It's a warm and sunny day in October, and having the week off work, I make a plan to get out into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Today will be my first solo hike, ever, so I'm a little unsure what to expect. Will it be boring? Will I go faster or slower hiking on my own? I've prepared for the event with a Garmin inReach device - this is a satellite messaging tool that allows me to send an SOS message from the wilderness, or exchange text messages with friends and family. It's one of those things you hope to never need, but I like the idea of messaging loved ones periodically to let them know I'm OK, or I've reached a new lake.
I decide to take advantage of the lesser weekday crowds and tackle a popular area, starting at the Talapus and Olallie Lake trailhead. Then, I'll do a short off-trail excursion to visit Little Pratt Lake, checking three of the alpine lakes off my list. I've done a bit of route-finding and off-trail work before, but this is certainly the first time I've done it solo. I head out from the Talapus Lake Trailhead at about 9:00 AM. It's unusual having this very popular trail to myself - weekday hiking is great! It takes me about 45 minutes to reach
Talapus Lake, which I've been to many times. The lake is like glass on this balmy day. I continue the gentle climb toward Olallie Lake, which is about 500' higher up, reaching it in another 30 minutes or so.
Olallie Lake is also quiet, though I do pass two other parties who appear to be packing up from an overnight stay. Though summer has ended a few weeks ago, there is no sign of snow in the high country yet, and the conditions are excellent for a fall adventure. I follow the trail around Olallie Lake, past a few campsites, and then up a boot path to connect with the Pratt Lake Trail about another 200' higher. I was worried this boot path would be hard to find, but it's quite an obvious trail, and it doesn't take long before I'm standing on the Pratt Lake Trail. This is where the adventure really begins, since I will need to veer off the trail and make my way over a ridge, to find Little Pratt Lake on the other side.
I choose what looks like an appropriate spot to make my climb away from the trail, knowing that I will have my GPS and map to find my way back on the return. Of course, it's nearly impossible to miss the Pratt Lake Trail on the way down, since it traverses the entire hillside from Granite Mountain all the way to Mason Lake. The way is pretty easy going initially, as I'm in tall forest, which makes for minimal underbrush. In places there are what I guess to be game trails, though I wonder what kind of game has made them. The trails go in all different directions and never seem to go very far before petering out or forking into multiple paths. Nonetheless, it's easier following the game trails than not, and eventually I make my way to a rockslide near the top of the ridge.
As I reach the ridge top, I am treated with an amazing view of some Snoqualmie Pass area peaks. Kaleetan Peak and Chair Peak are prominent, though I don't recognize them at the time, since I'm still learning the area. Part of the fun of the off-trail part of this hike is the realization that only a small number of people have ever been to this precise spot - it makes me feel like a true adventurer. I think about the indigenous people or more recent explorers who might have visited these mountains hundreds of years ago. I suspect I have it far easier than they did, since back then almost everything could be considered "off-trail". I continue on along the ridge line, planning to follow it down as far as possible to Little Pratt Lake.
My planned route has been based on the steepness of the terrain from online topographic maps, and thickness of vegetation from the associated satellite imagery. However, what the online topo maps can't really tell you is how dense the trees or brush are along the ground. Following the ridge line becomes difficult almost immediately, as the fir trees at this elevation are short and low-growing, and merge together to make an almost impenetrable barrier. Combined with the usual Cascade huckleberry bushes, forward progress is very difficult. I know I'm still on the ridge line, since the ground drops off steeply on both sides, so I have to decide whether to stay on the ridge and fight my way through the trees, or drop off to the right earlier than planned. I decide on the latter, and start down some very steep duff toward Little Pratt Lake. This ultimately seems like a good choice, since the trees thin out on the steep slope, and the forest is dark enough that the berry bushes are kept to a minimum.
At times there seems to be a hint of a path through the duff, or maybe it's just a game trail again. At one point I catch a glimpse of Little Pratt Lake below, so I know I'm on the right track. The terrain starts to level out, and I pass through some swampy meadows. All of a sudden,
Little Pratt Lake appears before me. It's a very pretty little lake with grassy meadows on the south side where I am, a rockslide on the west side, and open forest around the rest. It looks to me like there is a good spot for lunch on the north side of the lake, so I make my way over the rockslide and through some slide alder to reach it. To my surprise, there are two nice camp sites on this side of the lake and I've arrived at a perfect time to sit down for lunch. It has taken me about three hours to reach this point, with the last hour or so being off-trail.
The weather continues to be perfect for day in the wilderness, and as I finish up my lunch, I contemplate the return journey. Should I try to go back up the steep duff and brush, or maybe go up to the ridge line at a different spot? Looking at my map, I realize there is another option entirely. Instead of bushwhacking uphill back to the Pratt Lake Trail, I could bushwhack downhill about half a mile to Lower Tuscohatchie Lake, where there is a trail that connects to the Pratt Lake Trail and will get me two additional lakes. Since the weather is excellent and I've made good time so far, I decide to go for it. I take a last picture or two at Little Pratt Lake, including what was to be the "last known sighting" of my sun hat.
To plan my route down to Lower Tuscohatchie Lake, I've got a simple topo contour map, which shows steepness of terrain but doesn't give much indication of features like brush or rockslides. I choose a route that seems the safest and the most gradual descent. It's half a mile down to the lake, and a drop of about 600', so certainly manageable. I hike past a small pond and head downhill, with no sign of a trail anywhere. At first the going is pretty easy, through huge old growth trees. It's a bit steep in places, but there are plenty of small trees to hang onto. Sometimes, walking on top of giant fallen trees is the easiest way down.
Before long, I reach a large talus slope. Normally these are pretty easy to walk on, but being on the north face of the hill, this one is mossy and slippery. Nevertheless, it's far easier than brush, so I am thankful for it. As I'm hopping over the rocks, I eventually spot the lake below. It's a rather large lake, so there's no chance I will miss it, but I'm not quite sure where exactly I should come down. I know the trail is at the far west end of the lake to my left, but the easiest route down seems to put me more toward the eastern end of the lake. I decide to just keep going straight ahead as best I can, following the rockslide. To the rocks some devil's club is added - the combination of wet slippery rock and devil's club is right up there with slide alder on the list of "worst possible brush". Fortunately the slope has mellowed out, so at least it's not steep as well!
I survive my journey through the devils' club relatively unscathed, but on the other side I find myself buried in extremely dense thickets of berry bushes. These impede progress quite effectively, since they're hard to step on and are constantly scraping and scratching at my legs. On this hike, I wasn't planning for such extensive bushwhacking, so I'm just wearing shorts - probably a mistake! I plunge ahead, seeing the lake ever closer. At one point, I descend a very steep waterfall to make forward progress, since it seems easier than fighting the bushes. Fortunately, the waterfall is mostly dry, so it's not as treacherous as it sounds. After beating a bit more brush, I finally reach a small beach, and I can officially check off
Lower Tuscohatchie Lake. It has taken me about 45 minutes to get to this point, but it appears that the adventure it only just beginning! While I have successfully lost the elevation down to the lake, I am now at the southeast corner of it, about 1/4 mile from where the trail is. Any hopes for some sort of way trail along the lake are dashed immediately - the thick berry bushes go all the way to the water.
For a few brief moments, I contemplate just wading in the lake to get to the trail. This is ruled out right away, as most of the shore here consists of steep rock plunging into the water, such that any aquatic navigation would require swimming with all my gear, or some kind of boat, which I don't have. Fortunately, I have time, so I reluctantly continue my way through the brush. At times, unclimbable rock walls present an additional obstacle forcing me inland again, all while being whacked in the legs and torso with berry bushes and alpine fir. After about 20 minutes of this, I finally break free into an open marshy area, and then see an actual camp site. The logjam at the lake outlet is in sight, along with a very welcome way trail. I take a well-deserved break to drink some water and shake all the debris out of my boots, thrilled that I have completed this section, albeit with dozens of scrapes and scratches to show for it!
Ignoring the challenges of circumnavigating the shoreline, Lower Tuscohatchie Lake is really a beautiful lake. It's quite large, and is set against the backdrop of Kaleetan Peak and Chair Peak, among others. This would be a lovely place for camping, and it's far enough from trailheads in any direction that most day hikers don't make it here. I head past the logjam, noting the trail to the right that heads toward Melakwa Lake, and the trail to my left that leads to Pratt Lake. Taking the left fork, I get a great view of the Pratt River Valley, which ultimately drains into the Middle Fork Snoqualmie. I know there is an old trail down Pratt River, and wonder if it might be restored someday.
I reach
Pratt Lake in a quick 1/2 mile, finding a beautiful collection of campsites nestled among the woods at the outlet of this very large lake. Taking a moment to stop and admire the view, I notice one other hiker meditating on the rocks by the water. This is the first sign of human activity I have seen in several hours, after leaving Olallie Lake in the morning. Jeannie and I did a day hike to Pratt Lake many years ago, though I'm not sure if we made it quite this far - the camps are at the opposite end of the lake from where the Pratt Lake Trail drops down from the ridge between Pratt and Olallie Lake. I begin the long trek alongside the lake. As I cross a sunny talus slope, I reach for my hat, and it's at this point I realize I don't have it anymore. It was either put down on the ground at Lower Tuscohatchie Lake, or lost to the endless brush after Little Pratt Lake. Looks like I'll need to get a new one, since I'm certainly not going back now.
I knew that adding on two additional lakes would add a few miles to my trip, but the bushwhacking has tired me out more than expected, and my pace slows heading up and out of the Pratt Lake Basin. However, it's nice to be on a real trail, and it's fun to try and recognize sections of this trail that I hiked once many years ago. Pratt Lake is mostly surrounded by talus slopes, so there is no easy access to the lake other than at the outlet. I climb 800' out of the basin via rocky and forested switchbacks, the views of the lake having long disappeared behind me. I finally reach the ridge top and the junction with the trail to Island Lake, about 7.5 miles and 6.5 hours into my hike.
From this point, it's smooth sailing back to the car, downhill on the Pratt Lake Trail, then on the boot path to Olallie Lake, and finally on the Talapus and Olallie Lake Trail. I see a few more hikers on my way back down, but it's still rather deserted on this sunny weekday. I make it back to the car in about an hour and a half, tired out but happy to have visited five different lakes in the course of one adventurous day hike. After getting home, I check out my route in more detail, including looking at the satellite maps, and it looks like I could have followed a different rockslide down to Lower Tuscohatchie Lake that would have put me right about where the trail is and saved 30 minutes of brush. Lesson learned: download both the topographic
and the satellite maps before heading off trail. The satellite maps can be invaluable in identifying rock vs. forested areas, and a trained eye can even spot slide alder and other types of brush. Another lesson learned: wear long pants and long sleeves when off trail. The skin on my legs has paid the price for this trip, but if it was all easy, I couldn't call it an adventure!
Stats
Time: 8 hours
Distance: 11 miles
Elevation Gain: 2700'
Alpine Lakes Mission
Lakes visited: Talapus, Olallie, Little Pratt, Lower Tuscohatchie, Pratt
Total lakes: 16
Percent complete: 5.3%
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