Our family tries to do one backpacking trip every summer, and it's usually quite difficult to fit in among busy schedules for gymnastics, work, triathlons, and all the other events that seem to fill up summer calendars. This year, we didn't start hiking until late July due to COVID concerns, but I'd still love to get in our overnight before the kids go back to remote school in September. As it turns out, the Labor Day weekend is free, so I make a plan to do a PCT hike near Stevens Pass, in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. It's unclear how many people we'll see, but we should be able to check off five lakes on my ALW list in a relatively easy 11 mile through hike from Stevens Pass to Tunnel Creek.
Since this is a through hike, two cars are needed. We drop off Lucas' car at the Tunnel Creek trailhead, a few miles west of Stevens Pass. After a short drive, we reach the pass and have a quick bite to eat at the PCT trailhead on the south side of Highway 2. The forecast calls for a sunny weekend, but at the moment the clouds are thick here at the pass - hopefully it's just the usual marine layer that will burn off. The trail starts out pretty gradual and is in great shape - both qualities the PCT is known for, making it excellent for backpackers like us. The ski lifts rise through the cloud as we make our way up to the top of the ridge in open forest. We'll be climbing over the top of the ski area today on our way to camp.
I feared such a well-known trail might be crowded on a holiday weekend, but so far it seems the crowds are somewhere else. Today happens to be my birthday - in addition to celebrating the unofficial last gasp of summer, I can celebrate another trip around the sun. Speaking of the sun, it becomes visible about halfway up our climb to the ridge between Big Chief Mountain and Cowboy Mountain. We take a few minutes to enjoy the awesome scenery and the sun at the top next to the chair lift. The PCT now drops us several hundred feet down into Mill Valley. We pass under another chairlift, then through a huge rockslide with boulders the size of cars. From here the trail passes under some high-voltage power lines and then enters the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, ascending through more rock and wildflower slopes.
Our first stop,
Lake Susan Jane is a lovely lake just next to the PCT in a small bowl. After a brief snack, we continue up. This goes slowly with our big packs on - I think mine weighs a bit over 35 pounds. The weather is perfect for this workout, with sun and temperatures in the 60s. We pass a few tarns and then reach the junction of the PCT with the Icicle Creek Trail. Those familiar with the Alpine Lakes Wilderness or the Leavenworth area will know Icicle Creek, the famed creek that is the gateway to the Enchantments. This unassuming trail only a few miles from Stevens Pass will lead us all the way to Leavenworth if we are so inclined! It's 27 miles, give or take, from the PCT down to the Snow Creek trailhead in Leavenworth. Fortunately, that is not our goal today - we just need to follow the trail about a mile down to the outlet of Josephine Lake, which is the source of Icicle Creek, and our campsite for the night. We reach camp, having clocked about 5.5 miles, with perhaps 1500' of elevation gain.
Josephine Lake is quite large and gleams like a sapphire in a deep basin surrounded by cliffs and rockfall. The trail goes almost all the way around the lake to reach the outlet, due to the steep terrain. We scope out a few sites and ultimately settle on a very large one just next to the trail. It's not especially level, but it has room for both of our tents and is just a short distance from the lake and the toilet. We haven't seen too many hikers on the trail, but it looks like we'll be sharing the lake with about 5 or 6 other parties who have set up camp. Josephine Lake is reachable as a day hike for accomplished hikers, but most people here seem to be spending the night.
Most of the shoreline is not easily accessible due to the large talus slopes that lead right down to the lake. The only flat area is at the outlet, but unfortunately that is where all the logs that fall into the lake also end up. So, it's not a great lake for swimming. This doesn't stop Kyra and I from doing some wading. We see several frogs, but on this trip, the bugs are mostly absent - definitely an advantage to hiking later in the season. We fire up the stove and get some water boiling for our dinner - chicken and dumplings with a side of pasta primavera. It tastes delicious, as most things do after a day on the trail. After dinner, we make the traditional hot cocoa, and enjoy it sitting by the lake as the sun sets. We also hike down the Icicle Creek Trail for a few minutes to see some of the views to the south. The trail drops steeply away from the lake to deeper wilderness beyond. Most likely, I'll be back here again, as the Icicle Creek trail is a jumping off point for many of the lakes in the northeast part of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.
The first night of sleeping out on the trail is always challenging, at least for me. It seems to take hours and hours to fall asleep, but it's a lovely quiet place to be, and the moon and stars are out tonight. I'm sharing our large camping tent with Lucas, while Jeannie and Kyra are in the smaller backpacking tent. After eventually falling asleep, we awake to find the lake still as glass in the morning. One of my favorite things about backpacking is getting to wake up and see the scenery in a totally different light in the morning - it always like a new place. We concoct a hearty breakfast of oatmeal with dried fruit as the sun creeps down the hillsides around the lake.
After packing up camp, it's time to hit the trail again. We must climb back out of Josephine Lake to the junction with the PCT. Assuming all goes well today, we will pass three more lakes and end up at Tunnel Creek where we left Lucas' car. The PCT is lovely to hike on - the very definition of a proper alpine trail. The trail follows rigorous standards for maximum grade and width, so it's a treat to hike on compared to some others we've visited. We amble through lovely alpine meadows toward a pass that will be the high point of our hike at about 5200'. Several trail runners pass us going the other way - I suspect they do the through hike in a few hours, light and fast.
Our first stop for the day, and third lake on the trip is called
Swimming Deer Lake, which sits a couple hundred feet below the pass, but cannot be seen from the trail. This is where the adventure begins, since there is no official trail to this lake. I've done some research that showed a talus slope leading to the lake, but we first have to find it, since it doesn't extend all the way up to the trail. Lucas decides he will skip this part of the adventure, but I head boldly down through the brush with Kyra and Jeannie. We make our way through steep duff and a bit of vegetation for a few minutes, then I find what appears to be an old boot-beaten path. This in fact leads us right to the rockslide in question, and in a minute we pop out of the trees and see the lake below us. From here, it's pretty easy to make our way down to the lake, and what a gem it is! The lake is surrounded by lovely green meadows and a meandering stream.
A father and his son have set up camp right next to the lake and probably had it to themselves last night - what a perfect spot. We snap a few photos, including the obligatory handstand pose from Kyra, which is somewhat humorous in hiking boots. Now that we know where the bootpath / trail is, it's easy to make our way back up the PCT, and the path dumps us right out at the pass where we have left Lucas and our packs. We saddle up again and continue down the PCT, which drops off quickly from the high point. We descend several switchbacks and walk through huge perennial fields before entering forest again on our way to the next two lakes. It should only be a mile to the next lake, but distances seem to be longer when carrying a heavy pack, and I suspect our legs are a bit tired from yesterday.
We finally reach
Mig Lake, which is a lovely little lake set in fields of heather and alpine fir trees. This one is decidedly less remote than Swimming Deer Lake or Josephine Lake, and the shoreline has been trampled due to overuse. Nonetheless, it's a pretty spot to stop for lunch. It's not a deep lake, but deep enough for a swim, which I intend to do after lunch. In the meanwhile, I am wading in the lake while eating my lunch, when I slip on the muddy bottom and fall in - shorts, phone, and all. Fortunately, my phone survives and I trade my wet shorts for my swimsuit instead. A quick dip in the lake feels quite refreshing, but my attempts to convince others to jump in are unfruitful.
Our hunger sated, we get back on the trail for the final stretch. After a short half mile or so, we arrive at our last lake for this trip,
Hope Lake. It's deeper than Mig Lake and similarly scenic. Technically Hope Lake is two lakes, but a brief jog up the PCT reveals that the second lake is not really visible from the trail. We've got very little gas left in the tank now, so no one (including me) is interested in another detour to see the second part of Hope Lake. We find the junction to the Tunnel Creek trail just past the lake and begin our descent. It's about 1200' down in a little over a mile to the trailhead, which isn't much with a day pack on, but with a full load will require some care.
The Tunnel Creek Trail is rough in places, but only when compared to the PCT. It's actually a pretty decent trail, but climbs (or in our case, descends) steadily over its short course. I keep a watchful eye on my GPS to count down the distance to the car. This first overnight hike has taxed all of us, but I'm thrilled to have been able to visit five lakes in only one hike. This will hopefully be the start of many such treks. We reach the car unscathed and somehow manage to cram all of our packs and ourselves into Lucas' Ford Focus. Note to self: remember to put an extra pair of shoes or sandals in the first car so you can take your hiking boots off before driving to the second car. Regardless, I'm going to call this hike an unqualified success.
Stats
Time: 26 hours (one night)
Distance: 11 miles
Elevation Gain: 2100'
Sights: Stevens Pass Ski Area
Alpine Lakes Mission
Lakes visited: Susan Jane, Josephine, Swimming Deer, Mig, Hope
Total lakes: 8
Percent complete: 2.7%
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