I made my second attempt this year to reach one of my favorite spots in the state, Snow Lake (and ideally, Gem Lake). Yet again, I turned around before I could reach Snow Lake.
The first time was a snowshoeing trip during which I followed the South Fork Snoqualmie river to Source Lake, but then stopped there. I could hear wet, loose snow moving, there was a lot of it, and I was alone, so I turned around.
Today, I took the regular hiking path that I had taken twice before. There was still a lot of snow there, but the trail was visible until I got to the point where the switchbacks normally start. Those were completely invisible. I guess I could have tried to continue due east on the path that’s on the slope just north of Source Lake, but again, there was a lot of loose, wet snow, sometimes I broke in to my hip, and I was alone. Then one of my trekking poles collapsed and I couldn’t extend one of the two segments, so I decided to turn around.
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- Trail to Snow Lake: Way bigger waterfalls than in the summer.
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- Trail to Snow Lake: Much more snow than I expected.
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- Trail to Snow Lake: The switchbacks were completely hidden. I turned around not much farther than this.
Out of four hikes I’ve done this year so far, I’ve only reached Mt. Si and Rattlesnake Ridge. But I’ve also been carrying a much heavier pack than in the last years, and it’s early in the year.
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- Mt. Si.
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- Rattlesnake Ridge.
It was still a gorgeous hike, but I’m learning to respect these easy hikes this early in the year.
