice blue color the whole way down to the lower lake. Waterfalls are created at the outlet to each lake, and the last waterfall pouring down into lower Lyman is the most impressive, it may not be spilling its volume from a sheer height, but it rolls and undulates down bald granite, creating a rivulet that bounds and leaps downhill. This is truly one of the most spectacular places that I have ever visited on this earth and in writing this, I am already reminiscent, wanting to see this place again with my own eyes…
Reluctant to leave, we decide it’s for the best, as the weather seems to be turning for the worst. Before we reach camp, it starts to turn to a steady drizzle. Boy, a fire would be nice, and after asking one of the trail crew, we find that fires are permitted at the lower lake only! Perfect, since that is where our camp is, so once we return to camp, we scrounge for firewood, before the rain dampens all the available wood.
Tonight, we’ll be able to chase back the mosquito horde, and get some desired relief from the rain. Our fare tonight is simple, but tasty. We take some chicken chunks, and in a frying pan, add a chili sauce and cook the bits of chicken. Then, add that to a pot of Knorrs Chow Mein noodles, one of their Asian Sides, and a pot of garlic mashed potatoes. Stick to your ribs kind of food, but awesome compared to freeze dried meals…With full bellies, we turn in for the night after enjoying only the second campfire we’ve ever had in the backcountry…