Forum Index > Trip Reports > A torrid overnight along Lost Creek Ridge to Lake Byrne -- 28-29 Jul 2018
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BeardoMcGrath
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BeardoMcGrath
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PostThu Oct 11, 2018 2:29 pm 
I’m always impressed with turnaround time for trip reports on this site, I have trouble finding time to write things up! In any case, here’s a call back to (much) warmer times in July. The various ridges and valleys around Glacier Peak are one of my favorite parts of the state and with a sunny (if hot) forecast in store I wanted to check out an area with nice views, maybe some wildflowers, and a campsite overlooking the aforementioned volcano. Despite some uncertainty about snow conditions on north facing aspects and some smoke moving in later in the weekend (in retrospect, not so bad as compared to later in the summer) I was ready for a trip along Lost Creek Ridge, and hopefully to Lake Byrne for the weekend. I planned an early departure from Seattle, at 6:30, and headed north. Unexpectedly, I ran into some rain around Everett, courtesy of an unplanned Puget Sound Convergence Zone (PSCZ), which was especially strange considering the already warm morning and sunny forecast. While I thought “this will probably be south of me” it was a little disappointing to head south from Darrington into dark clouds and rain. I arrived at the trailhead at 8:30 am in moderate rain, which was less than exciting. There were a few mosquitos around, a harbinger of things to come. I quickly loaded up and headed up the trail, crossing the many rickety log bridges before beginning the ascent up the ridge. This part of the hike isn’t particularly exciting, although the canopy provided a good cover for the light rain. By 10:15 am the rain had stopped and I was up at Bingley Gap. Contrary to some guidebook info, there really isn’t much of a view here and while there are some flat places to camp they don’t look too inviting, with little water nearby. The trail continues up along the ridge, switchbacking and offering occasional views to the north through the trees. At this point the boundary between clouds and sun was directly above, but immobile. The trail continues upwards, breaking into the open just before the junction to Round Lake. This area has beautiful meadows, with a steep dropoff and great view up the North Fork Sauk River Valley. Views to the south were somewhat obscured due to the combination of the leftover PSCZ overcast and haze.
PSCZ remnants over Sloan Peak
PSCZ remnants over Sloan Peak
I made a slight detour to the overlook over Round Lake at 11 am. At this point the sun was finally coming from behind the clouds and it was obvious it would be a warm day. Round Lake looked inviting, but was a bit too far down to visit with much of the trail left to go. Back at the trail junction I ran into a group celebrating a birthday, who also planned to go to Lake Byrne.
Round Lake
Round Lake
Beyond here the trail crosses a long, grassy slope to a small forested ridge. I had expected more wildflowers in this area than there were, but the extensive grassy slope was still very pretty. Coming to the small ridge I got my first view of Glacier Peak, and the long undulating ridge on the way to Lake Byrne.
Grassy traverse
Grassy traverse
First view of Glacier Peak
First view of Glacier Peak
Past the Round Lake junction the Lost Creek Ridge Trail is less well maintained, with more rooty and rocky sections, and many ups and downs. I reached the unmarked but obvious junction for the route to Sunup Lake around 11:30 am, and continued contouring below the crest of the ridge to a high point at 5880 ft, SW of Zi-iob Peak. This is the area one would go off-trail to summit Zi-iob, but with the haze and cloud to the south I decided to keep going, and reconsider summiting the next day on the way back.
From here the trail heads downhill, before contouring along the south side of the ridge and eventually coming to the crest, with a view down the much rockier north side into the White Chuck River valley. Along the way I spotted a small smoke plume down near the valley floor, above Lost Creek. No doubt it was caused by a lightning strike the day before, but it did make me a little wary that there might be more of a fire on my way back.
Smoke plume at lower left. Less prominent on the way back
Smoke plume at lower left. Less prominent on the way back
I stopped on the ridge crest just west of point 5923 for lunch at 12:45 pm under a scraggly tree that provided a bit of shade in what had become a hot day. With the toasty weather and longer than expected traverse high on the slope I was running a bit low on water, and hoped to find some soon after crossing to the north side of the ridge (in the future, I’d recommend filling up at one of the many streams flowing down from the slopes between Breccia and Zi-iob Peaks).
Last view on the south side
Last view on the south side
First view down to Fern Creek
First view down to Fern Creek
Zi-iob Peak from my lunch spot
Zi-iob Peak from my lunch spot
The trail makes its first move to the north side of the ridge to bypass point 5923, high above the small lake at the head of Fern Creek. In late July there was a little bit of snow left here, and this is likely the part of the route that would present an obstacle earlier in the season due to steep slopes that the trail traverses. Heading down to “Fern Lake” looked a little too far to get water, so I was happy to see there was a small stream around the corner at another unmarked junction, this time to “Fern Lake”. It looked like this stream was fed from a small snowfield so it may not be a good water source late in the season.
Trail on north side. May be trickier earlier in the season
Trail on north side. May be trickier earlier in the season
Nalgenes refilled, I was on my way again at 1:45 pm, back uphill to the ridgecrest and then in the trees on the south side again. Even in the shade, the heat was pretty intense and an upslope breeze wasn’t really helping. I was happy to cross over again to the north side to avoid point 5890, beyond which there was another snowfield prior to descending to the basin that holds Hardtack Lake. I stopped for a snack above the lake at 2:30 pm and enjoy the views across the valley and to Glacier Peak. Even though Hardtack Lake is not very big and rather shallow, the north end looks to have a couple nice campsites overlooking Camp Creek.
Green
Green
Hardtack Lake and basin
Hardtack Lake and basin
Hardtack Lake. Campsites at left end
Hardtack Lake. Campsites at left end
I continued on, contouring up and down and along the north side of the ridge, eventually gaining elevation to get to Camp Lake. While there weren’t many classic wildflowers on this trip, this section did feature extensive flowering heather, which was pretty in a subtle sort of way. Ascending around the basin at the head of Camp Creek offered nice views down towards White Chuck Mountain.
Route to Camp Lake
Route to Camp Lake
View back along the trail to Hardtack Lake
View back along the trail to Hardtack Lake
It was a relief to come up over the bump before Camp Lake, which featured a few floating icebergs. There was one other party at the campsite here, but they looked to be packing up and heading west. I stopped for a few minutes at the lake outlet to refill on water and enjoy the frigid water a bit; the deep azure color of the lake was hard to capture in photos but I did my best. After briefly considering setting up camp here, I loaded back up for the final push over Little Siberia to Lake Byrne at 3:45 PM. While Camp Lake offers good afternoon sun, the number of campsites is limited and likely there isn’t much morning sun here.
I plodded my way uphill to Little Siberia, stopping to take a few photos through the trees down to Camp Lake. Despite the warm summer so far, the traverse of Little Siberia was suitably arctic, with the area still mostly snow covered. I saw some newish footprints in the snow but headed the other direction. This area has nice views in three directions, of Glacier Peak, Sloan Peak, and Fire Creek Ridge.
View west
View west
Glacier Peak and Little Siberia
Glacier Peak and Little Siberia
Flowers in Little Siberia
Flowers in Little Siberia
After crossing the snowy terrain, I was back on the trail on the descent to Lake Byrne. Despite the long trip to get this far, I realized it was going to be totally worth it, with a grand view of Glacier Peak above the upper White Chuck Valley and the clear waters of the lake below on my way down. Down at the lake outlet I passed a couple empty campsites, before dropping my pack and going for a dip in the chilly waters. Despite it being 4:30 PM on a sunny Saturday, there was no one else around.
First view of Lake Byrne
First view of Lake Byrne
Summit telephoto
Summit telephoto
Interesting filling in tarn north of Lake Byrne
Interesting filling in tarn north of Lake Byrne
Valley to summit view
Valley to summit view
Lake Byrne outlet
Lake Byrne outlet
Refreshed from a 20 second dip in the lake, I headed a bit south onto the low ridge separating Lake Byrne from the deep valley of the White Chuck River. There are a couple of nice, smaller spots to pitch a tent along here that might be a bit swampy early in the season but avoid trampling too much of the vegetation. I set myself up with a good, slightly sheltered spot with an expansive view of Glacier Peak and Fire Creek Ridge.
Home sweet home
Home sweet home
At 5 PM it was still pretty hot and there were some interesting if foreboding looking thunderheads building on the far side of Glacier Peak (see SnailMail's TR of the lightning in the upper Suiattle the same evening). With the westerly flow it seemed like I didn’t have much to worry about, but the occasional distant roll of thunder made for an atypical Western Cascade experience.
Thunderheads over Glacier Peak
Thunderheads over Glacier Peak
I spent the early part of the evening walking around the east side of the Lake, dipping in again after my first “swim” was insufficiently cooling. Like Camp Lake, it was very difficult to capture the color of the lake but I did my best strolling around the eastern shores. I considered heading up to a small knoll at the south end of the lake (Point 5993) but decided the view was just as good from my camping spot and decided to hang around there, watching the thunderheads come and go beyond the crest and the alenglow slowly change the color of Glacier Peak. I spent a considerable amount of time investigating the Kennedy Creek watershed and the termini of the Kennedy and Scimitar Glaciers; that area of the mountain appears to be very loose and it’s no surprise the Kennedy Hot Springs were buried.
Lake Byrne reflections
Lake Byrne reflections
Not a place to hang out when raining or hot
Not a place to hang out when raining or hot
Interesting pinnacles
Interesting pinnacles
Clouds over Fire Creek Ridge
Clouds over Fire Creek Ridge
As the sun went down it wasn’t really cooling off much but the bugs were making a more aggressive appearance, so I got into my tent with the intention of getting an early start in the morning, avoiding what would likely be a hot day. Unlike some trips where I sleep a little warily on my own, the distant rush of the White Chuck River far below quickly lulled me to sleep.
Roiling clouds over Fire Creek Ridge
Roiling clouds over Fire Creek Ridge
I was awake the next morning just before 6, in time to watch the sun climb above Kennedy Peak across the valley. While it had cooled sufficiently to sleep during the night, it was pretty warm at dawn, a grim portent for the return trip along the ridge. As the sun rose I got some good shots of a totally flat Lake Byrne.
Almost sunrise
Almost sunrise
After packing up and a delay refilling water at the outlet of the lake--after filling one bottle I left the cap open, allowing a dozen ants to make their way in there, requiring an additional refill--I was on my way at 7:30 AM. I spied one tent near the outlet but no other campers at Lake Byrne, which I was sad to say goodbye to on my way back up to Little Siberia. I was greeted with nice views down to the lake however, plus a nice frontlit portrait of Sloan Peak over the trees up top.
Site of ant invasion
Site of ant invasion
Leaving Lake Byrne
Leaving Lake Byrne
Sloan Peak above Little Siberia
Sloan Peak above Little Siberia
I was back down at Camp Lake at 8 AM, where I topped off my water. There was no one camping here, and the ice chunks in the lake looked noticeably smaller than the day before. The long traverse to Hardtack Lake was mostly uneventful, and I was grateful to be in the shade for most of the time. Arriving above Hardtack Lake around 9 AM, I decided it was already warm enough for a swim and so found a place to wade it, which is somewhat difficult to do here as the edges of the lake are pretty shallow. After a refreshing dip, I headed back uphill, noting the larger party I met the day before who intended to make it to Lake Byrne chose to camp here instead.
Back to Camp Lake
Back to Camp Lake
Less ice than yesterday
Less ice than yesterday
Nice to be in the shade
Nice to be in the shade
I continued up and around the various bumps on the ridge, the heat of the day seeming not to scare off a variety of annoying insects. I stopped briefly west of point 5890 where the trail crosses back to the south side of the ridge, with a hazy view of Sloan Peak, around 9:45 AM. There was a slight breeze, which helped with the bugs to a small degree.
Snack spot, some bugs
Snack spot, some bugs
Sloan telephoto
Sloan telephoto
I continued along, noting that even in the shade on the south facing slopes it was pretty torrid. I made a stop at the same small stream to refill on water just east of Fern Lake, knowing it was a ways to the next water below Zi-iob Peak. The bugs here were unpleasant. After another hour and a half of ups and downs--the final ascent to the south side of the ridge for good was rather grueling--and some occasional nice wildflowers I made a stop at one of the streams descending east of Sunup Lake to refill water, soak my feet in the cool water, and otherwise enjoy the last section in the alpine. The only disadvantage was the lack of shade, but the cold water made up for it. Good, if hazy, views down into the North Fork Sauk Valley.
Bees and wildflowers
Bees and wildflowers
Green traverse
Green traverse
Last views
Last views
On my way again at 12:20, I made the seemingly endless traverse along the southern slopes and eventually the long, steep, field back to the junction with the Circle Lake Trail just before 1 PM. The final descent into the forest was unpleasantly toasty, and while it was slightly cooler in the woods the lack of breeze meant the bugs were very aggressive. Even with “Deep Woods Off” I was swarmed by 20 or more blackflies within a minute or so at Bingley Gap. Suffice it to say, I didn’t stay long. The final descent to the car was a bit of a trudge, with infrequent rest stops due to insects. I underestimated my water usage due to the heat and was therefore glad to be back at the car at 3 PM, where more was waiting. My theory that it was quite hot was confirmed when I arrived back in Darrington and it was 95ºF. In all, a very enjoyable trip in a very scenic area. Previous reports are correct that despite the modest distance the various elevation gains and losses along the ridge make for a longer than anticipated hike. Lake Byrne and view of Glacier Peak were certainly the highlight. I’d like to visit the summit of Zi-iob on a return trip, when it is cooler and the visibility is better.

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MtnManic
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PostThu Oct 11, 2018 7:43 pm 
Ah, to be back at Lk Byrne (2x via Kennedy). Nice pictures. Did you see when in July you did this?

Backpacking: limited to one pack at a time. Cameras: limited to as many as I can carry.
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olderthanIusedtobe
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PostThu Oct 11, 2018 8:20 pm 
Thanks for bringing back some good memories, such a lovely and wonderful ridge traverse. Wow, heat like that just sucks the energy right out of me. That trail truly is uphill both ways, I can only imagine how much you were sweating each time you had to climb.

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Schroder
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PostThu Oct 11, 2018 8:27 pm 
It's interesting to see the difference in snow pack from the same week in my trip of 2012

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BeardoMcGrath
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BeardoMcGrath
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PostFri Oct 12, 2018 12:28 pm 
MtnManic wrote:
Did you see when in July you did this?
This was the last weekend of July, aka the last relatively smoke-free weekend of the summer when it wasn't raining.
olderthanIusedtobe wrote:
That trail truly is uphill both ways, I can only imagine how much you were sweating each time you had to climb.
Haha yes it certainly tested my heat endurance. The biggest issue was the fact I was drinking more more water than I'm used to, which threw off my refilling calculations. But definitely worth it!
Schroder wrote:
It's interesting to see the difference in snow pack from the same week in my trip of 2012
Yes, fortunately all the hot weather earlier in July had been melting things out. But with much of the trail on the north side in a normal summer this is a late season destination. Certainly the bugs probably would be not as bad...

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