Hike #20: Mission to Marten

After reading a WTA trip report of another hiker who made it to Marten Lake over the weekend, I decide to attempt my first winter alpine lake hike. The weather forecast calls for a sunny Thursday and relatively warm temperatures. I know there will be snow to traverse, but according to the trip report, there is also a nice bootpath to follow. In addition, at 3000', this is one of the lowest lakes in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, so most of the hike should be snow free. I pack a lunch and reach the Taylor River (aka Snoqualmie Lake) trailhead just after 8:30 AM - the Marten Lake trail is a short side trail that starts three miles in. Last time I was here on my hike to Otter Falls, the Taylor River trail was full of water, and the soaking rain didn't help.

This time, it has not rained in about a day and a half, and the trail feels entirely different. Low spots that were lakes covering the trail before are now a small trickle easily stepped over, or dry altogether. The sun is shining, and I get peek-a-boo views of Garfield Mountain (also called Mount Garfield) through the trees on the other side of the Taylor River. I only saw three other cars in the parking lot, all Subaru Outbacks, so I'm not expecting much company on the trail today. I make good time up to the big bridge over Marten Creek, reaching it in about an hour. Marten Creek is roaring as usual, and I backtrack about 100 feet and head up the trail, marked only by a meager cairn of three rocks.

The trail starts out with many tough rooty sections and some enormous deadfall for good measure. For the first quarter mile or so, there is a maze of side trails leading to views of various parts of the waterfalls above the bridge. As far as waterfalls go, these are pretty spectacular. Some parts are hard to see due to the overhanging trees and the steepness of the terrain, but I take a lot of video nonetheless. The power and speed of the water gushing through narrow rock formations is quite impressive. After about 15 or 20 minutes, the trail pulls away from the creek and the side trails disappear. It's pretty steep in some parts and there are no signs of real trail work anywhere - no switchbacks, water diversion devices, or anything else but a boot-beaten track. This is clearly a real fisherman's path, but fortunately it doesn't seem very muddy or overgrown.

The elevation gain on the first three miles to Marten Creek was minimal - about 600 feet. I know it's about 1200 more feet to the lake, which doesn't sound bad, but it's slow going on a poor trail like this one. I first see snow on the trail at about 2200'. I reach an open area shortly after this that looks like it would be very brushy, if the brush weren't all covered with snow. Fortunately, the expected bootpath in the snow is still there, even after a lot of snow and subsequent rain a couple days ago. Clearly, no one else has been up this trail today (or probably yesterday either) since there are no fresh tracks. Having a bootpath makes winter hiking 100% more enjoyable, since it not only gives you an easy route to follow, it prevents the post-holing into deep snow that can slow progress to a crawl.

In the open areas, I look back and have an inspiring view up the Taylor River valley. Most prominent from here is Treen Peak, which is just to the east of Mount Garfield. Peeking up in the back is Big Snow Mountain, Wild Goat Peak, and some other less-prominent features like Sorcery Mountain and Little Bulger. All of these peaks will be seen up close, if not climbed, for my Alpine Lakes Wilderness mission, since lakes surround most of them. I keep heading up, debating whether to put on my spikes, but so far the snowy parts aren't very steep, so the spikes remain undeployed. Some more great waterfall sections can be seen on Marten Creek far below.

After one final ugly rooty section in the trees, requiring "multiple veggie belay", the path starts to level out and I can tell I'm nearing the lake basin. The snow here is fairly deep - I'm guessing 2-3 feet in most places. The boot path really helps here because straying from it even a little is like stepping off a firm path into unknown mud. The snow is hard and crusty but usually is not strong enough to hold all my weight on one foot. I am sure Kyra or Jeannie would have no problem walking across it! I make my way through a snow-covered talus field, and the bootpath startes to fade. Apparently I have reached a point where the various explorers who created this path decided to branch out. Trying to stay on firm snow among the trees, I make my way down to the lake.

The lake is almost entirely snow-covered, but there is still open water at the outlet, and big bluish cracks in several sections. I definitely will not be attempting to walk across it, not that I had any big reason to do that anyway. On the far side of the lake is Rooster Mountain - no trail leads here but it is a commonly-climbed peak in this area, along with other animal-named peaks such as Dog Mountain, Goat Mountain, and The Ark. I make my way over to the outlet to see if there is anything to sit on for lunch. Not wanting to sit on a floating log in the ice-cold water, I head back to a large log next to the unseen trail and brush some snow off to make a comfy seat with a lakeside view. It's amazingly quiet and peaceful here - not much wind, and no sounds besides the gentle burble of the outlet stream.

Of course, the outlet is only gentle here because it's relatively slow-moving - I know this is the source of the thundering torrents below. Finishing up my lunch, I'm somewhat shocked that no gray jays have assaulted me - usually they are reliable wildlife on a winter outing in the Cascades. In any case, it was a pleasant lunch break - the temperature is about 40 degrees, and with the sun shining it seems even warmer. The climb up to the lake wasn't long - only about a mile, but my pace on this section was less than half what it was in the first three miles. Still, it was a good workout and I didn't need to use any gear but my boots.

The way back down is actually a bit tricky - normally it's easier to see a trail from above, but for some reason that does not apply here. I veer off course a few times, but eventually find my way back down without injury. I think this is about the only trail I've been on where the descent was slower than the ascent, though maybe I'm just imagining it. I snap a few more shots of the falls at the bottom and then I'm back to the Taylor River trail, which feels like a superhighway. I pass three other people on the trail on my way back to the car - the first humans I have seen all day. I think this would be a fun hike in the summer too and it looks like the camping would be good at the lake. However, having checked Marten Lake off my list, I suspect it will be years before I return. Perhaps by then, the unmaintained trail might be designated for improvement - one can hope!

Stats

Time: 6 hours

Distance: 8.5 miles

Elevation Gain: 1900'

Alpine Lakes Mission

Lakes visited: Marten

Total lakes: 21

Percent complete: 7%

Photos and Videos

View the album on Google Photos.

360° Photo: Looking back toward Taylor River at about 2500'

360° Photo: Marten Lake and Rooster Mountain