Hike #82: Scottish Lakes Solitude

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 plan time for the return trip! Assuming I make it all the way to Loch Eileen today, it should be about 8 miles in with about 4,200’ of elevation gain. My pack weighs in at right around 30 pounds - not exactly light, but probably a fair bit lighter than what I’ll be carrying for my backcountry work party.

The trail starts off in fairly open woods that is typical of the eastern portion of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. There is one brutally steep section, but it’s very short and leads into a long series of switchbacks, which keep the grade quite manageable. There are quite a few uncut blowdowns on this trail, which confirms my research that this trail is not terribly popular. After about an hour and fifteen minutes of ascent, I reach a logging road at the beginning of a clearcut section, and stop for lunch. The clearcut section is most likely a big reason this trail isn’t so loved, and is actually on private land. However, being a “glass half full” sort of guy, I can see that the clearcut offers excellent views, and lots of pretty wildflowers. Even more interesting are the beautiful rocks found on and alongside the trail. Jagged, quartz-infused stones of rosy red and creamy yellow sit next to gray and red striped rocks loaded with mica that sparkles in the sun. Nason Ridge looms large across the valley to the north.

Following the open ridge and crossing the winding logging road three times, it takes about 45 minutes to pass through the clearcut and reach the forest on the other side. A stiff breeze has been blowing throughout, which does a lovely job of keeping the bugs away and moderating the temperature. It can get hot on this side of the Cascades, though today’s weather is partly cloudy, and quite pleasant even without the breeze. As the trail reenters the forest, the grade lessens and the trees seem older and larger. I’ve gained over 2,500’ of elevation now, but there is still more to come! Upon reaching 5,700’, the trail starts to descend, and drops about 200’ to enter the Alpine Lake Wilderness in the Lake Ethel basin. I take a right off the main trail, and arrive at the lake a few minutes later.

Lake Ethel is a lovely medium-sized lake in a north-facing bowl. The shores are shallow, and the water is clear and warm, reflecting the green of the surrounding trees and hillside. Large group campsites dot the trail, and I see three tents pitched. Being about five miles up the trail, I suspect this is where most backpackers set up camp for the night. After my ascent so far, I’m still feeling pretty strong, so I will press on to Lake Julius, and hopefully Loch Eileen, to give myself an easier day tomorrow on the return trip. Back on the main trail, I proceed through endless blueberry and huckleberry bushes, snacking on the delicious berries as I go. The trail climbs up the ridge south of Lake Ethel via more switchbacks, eventually reaching a wide open ridgetop with views of distant peaks, but no views of the lakes. On the way up, I pass three day hikers - the first people I have seen on the trail today. The trail runs the ridge for about a mile before dropping off the end to descend and reverse direction toward Lake Julius. I count over 40 blowdowns in this section, but fortunately none are too hard to work my way over.

I reach Lake Julius shortly after another fork in the trail. Like Ethel, it’s a medium-sized lake, though this one is more forested and thus a bit less scenic. It’s about 5:00 PM, but I know Loch Eileen is just up the trail, so I press onward. After taking some photos and tagging the water at the shore, I hop back on the trail, passing two more day hikers coming down. The trail climbs steeply in places - I had forgotten about the additional 300’ of elevation gain on this part. It takes me about 30 minutes to make my way to Loch Eileen, and it is definitely worth the effort!

I reach the lake just near the outlet, crossing past a field of Indian Paintbrush and Alpine Aster, swaying lightly in the breeze. The outlet stream burbles happily through a sandy beach area and the flower-filled meadow, and bleached driftwood lines provides a bridge across. Loch Eileen is a similar size to the others, but is at the head of the valley, and is surrounded by steep talus and cliffs on three sides. I thought I might encounter someone at this lovely lake, but I’m all alone. It’s getting close to dinner time, so I make a quick circuit around the lake’s social trail system looking for a camp. There is one deluxe camp site with room for two or three tents, plus two or three smaller sites. I choose the deluxe site, figuring the odds are pretty low that anyone else will show up to camp here after 6:00 PM. I am tickled to see the presence of larch trees around my campsite - this area is probably a must-see in the late summer and early fall, when the trees glow yellow.

Setting up my tent is a bit of a challenge due to the stiff breeze off the water. The wind keeps blowing my tent over until I get it staked to the ground properly. I have a nice view of the lake from my tent, and have a seat in the doorway to boil some water for my dinner. My feast tonight consists of a can of tuna fish and a packet of Spanish rice, both of which are pretty tasty. I finish off with a few Oreos for dessert, then pack up my remaining food and trash in my bear can, which I am trying out for the first time. While the sturdy plastic can is heavy, weighing about two pounds, it’s certainly a lot easier to use than hanging food in a tree. All you have to do is make sure your food all fits inside, then securely close the lid and store it on the ground somewhere away from your camp.

My hunger satisfied, and with about an hour of daylight left, I decide to check out the trail up to Lake Donald. Equipped with a water bottle, headlamp, and my phone for photos, I head up. The trail is an easy tread at first, but shortly begins crossing numerous rock outcroppings, requiring a bit of scrambling. It would be somewhat challenging to find the way, were it not for the cairns that someone has placed about every 15’ along the trail! This seems a bit excessive, but it does eliminate the need to consult my GPS or map on the way up. I climb over a couple small, rocky ridges, and about 20 minutes later find myself looking at Lake Donald. This is a slightly smaller lake, but I think it’s the most beautiful of the lakes on this trip. It has lovely deep blue water, and is surrounded by large rock slabs on one side, and the steep rocky face of McCue Ridge on the other. On the west end of the lake is the most amazing swimming beach I’ve ever seen at an alpine lake - soft gray sand leading gently into the water, dropping off into the deep water about 10’ from shore.

I make my way over to the beach and check this wonderful lake off my list. As I climb up onto some rocks next to the beach to take some photos, the yellow and pink hues of the sunset start to light up the clouds around me. I wasn’t really planning on a sunset hike, but my timing has worked out perfectly. I stay at the lake until the colors fade, then make my way back down the trail. I’m able to hike almost all the way back to Loch Eilieen without my headlight in the twilight, but it’s definitely pretty dark as I reach my camp. I really enjoyed the sunset hike to Lake Donald, and I plan to return in the morning when the light is better. I settle down in my tent for the night, wondering if the wind will ever stop.

My answer is provided all throughout the night and the following morning: No! The wind howled down into the valley the entire night, and it seems even windier in the morning as I crawl out of my tent to retrieve my bear can. I put on pretty much all the clothes I brought with me, including my warm cap and gloves, to stay warm in the morning wind. I never seem to have a good night of sleep the first night out, so I’m eager to find out if that changes on my upcoming multi-night trip. I boil some water for my morning breakfast, which is oatmeal and strawberries. As I’m eating, I contemplate my plan for the day. The easy option would be to hike up to Lake Donald, then return to break down my camp and head back the way I came in. However, looking at my map, it appears that there is a more interesting choice. I can pack up camp first, carry all my gear with me to Lake Donald, then navigate around the ridge above Loch Eileen back to the trail. There is quite a bit of off-trail work on this route, but based on the terrain I’ve seen so far, it doesn’t look brushy or hard to navigate. The crux of this route (the hardest part) will be getting over the ridge to the saddle between Loch Eileen and Lake Ethel, since I can see there are some cliffs in that area and there may not be a way through.

I decide on the more adventurous option, packing up my camp and refilling my water before beginning the short trek up to Lake Donald again. Climbing several hundred feet up fully loaded is a good way to warm up, and I’m shedding layers by the time I reach the lake. It’s just as beautiful in the morning light, and I take the time to explore a bit more of the lakeside. There is a lovely rustic camp next to a fine swimming / diving area on the north side. The scenery is a bit muted this morning as a layer of clouds is covering the nearby peaks, and pouring down over the ridges constantly. Fortunately, the clouds dissipate as they come over this ridge of the Chiwaukum Mountains, leaving me with open views to the lakes below and to points east. I take a last look at Lake Donald and start making my way up the ridge.

There are hints of a bootpath along this ridge, and occasionally even a cairn, though the cairns are so far apart that one must be a good route finder anyway. It’s pretty easy to follow the ridge, since it’s gentle terrain, and I can simply keep the cliffs above Loch Eileen on my right side to stay on track. At one point I come across a “secret” tarn surrounded by amazing rock formations - secret since it’s not on any of my maps. However, it’s apparently not as secret as one might think, since I see a set of boot prints in the mud next to the water. I continue upward, crossing a couple small streams and marvelling at one that goes through a crevice in the rock before cascading out of sight down a cliff into Loch Eileen. It’s lovely highland country, easy to navigate and full of wildflowers and birds.

Eventually I reach a wide gully that leads up toward the peak known as Middle Chiwaukum, and down toward the lake. I am tempted to climb it, but the clouds are still obscuring any higher views, so it seems like something best done another time when I can see the surrounding area. Climbing across the gully, I now come to the tricky section of my return trip, where I need to somehow reach the saddle between Loch Eileen and Lake Ethel. If I can reach this saddle, it should be an easy ridge walk to rejoin the trail. At first it’s pretty straightforward side-hilling, though there is a lot of scree - small, loose rocks that slide very easily. Before long, I get cliffed out, meaning I’ve reached a section of steep rock with no apparent way around. I try scrambling up one steep crevice but have to turn around when I can’t see a safe way to proceed. I backtrack a bit and find another gully that seems to lead to the top of the ridge. It’s very steep, and the loose rock is quite annoying, but I eventually make it to the top of the ridge, marveling at the views.

From here, I can see Lake Ethel to my north and Loch Eileen to my south. Both are about 800’ below the ridge where I stand, which is a jagged rockscape with cliffs all around. I take a quick look at the feasibility of proceeding directly down the ridgeline, but that’s a no-go as there are more impassable rocks. It looks like the only option is to drop down the north side of the ridge toward Lake Ethel, and then either proceed to the saddle from there, or simply continue on down toward Lake Ethel and pick up the trail there instead. I make my way carefully down some very steep sections, breathing a sigh of relief once I reach some gentler terrain about 100’ down. At this point, I’m still quite a bit above the saddle, so I decide to traverse over to that point rather than going for and unknown brush bash down to the lake.

The views of both lakes from the saddle are excellent. Strangely, as I stop for a snack break, I see three AAA batteries just laying on the ground in front of me - I suspect they were someone’s spare headlamp batteries. It always amazes me what I find out in the middle of nowhere - sometimes it seems fate has led me on a route to pick up someone else’s trash. The way to the ridge from the saddle is uneventful, as the rock on this side is much gentler and easy to navigate. I reach the trail again about two and a half hours after leaving Lake Donald. I’m not sure I would repeat this particular route, with the steep and hazardous scrambling over loose rock. Perhaps on my next trip here I can find an easier route via Middle or North Chiwaukum.

I pass by the side trail to Lake Ethel shortly, not bothering to stop at the lake since I’ve already seen it today from above. I do stop many times on the way back to eat berries beside the trail. I have no doubt one could survive on these for many days if necessary! I enjoy the ridge trail through the woods, and marvel again at the gorgeous rocks littering the clearcut section. After a long descent, I finally reach the trailhead at about 2:00 PM, tired but happy with my successful mission. My backpacking gear seems dialed-in, and I’ve checked four lakes off my list. While the Scottish Lakes may be an area that few people venture to, I have no doubt I will be back someday to enjoy the high alpine roaming on a clear day, or take in the golden larches at the end of the season.

Stats

Time: 25.5 hours (one night)

Distance: 18.9 miles

Elevation Gain: 6,700'

Alpine Lakes Mission

Lakes visited: Ethel, Julius, Eileen, Donald

Total lakes: 55

Percent complete: 18.4%

Photos and Videos

View the album on Google Photos.

Alpine Washington