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User-Name
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Joined: 10 Aug 2010
Posts: 312 | TRs | Pics
Location: bellevue |
Yesterday's weather-perfect Sunday provided a great opportunity to do a bit of peakbagging in the Alpine Lakes Playground via a route that included some absolutely stunning backcountry scenery. Seriously, I almost never resort to using threadbare superlatives like "stunning," but this one definitely applies in the case of the Mineral Creek - Chikamin Lake trek; I guess it's only the distance and elevation that keep this jawdropper of a hike from being trampled to death by the weekend hordes. What follows is a hopeless attempt to convey a fraction of the natural beauty we encountered on a lazy Sunday in August.
Our boots hit the trail at around 9:30 AM, and we were back in Roslyn scarfing burgers and quaffing microbrew sometime around 6:00 or 7:00 PM. We realized early on that we'd be taking our time with this one. The route is just too damned pretty to rush. Some snaps...
 First six miles brought us up and out of the jungle, where we got our first peek at the peak: Lemah One, first from the left in this shot.  A dying tarn.  Chikamin Peak, campers, from Glacier lake.  Heading up from the lake, the cairned path traverses a jumble of car-sized boulders--very fun!  Four Brothers.  Endless slabs make for rapid booting...  Infinity pool...  ...again.  Lower slopes of Lemah One.  Gettin' our scramble on!  The upper slopes  Nick tops out after making the last few moves on the summit block (class 4?).  This was my second Lemah, having climbed "Five" years ago with EJohnson. The middle Lemahs look waaay scarier than the two bookend peaks, though.  Chickie from the Lemah summit.  Nick drops through the little summit chimney, crux of the scramble.  Heading down to the lake for a half-hour nap.  A hikeout shot...  ...and another.  A final look back at Lemah One, just before jogging back out to beers in Roslyn. Thanks, Nick, Max for a memorable day in the hills...
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neek
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Joined: 12 Sep 2011
Posts: 2338 | TRs | Pics
Location: Seattle, WA |
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neek
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 Mon Aug 17, 2015 11:16 am |
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Really pleasant hike. A few notes:
- Road is in very good condition
- Mineral Creek trail was recently brushed
- Zero bugs
And some snaps:
 Tracks and stats  Contemplating the route  Pretty straightforward!  Starting the climb up Lemah One  Summit is on the left  About halfway up  Small pool to the east  Lemah Two...yikes  The only step that really required hands was the final few feet to the summit  Crawling through the tunnel  Post summit and blueberry binge relaxation
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olderthanIusedtobe
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Joined: 05 Sep 2011
Posts: 7722 | TRs | Pics
Location: Shoreline |
That's covering some ground for a day trip, nice job. Cool pics too.
Mineral Creek got brushed out?! Interesting.
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User-Name
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Joined: 10 Aug 2010
Posts: 312 | TRs | Pics
Location: bellevue |
Oooh....sweet route shots and documentation, Nickel! 
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RichP
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Joined: 13 Jul 2006
Posts: 5634 | TRs | Pics
Location: here |
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RichP
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Mon Aug 17, 2015 9:21 pm |
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Beautiful pics and great info for those that follow.
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User-Name
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Joined: 10 Aug 2010
Posts: 312 | TRs | Pics
Location: bellevue |
Adding a couple of Max's photos...
 A summit register pic...  If you like really tasty wild blueberries, the entire upper mountain is covered with them. There are literal acres of wild blueberries...it's weird.
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jbaillie
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Joined: 20 Oct 2011
Posts: 63 | TRs | Pics
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jbaillie
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Mon Aug 17, 2015 10:53 pm |
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Great Pics, I need to get in there
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Bernardo
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Joined: 08 Feb 2010
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Location: out and about in the world |
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Bernardo
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Mon Aug 17, 2015 11:10 pm |
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Nice Trip. You do some great day treks!
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puzzlr
Mid Fork Rocks
Joined: 13 Feb 2007
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Location: Stuck in the middle |
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puzzlr
Mid Fork Rocks
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Tue Aug 18, 2015 11:25 am |
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Nice photos. I'm glad it IS a long ways in which keeps most day-trippers out, excepting animals like you two!
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Bernardo
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Bernardo
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Tue Aug 18, 2015 9:08 pm |
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I think brushed-out is a relative term here. It was about the same as a year ago a few days earlier when I went through. It's nothing compared to some of the off-trail brush that people on this site report on, but it's not the PCT either.
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neek
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Joined: 12 Sep 2011
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Location: Seattle, WA |
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neek
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Tue Aug 18, 2015 9:25 pm |
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| Bernardo wrote: | | I think brushed-out is a relative term here. It was about the same as a year ago a few days earlier when I went through. It's nothing compared to some of the off-trail brush that people on this site report on, but it's not the PCT either. |
True. But it was a vast improvement from two years ago when the trail was completely obscured for a few miles. Northwest Youth Corps was actively working the area when we went through. I understand there are some pretty rough parts of the PCT north of Glacier Peak...
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olderthanIusedtobe
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Joined: 05 Sep 2011
Posts: 7722 | TRs | Pics
Location: Shoreline |
Yeah it's all relative. I encountered a northbound PCT hiker last month that was kinda freaked out about the brush climbing up out of Milk Creek. That was nothing. He needed to poke around in Washington some more if he really wanted to encounter some brush. Following the wrong drainage down from Lime Ridge...now THAT was some brush!
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John Morrow
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Joined: 03 Apr 2007
Posts: 1526 | TRs | Pics
Location: Roslyn |
| olderthanIusedtobe wrote: | | Yeah it's all relative. I encountered a northbound PCT hiker last month that was kinda freaked out about the brush climbing up out of Milk Creek. That was nothing. He needed to poke around in Washington some more if he really wanted to encounter some brush. Following the wrong drainage down from Lime Ridge...now THAT was some brush! |
Indeed, knockout the woody stuff: alder, maple, and ash all the way back to the base and the ferns, thimbleberry, and salmonberry come in fast with a vengeance.
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”-Mary Oliver
“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.”
― MLK Jr.
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”-Mary Oliver
“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.”
― MLK Jr.
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John Morrow
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Joined: 03 Apr 2007
Posts: 1526 | TRs | Pics
Location: Roslyn |
| User-Name wrote: | This was my second Lemah, having climbed "Five" years ago with EJohnson. The middle Lemahs look waaay scarier than the two bookend peaks, though. |
You've probably seen enough TR's on Main Lemah summit...it's a scramble.
Which route did you do on the summitblock of Lemah 5? I'd like to do 4 and 5 someday. Thanks
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”-Mary Oliver
“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.”
― MLK Jr.
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”-Mary Oliver
“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.”
― MLK Jr.
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User-Name
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Joined: 10 Aug 2010
Posts: 312 | TRs | Pics
Location: bellevue |
| John Morrow wrote: | | Which route did you do on the summitblock of Lemah 5? I'd like to do 4 and 5 someday. Thanks |
Here are some snaps that might help you in your Lemah Five climb. When I did this ten years ago, there was some snow--probably dry right now. I don't remember the exact trail (I was just following EJohnson), but we left the trail at some point, did a brief overland 'schwack to access a gorgeoous valley, then you basically just follow that valley to the summit...
 Approach valley, with massive, very kewl waterfall...  Basically just move up entire valley, which eventually turns into a gulley...  ...then up and left, and approach the summit pile from climber's left.  Final steepish snow slope.  Summit shot showing entire approach valley.  Saddle between Lemahs...  Looking over to the next Lemah in line... 
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