Alpine Washington

I’ve got a backcountry work party coming up that will involve four nights in the wilderness near Hester Lake. As part of my preparation for this trip, I’m going on my first overnight hike of the season, and my first solo backpacking trip ever. For this adventure, I’ve chosen to visit the Scottish Lakes in the northeastern corner of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, in an area called the Chiwaukum Mountains. My plan is to camp at Loch Eileen, which is the third lake I will reach on this four-lake hike, but whether I can make it that far with a heavy pack on remains to be seen. I’ve actually borrowed my son’s 45 liter pack for this trip, since it’s about two pounds lighter than the 70 liter pack I normally bring, and I don’t need the space just for a single night. I pack everything up and hit the road, reaching the Ethel Lake Trailhead east of Stevens Pass at around 12:30 PM. It’s a rather late state, but one advantage of an overnight hike is you don’t need to p