Gold Creek

Sometimes I intentionally go hiking in the snow.  It's called snow shoeing, but people still ask me "why do you do that?  Well, it's beautiful, it is usually quiet, and if you're at Snoqualmie Pass, you can get a great cup of hot chocolate at Red Mountain Coffee when you're done.

When you hike the same place it can be different because of the light, weather, or fall foliage, but in the winter it actually changes shape depending on the amount of snow.  I  like edges of Gold Creek or Mardee Lake. I have never seen the same ice formation or reflection twice.

In the summer it is easy to see that Mardee lake was formed from a gravel pit used to build I-90, but in the winter it is different.  Some times it is a lake and some times it is covered with snow and ice,  Ive seen beaver swim in it and foot prints that cross what looks like an open  snow field only to disappear in the center. (I kind of wonder about those foot prints.) Monet painted 30 pictures of Rouen Cathedral to catch the  light at differnt times of the day across its facade.  I've taken several hundered photographs of the light on Mardee Lake, but you're in luck.  I'm only going to post two.

And the lake is quite beautiful when the sun had gone down behind the hills. (Bring a warm coat.  It is also quite chilly.)

Of course, to see beavers swiming, you need a little open water than in this picture.

And once the sun has gone down, you get some great mists that form over the open water.

So it was a great day followed by hot chocolate and a safe drive home.

Green Lake

Normally I hike in the mountains, but there are  walks in the city that are short, flat, and just across the street from fine resturants.  It is civilized walks with nature that are great on a afternoon when you do not have a lot of hours.  So Tom, Marily, Molly and I headed off to Green Lake to see the fall colors. There are several types of decidious trees that turn gold and loose their leaves, but look like everygreens.

There is a nice grove of Western Larches or tammaracks if you're from Montana.  The closest stand of these trees that I know of are at Ingals Lake and usually involves a ten mile round trip hike with three thousand feet of elevation gain.  If you ask Mary and Vangie, they will also say that it requires hours of hiking through deep snow.  This tree does not naturally grow below 6500 feet, so I was very surprised to see it at Green Lake.

You can see that the needles look just like a fir tree.  It only stays this color for about a week before the needles drop off.

And there are the completely normal trees that turn gold and lose their leaves

And then Green Lake itself is quite beautiful.



So if you would like to see some fall color, do not want to hike ten miles through the snow, and would like to stop at a good resturant afterwards, then head over to Green Lake. Otherwise, I'll be heading back to Ingals Lake next fall and you are welcome to join me.

Rattle Snake Ledge

It was a beautiful crisp fall afternoon and I headed up from Rattlesnake Lake to the ledge. You can see the top of the ledge in the top left of this picture. It’s a great hike if you’ve only got three or four hours and don’t want to spend them in the car driving. It is just out of North Bend

It is not a wilderness experience. You can expect to see people from age three to age eighty and a fair number of people glaring at the person who brought them. But it is the best view for a one hour hike in the state.

In the distance you can see Chester Morse Lake, the source of your drinking water if you are from Seattle, or if you’re from Mercer Island which happens to buy its water from Seattle. The canyon in front is boxley canyon.

As crowded as this gets, if you continue on for another ten minutes to the second ledge, you will likely be all alone. I’ve seen 50 people setting on the ledge, moved on for ten minutes, and watched for an hour without anyone walking by me. and you get to watch all of the people on the first ledge hanging on for dear life. You walk out of the trees and in five steps you’re at the edge of 600 foot drop off. Many people get there before realizing it, quickly set down and carefully scoot back.

The moon was rising over Mt. Washington and in the distance you can see Bandera Mountain. 

 

The best time to hike this trail is to time it so that you’re at the top about an hour before sunset. The walk through the trees usually has a beautiful golden lightand you get back to the lake to see a sunset.

And if it is the fall, the timing is perfect to stop at Scotts in North bend for one of their great burgers.

 



Snow Lake

 

I went up to Snow Lake because I refuse to believe that autumn is over and winter has begun.  The trail in supported the idea that autumn is still here,

but I hit my first snow on the trail at 3500 feet.  It was a light dusting at that altitude, but it stayed there all day and didn’t melt.  Winter has started.

When I reach the pass above Snow Lake, the lake was trying its hardest to live up to its name.

and the freeze thaw cycles of the previous week had laid down a inch of slick ice on the trail.

But I made down to the back country off trail to some beautiful little lakes

with a lot  of interesting ice formations.

The best light for the grasses is just before the sun goes down, but it really cools off quickly when that happens.

But luckily it is only a twenty minute climb back up to the pass and you are back into the sunshine. It was still a quick hour and fifteen minutes back to the warmth of the car.

 

Full set of photos