10-05-23
I
wanted to get in a mid-week larch
hike. The most popular places are now mobbed on those few weekends when
the larch are peaking each year. I suggested another trip to Ingalls
Lake to Gary Westerlund. Though just back from Spain at the start of
the week he was up for the hike. John was not available. The weather
forecast changed daily and we settled on Thursday even though there was
a high likelihood of overcast part of the day. Larch trees need bright
sunshine to make their golden needles shine. We planned an early start
as the parking lot fills fast even on weekdays. We met in Issaquah at
6:25 am. It was my turn to drive. At this point in the year it was dark
until well after 6:25 am. We headed east on I-90 with a little light
mist falling. We went up over Snoqualmie Pass and east to Cle Elum then
up the North Fork Teanaway Road. Last weekend there was the first
snowfall of the season but a report on Wednesday confirmed all the snow
had melted. The Teanaway Road has been recently graded. It is in
excellent shape. There are currently almost no pot holes. Just a little
washboard. We made very good time up the road. We arrived at the end of
the road parking lot at 8:10 am. The lot was about full. There were a
few spots to fit in sideways but I drove a very short way down the road
and parked. It was just a minute or so walk to the trailhead. It was 44
degrees at the start. It was colder lower down. The sky was clear.
We were on the trail at 8:20 am. When we got up we both noticed the 57% chance of clouds dropped to about 5%. We never saw a cloud all day long. This is a trip we do about every other year. We were both surprised to see that it had been five years since our last visit. The climb out of the parking lot is among the steepest parts of the whole trip. Just the thing to help us warm up. Cold was not something we had to deal with for long. After the first steep climb, the grade settles down to a moderate level. A few breaks in the forest provided views over to a half in shadow Esmeralda Peak right above the trailhead. We also had views over to Fortune Peak. There are some red berry leaves down low but few after that. After the junction with the trail to Longs Pass the route was more out in the open. The sun was still to low to shine on us. We soon did have a look south to Koppen Mountain. On past trips we noticed the narrow and sloping tread in places with a steep drop down the slope. This time it was much better. Wider and less sloping.
Some faster hikers passed by us. We caught up to a big group and decided to just stay behind them. Their speed was close to ours. We did get by them before Ingalls Pass when they stopped. On our drive over, road signs noted that both directions of I-90 would be closed at least an hour for rock blasting at 5:45 pm. Westbound it would be 14 miles from Cle Elum. We decided to get down in time to make it through before the closure. That would lessen our time on the trip and make time with larch in the basin a priority over time at the lake. We remained in shade most of the way up to the pass. That was fine with me as it was warming up and I did not come close to overheating. We reached Ingalls Pass at 10:01 am. Mt. Rainier was in sight to the south and now Mt. Stuart was just to the north. The snow had all melted on Stuart but with blue sky and sunshine it looked great. Did I mention the larch? They were in sight everywhere. There were a few green trees but the vast majority were at their peak. Our timing was great.
We took a break at the pass. We were not alone. To the left in Headlight Basin the larch were a muted yellow. To the right they were very colorful. That was the trick all day. Getting to a spot where the sunlight lit them up. After our break and photos we headed left to the upper basin. The rocky trail went through some larch trees then dropped a little to the basin. Looking back to the pass the trees were nicely lit up. We headed over to a spot with a clear view of Mt. Stuart. Below is a forest of golden larch trees. The colors were magical. The low morning sunshine lit up the trees. We were in no hurry to move on. I was really pleased with the larch forest with Mt. Stuart in the background.
After that, we followed the trail as it meandered through the golden trees. There are some very tall larch and some shorter ones with big trunks. There are also some silver larch snags that provide contrast. High on the basin wall were shelves with golden larch trees. The background was still dart providing a great background for the larch trees. On all the October larch trips I have taken to Ingalls Pass this was the warmest day. We had clear sky all day long. The larch trees were really lit up. With these conditions we just kept looking around and taking photos. We dropped down to the big meadow. A stream runs through it. It reaches the cliffy drop to the lower basin and flows right over the edge. There are larch trees, the stream, and Mt. Stuart in the background. We then headed for the trail to the toilet. It winds its way through a great larch forest. This is one of the best places to see small and large larch trees. By now it was already 11:25 am. The highway closure had us looking at the time.
We decided to head on to Ingalls Lake. The lake is beautiful. We were more interested in the golden larch but the lake is a worthwhile addition to the trip. The route heads around the end of the basin. The route is rocky but easy enough to hike. Looking back to where we had been, larch trees dotted the slopes of the basin. That provided a different view of the golden trees. We saw hikers going in both directions. Quite a few were already on their way back from the lake. The route for the climb to the lake basin is vague in places but there are numerous cairns to guide hikers. We topped out at the lake at 12:01 pm and headed along the rock above the lake to our lunch spot. We had a great view of the lake with Mt. Stuart behind and to the right. There were groups of hikers to the right, below us, and to the left. Some were heading around the left side to the end of the lake. It was a comfortably warm early October day. Our lunch break lasted until 12:40 pm. I would have liked to spend more time but we had a 2:00 pm target time to get back to the pass. We also had time for more photos in the upper basin.
We dropped down from the lake and retraced our route back to the best larch area near the big meadow. The lighting was different but was still very good. We usually reach this point later in the afternoon and the lighting is not good. At 1:10 pm it was still great. We have had a few sunny days with some fresh snow and that is fantastic. This warm snow free day with bright sunshine was different but much appreciated. It will be hard to have better conditions on future October visits. We finally worked our way back to Ingalls Pass at about 1:50 pm. It was just before our target time. We had a final food and water break and took a few more photos. At 2:01 pm we headed down.
The first part below the pass is rocky and our speed was moderate. Farther down the grade eases and the trail is smoother. We were able to make much better time on the smoother trail. We did notice smoke over the ridge. It looked to be in the MF or WF of the Teanaway. The smoke was blowing to the west. Several days later I still do not know if this was a wildfire or planned. It looked to be pretty big. Other than that, the sky stayed pretty clear. It did warm up as we descended. Never enough to bother me. We reached the trailhead at 3:26 pm. That was well below our 4:00 pm target. We were able to stop for food and gas and still beat the road closure handily. We were early enough back in Seattle that I had to deal with late rush hour traffic.
Looking at trip reports for Saturday, I see that the weekend was a real mess. Reports talk about cars parked over two miles down the road. Our Thursday trip was much less crowded. I can't see where I will ever do this larch trip on a weekend again. The good news is that we had great conditions and not overwhelming crowds on a Thursday. The lighting was as good as I can recall on this trip. The weather was warmer than I can recall. The larch were very near their peak. It was a really magical day for a larch hike.
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Trips - 2023
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We were on the trail at 8:20 am. When we got up we both noticed the 57% chance of clouds dropped to about 5%. We never saw a cloud all day long. This is a trip we do about every other year. We were both surprised to see that it had been five years since our last visit. The climb out of the parking lot is among the steepest parts of the whole trip. Just the thing to help us warm up. Cold was not something we had to deal with for long. After the first steep climb, the grade settles down to a moderate level. A few breaks in the forest provided views over to a half in shadow Esmeralda Peak right above the trailhead. We also had views over to Fortune Peak. There are some red berry leaves down low but few after that. After the junction with the trail to Longs Pass the route was more out in the open. The sun was still to low to shine on us. We soon did have a look south to Koppen Mountain. On past trips we noticed the narrow and sloping tread in places with a steep drop down the slope. This time it was much better. Wider and less sloping.
Some faster hikers passed by us. We caught up to a big group and decided to just stay behind them. Their speed was close to ours. We did get by them before Ingalls Pass when they stopped. On our drive over, road signs noted that both directions of I-90 would be closed at least an hour for rock blasting at 5:45 pm. Westbound it would be 14 miles from Cle Elum. We decided to get down in time to make it through before the closure. That would lessen our time on the trip and make time with larch in the basin a priority over time at the lake. We remained in shade most of the way up to the pass. That was fine with me as it was warming up and I did not come close to overheating. We reached Ingalls Pass at 10:01 am. Mt. Rainier was in sight to the south and now Mt. Stuart was just to the north. The snow had all melted on Stuart but with blue sky and sunshine it looked great. Did I mention the larch? They were in sight everywhere. There were a few green trees but the vast majority were at their peak. Our timing was great.
We took a break at the pass. We were not alone. To the left in Headlight Basin the larch were a muted yellow. To the right they were very colorful. That was the trick all day. Getting to a spot where the sunlight lit them up. After our break and photos we headed left to the upper basin. The rocky trail went through some larch trees then dropped a little to the basin. Looking back to the pass the trees were nicely lit up. We headed over to a spot with a clear view of Mt. Stuart. Below is a forest of golden larch trees. The colors were magical. The low morning sunshine lit up the trees. We were in no hurry to move on. I was really pleased with the larch forest with Mt. Stuart in the background.
After that, we followed the trail as it meandered through the golden trees. There are some very tall larch and some shorter ones with big trunks. There are also some silver larch snags that provide contrast. High on the basin wall were shelves with golden larch trees. The background was still dart providing a great background for the larch trees. On all the October larch trips I have taken to Ingalls Pass this was the warmest day. We had clear sky all day long. The larch trees were really lit up. With these conditions we just kept looking around and taking photos. We dropped down to the big meadow. A stream runs through it. It reaches the cliffy drop to the lower basin and flows right over the edge. There are larch trees, the stream, and Mt. Stuart in the background. We then headed for the trail to the toilet. It winds its way through a great larch forest. This is one of the best places to see small and large larch trees. By now it was already 11:25 am. The highway closure had us looking at the time.
We decided to head on to Ingalls Lake. The lake is beautiful. We were more interested in the golden larch but the lake is a worthwhile addition to the trip. The route heads around the end of the basin. The route is rocky but easy enough to hike. Looking back to where we had been, larch trees dotted the slopes of the basin. That provided a different view of the golden trees. We saw hikers going in both directions. Quite a few were already on their way back from the lake. The route for the climb to the lake basin is vague in places but there are numerous cairns to guide hikers. We topped out at the lake at 12:01 pm and headed along the rock above the lake to our lunch spot. We had a great view of the lake with Mt. Stuart behind and to the right. There were groups of hikers to the right, below us, and to the left. Some were heading around the left side to the end of the lake. It was a comfortably warm early October day. Our lunch break lasted until 12:40 pm. I would have liked to spend more time but we had a 2:00 pm target time to get back to the pass. We also had time for more photos in the upper basin.
We dropped down from the lake and retraced our route back to the best larch area near the big meadow. The lighting was different but was still very good. We usually reach this point later in the afternoon and the lighting is not good. At 1:10 pm it was still great. We have had a few sunny days with some fresh snow and that is fantastic. This warm snow free day with bright sunshine was different but much appreciated. It will be hard to have better conditions on future October visits. We finally worked our way back to Ingalls Pass at about 1:50 pm. It was just before our target time. We had a final food and water break and took a few more photos. At 2:01 pm we headed down.
The first part below the pass is rocky and our speed was moderate. Farther down the grade eases and the trail is smoother. We were able to make much better time on the smoother trail. We did notice smoke over the ridge. It looked to be in the MF or WF of the Teanaway. The smoke was blowing to the west. Several days later I still do not know if this was a wildfire or planned. It looked to be pretty big. Other than that, the sky stayed pretty clear. It did warm up as we descended. Never enough to bother me. We reached the trailhead at 3:26 pm. That was well below our 4:00 pm target. We were able to stop for food and gas and still beat the road closure handily. We were early enough back in Seattle that I had to deal with late rush hour traffic.
Looking at trip reports for Saturday, I see that the weekend was a real mess. Reports talk about cars parked over two miles down the road. Our Thursday trip was much less crowded. I can't see where I will ever do this larch trip on a weekend again. The good news is that we had great conditions and not overwhelming crowds on a Thursday. The lighting was as good as I can recall on this trip. The weather was warmer than I can recall. The larch were very near their peak. It was a really magical day for a larch hike.
 Parking Lot |
 In The Shade |
 Fall Leaf Colors |
 Esmeralda Peak |
 Rocky Trail |
 Fortune Peak |
 Mt. Rainier In Sight |
 First Larch Trees |
 Larch & Mt. Stuart |
 Sun Shine On Larch |
 Heading For Basin |
 Ideal Conditions |
 Really Bright |
 Dark Rocks |
 Muted Colors |
 Ingalls Pass |
 Better Colors? |
 Gary In Upper Basin |
 Lots Of Rocks |
 Break Spot |
 Stunning! |
 Close Up Larch |
 Gary At Break |
 Back On Trail |
 Stuart Framed |
 Tall Larch Trees |
 Rock Slab & Larch |
 Old Larch |
 A Green Larch |
 Bent Trunks |
 Dark Background |
 Gary & Larch |
 Stuart Framed Again |
 Privy With A View |
 Video Time |
 Meadow, Stream, Larch |
 Shadows |
 Larch On Slope |
 Best Angle |
 Waterfall & Stuart |
 Needles Close Up |
 Blue & Yellow |
 Looking Back |
 End Of Basin |
 Just Below The Lake |
 Ingalls Lake |
 Descending From Lake |
 Bright Grass |
 Background In Shade |
 Gary Is Still At Work |
 Slope Is On Fire |
 Great Afternoon Color |
 Gary Is On The Trail |
 Big Step Up |
 Open Trail |
 Brightly Lit Grass |
Trips - 2023
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