McGinn is Mayor
SAM Remix Hits Its Stride
Can't Miss It: Wednesday
Ye Olde General Store
Requiem For a Dream Season
Summer never ends, or so sing The Anomoanon. Seattlest knows very well that summer does end, metaphors notwithstanding, and with it go a lot of our outdoor frolics. But September ain't November, folks- there's still time to get the heck out of Dodge, if you've a will. That's what we did, on a recent weekend, out Highway 2 way.
If you want to get to Lake Serene, like we did, you've got a helluva lot of uphill ahead of you- but before a single step of it, be sure you've got your Northwest Forest Pass ($5, best obtainable in Sultan or Gold Bar on the way in). It's also a good idea to go midweek, if possible, as it's a popular trail. The Lake Serene hike is 7.2 miles out and back with a cumulative elevation gain of 2.200 ft. The Forest Service classes the hike as "most difficult," and given there are 23 (!) steep switchbacks on the way up, it's tempting to agree- but that's just fatigue and hysteria talking. "Most difficult" is a bit of an exaggeration, and for anyone wishing to avoid the tough stuff, the trail still offers plenty, as it doesn't really make much upward gain until 1.6 miles in.
That first mile and a half or so gives you lush alder forest, creek crossings, and a view of the bottom of Bridal Veil Falls, which all make for a pretty good afternoon day hike. You'll find a spur trail headed upward before you reach the base of the falls. This trail ascends 500 ft. over 1/2 a mile to a spectacular view of the second tier of the falls. Feel the spray, wet your bandana, start to forget about the part of you that argues over whether The O.C. is a better show than Lost.
The only thing weighing against a trip up that spur trail is the small amount of oomph you'll lose- given you've still got 23 (!) switchbacks ahead. But we're not the boss of you. Once you push on and start climbing in earnest, you'll notice one thing right away- this trail is goddam uneven! Lace those boots all the way up- you're gonna need the ankle support. Apparently, it used to be even worse. We were told this trail was taken out of some books as too dangerous for the inexperienced- but that was before the park service put a ton of work into it. Now there are only a half-dozen patches of loose scree to break your neck on. Must have been a sight in the old days.
When you begin to near the lake, the climb evens out quite a bit and affords some lovely views.
The lake itself is just what the name implies. Almost surrounded by steep cliffs, the wind is gentle and the snow lasts well into summer. One exception to the bliss would be the black flies eagerly waiting to carpet any hiker who pauses more than a few seconds. Hope you brought your DEET. That said, they're slow enough (and dumb enough) to be smooshed- sometimes even when you're only trying to shoo. Don't worry if you kill a few- they're hardly endangered. Hey, look- the world insect biomass is, like, twelve times that of humans. Time to strike a blow for the home team! Go and have a bite yourself over on Lunch Rock, overlooking the lake.
You'll notice the kool-aid blueness of the water. We asked (because Seattlest is intrepid like that) several people, but no one seemed to know if the color was from algae or from copper (copper mining first opened the area way back when.)
A terrific logjam fills the creek running from the lake (the source of the falls). The thought of one of those things coming loose and plunging over 1,000 feet down the falls was enough to color the happy memories of spray on our face. Next time we're at Bridal Veil Falls, we're standing well back. The rest of you greenhorns can take a root through the temple, but we're having none of it.
The trip down isn't too memorable, for a couple of reasons. 1) It's steep, which tends to quicken the pace, and 2) Your dogs (if they're anything like ours) will be barkin' so loud, it's difficult to think of much else. And something they're not going to tell you (but we will, because we like you) is that a good prior toenail trimming is advisable- the pace and angle on the way down will otherwise certainly result in one or more long nails rubbing holes in a toe, a sock, or a boot.
One last thing- don't be put off by the difficulties mentioned above. We saw kids on the trail practically running up the final rise to the lake. Admittedly, those kids were followed by some fairly bedraggled-looking parents- but we didn't note a single person without a smile to go along with their sweat.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
I'm pretty sure the bluish color comes from two things: 1. A lack of algae - it doesn't grow well in really cold water. 2. Suspended bits of rock, since high elevation lakes tend to be fed by meltwater which picks up a lot of sediment. At least, that's what I remember from the signs when I was at Ross Lake, which has the same basic coloration.