Talapus Lake Hike 6/4/2006
Talapus Lake
Amy's not really a big fan of hiking and now I know why. Every time I talk her into going, the weather turns out to be miserable. Yesterday was the worst. Though it was partly cloudy in Fall City, thick clouds were piling up over the West Cascades. I had selected the Talapus Lake/Olallie Lake trail because it was fairly short, fairly easy in terms of elevation gain and had had a lake for a scenic destination.
When we got to the trailhead, I uttered another classic line that Amy will never let me forget. It had started sprinking and I said that "any storm is likely to blow over us very fast." I had said this because the sky wasn't that dark and the clouds were moving incredibly fast over the mountains. 30 minutes later we were completely soaked. Amy suffered a lot more than I did because she didn't have proper hiking boots. The mud was so pervasive and thick that every few steps your foot was completely submerged in it. My feet stayed dry the entire hike thanks to my Vasque Gore-Tex boots and my Thor-Lo socks. Amy wasn't so lucky but decided to push on to the lake.
During the moderate climb, virtually every person we passed was carrying an ice axe. This didn't make much sense to me since it was June and the lake is only at 3,350 feet in elevation. Surely all of the snow had melted by now. Nope. Some sections of the trail had at least a foot of snow but it was firmly packed and I didn't sense any risk of falling through. The warm temps and the steam off the melting snow added to the rather spooky setting. The lake was nice though without much of a shore and we didn't stay long. We looked like a couple of drowned rats.
Amy crossing the creek
You can see more photos in my Talapus Lake Flickr Photoset
Getting There:
Go off I-90 on Exit 45 (Forest Road 9030), cross under the freeway, and continue straight for one mile.
At a split, go right (still on 9030) for 5.4 miles to the trailhead and parking lot. Room for about 30 cars. Northwest Forest Pass is required.
June 5th, 2006 - 18:45
Beautiful country! Amy DOES look like a drowned rat :). How long was the hike?
Love, Ma
June 5th, 2006 - 18:54
It’s 2.1 miles to Talapus Lake so 4.2 total. Amy was at least wearing a waterproof shell but he pants were completely soaked as were her feet. I had waterproof boots but had no jacket. I did have a lightweight jacket in my pack but it’s not waterproof and breathes like a wetsuit so I only have it in case it gets cold and windy.
June 6th, 2006 - 06:14
Poor Amy!! What fabulous pictures, love the scenery!!
njb
April 2nd, 2007 - 00:00
Beautiful photos, and that’s not easy given the bleak weather you had. I took my mom hiking in the Cascades earlier today, and did this same hike, but with a 13 year old basset hound, so we didn’t make it all the way up to the lake. Those stairs were getting harder and harder for a dog with small legs to climb.
Glad the goretex boots kept you dry, though. It’s beautiful, and you should head up there again with your camera. I found you on Google trying to see what the rest of the trail was like, and the lake is just gorgeous.