#fannie4runner

I know, I know.  It’s been weeks, or months :(, since the last post.  I have no one to blame but myself (this is Max by the way). It’s not that there haven’t been hikes to post.  It’s that life has gotten in the way of actually posting them.  With the last few months being focused on finding jobs and a place to live, we haven’t done a great deal of hiking, and those that were done seemed to take a low priority in actually being written about.  But now I can wait no longer (and have run out of excuses), so here it is: the first in a three-day posting series of hikes in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness of Northwestern Washington.  Aren’t you excited?

Denny Creek was mentioned to me by a friend has being a pretty terrific hike.  It’s relatively close to Seattle, pretty challenging, which wards off the masses, and has some great scenery and lakes, which are my favorite. It’s shares an exit with a sister hike that will be posted in the coming days, Granite Mountain Fire Lookout. While a peak ascent needs good weather for great views, lakes don’t necessarily need sunshine and cloudless (or high cloud) skies.  So on a foggy and chilly Monday morning I dropped Linda off and work and headed into the west Cascades.

The hike starts out easy enough with a decently flat trek up to the creek the hike is named for, Denny Creek.  I was there at low tide as it hadn’t rained in a couple days, but I can imagine how impressive the running creek would be after a good rainstorm.  I was able to walk up the creek a ways on a few very, very large boulders, and it was quite calming to watch and listen to the creek. But this was only a stop along the way to my final destination, a glacial lake.

The views of the valley and the foliage along the way were quite stunning, as the maples had just started to turn a bright shocking orange on their annual pilgrimage to deep red. What I wasn’t expecting to see was a waterfall, which shocked me as I turned a switchback.  Dramatically flanked by beautiful fir trees and orange maple leaves, it was a welcome addition to what was already one of the more beautiful places I’ve been.

After ascending the gorge, I kicked into switchback gear and headed back into the trees.  After circumnavigating the peak, through dense trees, I started a quick uphill walk before coming into a fog-laden gorge of which water and trees were barely perceptible.  Mesmerizing is an understatement.  It was amazing to watch the fog roll of the lake.  It was close to 40 degrees at the lake and I was glad I thought to bring light gloves and an extra jacket.  While I ate my lunch I watched the fog slide across the glassy water and begin to clear.  As the day warmed (very slightly) the fog lifted to reveal a beautiful, clear, deep blue lake, surrounded by more beautiful firs and maples.  This was Melakwa Lake, and it was amazing.  

I took my time wandering around the lake and came to find on the far end what is Upper Melakwa Lake. Much smaller, and feeding itself into the main body, it was dramatically set into the valley as if placed there purposefully.   Its entry to the main body was quite beautiful as well.  Creating a mini bubbling creek through a narrow gap in the rocks, it filled the main body and allowed the two lakes to coexist peacefully. 

 As cool air began to creep through my layers, it signaled my time to get my body moving again to generate some heat. So I bid farewell for now to these sister lakes and made my way back down the valley retracing my steps to Fannie waiting, who was waiting to take me on my next adventure.

From Great Falls, we traveled to East Glacier Park, Montana for a quick night stay in a quiet cabin just outside the reservation town of Browning. We enjoyed a complimentary breakfast first thing in the morning and promptly set out to try and grab a campsite at the famously competitive campground called Many Glacier in Glacier National Park. It was an unusually busy Wednesday and all of the campsites on the east side of the park filled up before 11:00 am! We were had to drive through the park to the west side campgrounds, and we really feel that was for a good reason.

Not only was the drive to the west side breathtaking, the campsite that we landed was pretty awesome. At Apgar campground, we had phone service, easy access to firewood, ice, and restaurants and stores, and we were right on the absolutely gorgeous Lake McDonald.

After we set up camp we went for a quick hike to the west side of the lake.  The lake feeds McDonald Creek, which we crossed over on our hike.  It has the clearest water we’ve ever seen.  The color went from perfectly clear, to turquoise to deep blue.  The lake is the same way.  They both look incredibly inviting to swim in, but you either have to have super tough skin or have to be really hot, because the water is frigid.

Back at our camp we made dinner and received a visitor at our campsite.  This Pika came right up to our picnic table and sniffed around our feet. He was extremely bold!  It probably means someone has fed him in the past, which you aren’t supposed to do.  Keep our wild animals wild!

After dinner we headed back to the lake to take in the sunset.  We noticed there was a slight haze hanging about the park earlier in the day, and now it was very pronounced.  It turns out there was a large wild fire south west of the park and the smoke was carrying in turning everything slightly blurred.  While not ideal for our shots of the park, it added a beautiful softness to the night landscape around the lake.

The next morning we got up bright and early to beat the crowds on our hike.  We drove up to Logan Pass, which is the only pass through the park, to hike up to hidden lake.  

The main trail out to hidden lake is mostly boardwalk and filled with day-trippers just out for a walk. It offers some beautiful scenery, a chance to see mountain goats, and a view of Hidden Lake.  We took this trail all the way to the end to get our first partial view of the lake.  

We also got a great show by a Marmot.  He was playing right by the trail and kept ducking in and out of the brush.  What we weren’t prepared for is that when they’re scared they make a very high pitched long whistle to warn others of the impending danger.

On our way up to the main lookout we noticed a man going out a side trail to the east of us.  It looked like a little more of a challenge that we were looking for, so we decided to take the trail.  At the trailhead we were met by a gatekeeper. He was very intent on blocking our way. We tried to circle around him but he came to meet us that way.  We realized it was because we just had a snack and the smell of food was emanating from us.  A few quick claps and shouts and the goats move out of your way!

So on we continued on our hike out toward Mt Reynolds.  We followed a well-worn path over rock and snow across the slope.  Neither of us had traversed on this type of terrain (well, Max had on a split-board but no on foot!) so it took a little getting used to. 

We started to gain altitude, and lose our breath, as we made the final scramble to get to the ridge.  The last push was totally worth it.  We were given a full view of Hidden Lake.  We took a little rest at the top with two kids, their mom, and their grandma!  Though we were looking at the same lake as before, it was more gratifying to know that far less people see it from this vantage point, and the effort you put in to get there makes it all the better.

The mosquitos started to close in on us so we took our leave back down the ridge, across the rock and snow, and onto the main boardwalk.

After our hike we went for a swim down at the lake, but not before we stopped for a few more sights on the way.

On our last morning we snuck in a quick hike on the Loop Trail before heading out of the park.  It offered a great view of Heaven’s Peak and the surrounding valley.  Since we hustled on the hike, and the breeze of the day before disappeared, we stopped for one more quick dip in the lake before we left.  Feeling refreshed and somewhat clean, we hopped in Fannie and headed for Missoula.

After Yellowstone we continued our journey north into Montana for a few quick stops on our way to Glacier National Park.

A couple days camping were enough to make us ready for a good breakfast and we had heard that Livingston is a wonderful little town.  Luckily enough it was right on our way to Bozeman.  We did a little research on our drive in and settled on a place called Pinky’s Café to fill us up.  We couldn’t have picked a better place: great food, great people, and just what we needed. Livingston has a done great job of preserving history and it shows in their buildings, storefronts, and attitude.

We left Livingston for a quick night/sleep in Bozeman to stock up on supplies and sleep in a real bed, and then we set off for the Lewis & Clark National Forest.  Morning brought us rain and it stayed with us through our drive and into camp.  

When we got to the campsite it was just misting so we were able to set up camp and get a fire going with no real problems.  But soon after… a nice, steady rain descended.  While we couldn’t do much exploring, it did make for some beautiful mist/steam/clouds rolling through the hills of pine trees.

The next morning we woke up to sunshine and took full advantage by going for a hike.  The trail, called Dry Gulch, followed a seemingly dry gulch up the valley.  But to our surprise it actually wasn’t dry, the stream just took turns running above and below ground.  Readily available hydration made for some beautiful wildflowers along the way, which Linda expertly captured.

After we got back it was time to refuel and we did so with delicious sandwiches made on our new favorite gluten-free bread, Franz.  It’s a Northwest chain and we’re excited we’ll be able to get it in Seattle!

Finished with our lunch we packed up camp and continued north to Great Falls where we stayed in a truly fantastic Airbnb.  The home was a beautiful, well-kept Victorian built in 1914, and the host was wonderful. She shared stories, beer, wine, and anything else we asked for, needed, or she insisted upon us.

The next day we walked around downtown to get some supplies and take in the local scene before heading to Glacier.  It was a quick but great stay in Great Falls and we’ll be back again!

After a quick stay in Jackson, we started driving north toward Yellowstone!  We were ready for our first foray into the National Parks and were excited to start with arguably the most iconic. As we already had a campsite reserved we were in no rush, so instead of going straight to setting up camp, we did a little sightseeing beforehand.  Our first stop was at Geyser Basin.  The geysers, hot springs, and mineral pools are amazing with vivid colors, sheer force, and incredible heat coming from below the earth’s surface.

Obviously we were going to see Old Faithful, though we stood away from most of the crowds, but we had a little time to kill before it went off so we took a quick walk around some of the close hot springs.

It’s amazing the accuracy with which they can estimate Old Faithful erupting.  They estimate every 90 minutes + 10 minutes but it was on the minute for both eruptions we were there for.

After we witnessed the clockwork geyser, we set off on the boardwalk to view the other sights of Geyser Basin.  The sights, sounds, and smells were an assault on the senses and the incredible diversity of pools and springs so close to one another was really quite astounding.

After a nice walk around all Geyser Basin had to offer we decided to head for our campsite.  We unpacked, made dinner, and relaxed by the campfire to prep for the next (big) day.

The next morning we got up bright and early to try and beat the heat on our hike.  We received some recommendations on hikes from a Park Ranger and decided on one called Mary Mountain.  It takes off west through the prairie and is a good spot for viewing wildlife.  While the hike was beautiful and a great stretch for our legs, we got shut out on wildlife besides the ubiquitous Buffalo that hang out in this part of the park.

After our hike we went to check out some more sights.  If you’ve ever watched a documentary of Yellowstone then you have seen the Lower Falls. They are located in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and are quite an impressive sight along with the Canyon itself.

As we hadn’t gotten our fill on water falls for the day we drove farther north in the park to Tower Falls. While a little more secluded and not quite as massive, Tower Falls are beautiful cascade of water in an otherwise benign (we say the lightly) part of the park.

The next morning on our way out of the park, we decided to visit Lower Falls again, but this time from the South Rim of the Canyon.  It offers a much better vantage point and you are considerably closer.  On our way to the falls we were treated to some more wildlife, this time a bit closer than before!

We really lucked out on our visit to Lower Falls this time.  As we were walking down the path there was a photography tour group just ahead of us.  We sidled a bit closer to see if we could pick up an intel and we sure did. Apparently we were in the exact right place at the exact right time as the sun light was about to hit the falls just right, and create a beautiful rainbow of colors in the mist.  A few minutes earlier or later and we wouldn’t have been able to witness it!