It's mid December and the sunshine can be hard to come by this time of year. I decide to take advantage of a predicted 6-8 hour dry period to do some more reconnaissance work in the Middle Fork. It's a toss-up between the Marten Lake Trail and the Rainy Lake Trail. The former is shorter and about 800' less elevation gain, but I already hiked most of it on my recent
Otter Falls hike. So, I decide the Rainy Lake Trail is my route today. I'm not optimistic about reaching the lake, which is at about 3800' of elevation, but I'm really curious if the trail is as difficult as I've read in a few trip reports. The entire hike and surrounding mountains are fully forested, so there is no avalanche danger in this area.
The rain is supposed to arrive before 1:00 PM, so I get an early start (for me anyway!) at about 8:15 AM from the Middle Fork Trailhead. I cross over the Gateway Bridge and wonder at the immense volume of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie today - all the rocks that are normally visible along the river are completely underwater, and the river is running at least 3-4 feet higher than it was the last time I crossed in August. I take a right on the Pratt Connector Trail, shortly passing the trail for
Stegosaurus Butte. In another 1/4 mile I reach Rainy Creek, which will be my guide up the Rainy Lake Trail. The creek is a thundering torrent under the sturdy new bridge, and a great destination for those looking for a short and easy stroll - be sure to check out the videos in the full album.
The trail starts out great for about the first 50 feet, then the real "fun" begins. It's a steep, rooty, and muddy mess, but fortunately this part only lasts about a quarter mile before it mellows out into a pretty decent forest trail. There are some ugly mud holes in places, but that is to be expected just about anywhere this time of year. This isn't an official trail, so there is no sign of real tread maintenance structures, but there is also no blowdown over the trail and it seems to have been brushed out very well. This is what is usually called a "fisherman's trail", which is at least one step better than a "climber's trail".
To this point, Rainy Creek is rarely out of earshot. In some areas the trail hugs the creek closely, providing a visual and auditory treat. Even if I don't reach the lake, I'm really enjoying the forest and waterfall aspect of this hike. I first spot snow beside the trail at about 2000', but fortunately it's not cold or icy today. I pick my way through two short talus fields, which is a bit challenging due to a few inches of the white stuff. I get a brief view from the larger clearing, but there is not much to be seen. This is not a hike you take on for views of peaks (or the sky!), as you'll see more of that from the road and parking lot than from the trail.
I keep a pretty comfortable pace, alternating between flatter spots and heart-pumping steeps, punctuated by brief sections of sucking mud. In general I'm pleased with the quality of the trail and look forward to returning in the summer. Eventually, snow covers things up completely and starts to get deeper. I'm definitely the first one on this trail today, as there are no footprints in the snow. By about 2600', it's time to suit up for snow travel. This means trying out my gaiters for the first time, and donning my microspikes. I freeze my butt off sitting on a snow-covered log, but with my rain paints, at least I don't have to worry about actually getting wet.
The spikes improve traction dramatically in the uphill snow, and the gaiters seem to be doing a good job keeping it out of the top of my boots. I was a bit worried about route finding on a snow-covered trail, but at least for now, it's pretty straightforward. The brush has been cleared on the trail, and the decades of cut deadfall (fallen trees) make it easy to see exactly where the trail is. The going isn't especially speedy through the deeper snow, and I make it about another half mile before pausing to catch my bearings. I am completely shocked when three snowshoers come up behind me, as I wasn't expecting anyone else on this lonely trail on a cloudy day. I step aside to let them pass by, content to let them make the bootprints that I can walk in instead of the other way around.
I follow the snowshoers for a few minutes, but then check the GPS app on my phone and realize we've veered way off the trail. There is a small creek a while back that should have been crossed. I find a decent place to ford it on some rocks, but I have lost all visual indications of the trail at this point. My GPS says I need to make a hard left and go a few hundred feet to reacquire the trail, even though intuitively this doesn't seem like the way the trail should go. Nonetheless, the map I am using has been quite accurate so far, so I head in that direction. At times I posthole into the snow up to my waist, and have to navigate around some tree wells. It's getting really deep up here and makes progress agonizingly slow. There is no way I'm getting to the lake at this rate! It's times like this I am very thankful for GPS, though - without it, I can easily see getting lost in the sameness of the trees and snow up here.
I finally break out onto the trail and it's immediately obvious, since the snow isn't as deep and I can see the lack of brush. I head uphill for maybe a few hundred more feet, but the snow is getting steadily deeper and to get to the lake I would still need to slog up another 500 feet of elevation and probably half a mile of deep snow. Since I'm on my own here, I decide to play it safe and turn around. Perhaps with snowshoes it would be a bit easier to continue, but even with gaiters it's not much fun postholing for long distances. I make my way back down and across the small creek, then brush snow off a sawn log to have lunch, satisfied that at least I've made it up about 2400' up and successfully tested my snow gear.
The rain starts as I am having lunch, right on schedule. The way down is mostly uneventful, though I am surprised again to meet two other hikers on the trail. I guess I wasn't the only one looking for a bit of adventure today! I take off my spikes just past the talus fields on the way down, but I leave my gaiters on all the way back to the car, since they're doing a great job of keeping my legs dry and warm. Plus the bright safety yellow is very stylish. I navigate through many muddy sections, and several places where the trail is a very nice stream. It's definitely not the best trail I've been on, but far from the worst, and it will be fun to see it again when the warmer weather returns
Stats
Time: 6 hours
Distance: 8.7 miles
Elevation Gain: 2400'
Sights: Rainy Creek
Alpine Lakes Mission
Lakes visited: 0 - the snow chewed me up and spit me out about 0.5 miles before the lake
Total lakes: 20
Percent complete: 6.7%
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