Day 4
We
woke up early again and packed
up to leave. Mosquitoes were pretty bad at the lake. A head net proved
very helpful. We started up the trail at 7:38 and reached the junction
with the main trail at 8:02 am. Maybe it was not so bad after all. We
hiked back along some meadowy slopes with the last good wildflower
display. After crossing the creek the route began the descent. Soon we
were in forest on the nice old trail. It was noticeably dark as we
descended the switchbacks. After the creek the last 6.6 or so miles are
on good trail tread and good old road/trail tread. Much easier walking.
We took a break at the end of the road section. Just 5.2 miles to go. Our pace picked up on the old road section. A couple miles down the road/trail we met the first people seen in nearly two days. They were planning a day trip to Meadow Lake. There are a number of better destinations in the area if you are planning a 15 mile day. The were the first and last people we saw. We crossed Crystal Creek and reached the Crystal Lake Trail junction with 1.5 miles to go. With a bout a mile to go we started up the long uphill stretch. 300' is not that much but with tired legs we were not pleased to hit it so close to the end. Gary upped the pace and we ground out the climb pretty quickly. We reached the trailhead at 10:45 am. One of the earliest times I have reached the car on a backpacking trip.
For the morning we hiked 7.8 miles with 690' of gain and 3235' of elevation loss. for the entire trip we hiked 32 miles with 8,800' of gain.
This was a very good backpacking trip. The wildflower show was not spectacular but it was very good. The views were tremendous and almost continuous once we climbed up to the ridge. The weather was a bit warmer than I like but it was sunny and not nearly as hot as the city. The nights were blissfully cool. The mosquitoes were a pain but we saw biting flies and they did not bite. That could have been a lot worse. We saw a total of nine other people over four days. That is not a bad ratio at all. There are a lot of very crowded trails but there are plenty of lesser traveled places too. The two long stops on the 6000' ridge top was the highlight of the trip for me. We were even early enough to stop for lunch and get back to Seattle before the afternoon/evening traffic crunch. All in all, both my visits to Meadow Mountain were terrific trips.
We took a break at the end of the road section. Just 5.2 miles to go. Our pace picked up on the old road section. A couple miles down the road/trail we met the first people seen in nearly two days. They were planning a day trip to Meadow Lake. There are a number of better destinations in the area if you are planning a 15 mile day. The were the first and last people we saw. We crossed Crystal Creek and reached the Crystal Lake Trail junction with 1.5 miles to go. With a bout a mile to go we started up the long uphill stretch. 300' is not that much but with tired legs we were not pleased to hit it so close to the end. Gary upped the pace and we ground out the climb pretty quickly. We reached the trailhead at 10:45 am. One of the earliest times I have reached the car on a backpacking trip.
For the morning we hiked 7.8 miles with 690' of gain and 3235' of elevation loss. for the entire trip we hiked 32 miles with 8,800' of gain.
This was a very good backpacking trip. The wildflower show was not spectacular but it was very good. The views were tremendous and almost continuous once we climbed up to the ridge. The weather was a bit warmer than I like but it was sunny and not nearly as hot as the city. The nights were blissfully cool. The mosquitoes were a pain but we saw biting flies and they did not bite. That could have been a lot worse. We saw a total of nine other people over four days. That is not a bad ratio at all. There are a lot of very crowded trails but there are plenty of lesser traveled places too. The two long stops on the 6000' ridge top was the highlight of the trip for me. We were even early enough to stop for lunch and get back to Seattle before the afternoon/evening traffic crunch. All in all, both my visits to Meadow Mountain were terrific trips.
 Morning At Lake |
 Heading Out |
 More Tiger Lilies |
 Last Snowy Peaks |
 John & Wildflowers |
 Flowery Meadows |
 Thistles |
 Great Color |
 Back To Road/Trail |
 On The Road Again |
 Road Is A Trail |
 Still Smiling |
 Last Sloan View |
 Last Pugh View |
 Foxglove |
 Back At Trailhead |
 Morning Panorama Shot Of Meadow Lake |
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Meadow Mountain Report
Trips - 2019
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