I knew it was late in the season, but I headed up to Ingalls Lake with the hope that a few larches still had their needles.
There were a few trees that still had needles and most of the trees had some, but not like it would have been two weeks ago. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t a beautiful hike. It was a gorgeous afternoon.
The trail started off in the shade with warm spots of sunshine. they were perfect for taking a couple of bites out of a Hersey's bar and sipping water.
Like all hikes, this one kept climbing above the tree line where the views were beautiful and the air thin. I thought I might have had a touch of altitude sickness, but on second thought decided it was food poisoning. I do not recommend taking pastrami sandwiches with Aioli. It made for an uncomfortable two hours.
I crested the ridge
and headed down into headlamp basin. You have to be here after dark in the summer after dark when all of the climbers have returned from climbing Mt Stuart to appreciate how it got its name.
I wandered around for an hour setting relaxing in the meadows and jumping over streams.
and playing at the ponds
But I wanted to get back over Snoqualmie Pass before they closed it for rock blasting. On the way out, I discovered some grasses that were the color of my hair, when I was ten years old. There was good reason they called me carrot top. Alas, the only reminder of my red hair is the mis information on my drivers license.
I made it over the pass with two minutes to spare before they closed the road. I pulled into the rest area to use my cell phone. When I pulled back onto the freeway, I didn’t see another car until I got to North Bend. It was eerie. Like those day after movies when you drive around in your car to see if there are any other people left alive.
