[Prosit]

For this trip, I took two routes that are often done separately as out-and-back trips and decided to link them together in a loop around the head of the NF Entiat River. Much of the lower North Fork area burned in 2012 and 2014, but enough years have passed since then to begin to see its regeneration. The first stretch of the trail is a sea of pine saplings one to four feet tall. Further up, tree regrowth is less pronounced, but brushy undergrowth has grown to cover much of the scarring. In this autumn season, their color reinvigorated the landscape into a place full of life, with birds, squirrels, and abundant deer tracks evident.

Can you smell the autumn scent?

A large gray raptor with no brown plumage – might be a Goshawk

Surviving trees and emerging color

My first night’s destination was beautiful Fern Lake. I ascended steadily until reaching the last section of the trail before the lake, where I suddenly slipped into golden-larch-time. It’s closely related to ripe-berry-time, but instead of taking a few steps and eating, then a few more steps and eating, and then a few more steps…; golden-larch-time is a visual feast of taking a few steps and marveling, (and taking too many pictures) and then taking a few more steps and marveling some more, and then some more, all while wearing the traditional ear-to-ear grin. The larches were right at peak color as I had hoped they would be, and many were large old trees. Time kind of goes away in these moments, and it was a while before I finally reached the lake.

A raven, with cliffs and golden trees

The lake itself is wonderful. The temperature was chilly with a cold breeze, but my attention was seized, and I hardly noticed. I was the only person there that day, and I wandered all over the southern and eastern sides of the lake, wowed by the setting, before finally pausing to set up camp up on the arm south of the outlet, and put warmer clothes on.

The lake through supple, lush, golden branches

Fern Lake

After camp was established, I headed up the ridge to climb Anthem. Evening light was shining in full glory when I reached the summit.

Upper Anthem basin in evening light

Melody (foreground) and Saska at last light

The sunset was glorious, and a fitting end to a great first day of the trip.

Saska, Melody, Emerald, Cardinal and Skidgravel at sunset

Glacier Peak in clouds with Buck Mtn

Skidgravel, Cloudcomb, and Squaretop at sunset

Fern Lake at sunset

In the morning, I accidentally slept longer than intended and didn’t get out of the tent before sunrise as I usually do. The light was fantastic though, and it was a very fun morning on the lake.

Lots of fish were constantly surfacing on the lake

Eventually I packed up camp and began my way around the eastern side of the lake to the north shore, and the climb to the pass above the lake.

Anthem reflection

The nonconformist

Looking back towards the outlet

Ascending to the pass

From the pass, I decided to climb right up the ridge to the summit that Cartman called “Melody Mtn” on his and neek’s 2017 trip. I like that name and it fits the area. The ridge was fun, with great views.

Anthem Basin

Glacier Peak and Buck Mtn

Choral Peak

Gopher Peak (foreground left) with Pinnacle behind and Saska on the right

Emerald basin

Fern Lake from Melody Mtn. All of the little sparkles on the lake are fish surfacing.

I had a snack on the summit, enjoying the warm sunshine and nice views. After a while I continued down into Anthem basin and then traversed to the col above Choral Lake. I dropped my pack there and made the short climb up Choral Peak.

View down Anthem Basin with Stuart and Rainier on the horizon

Choral Lake with Gopher, Saska, Emerald, and Cardinal

Pinnacle, Gopher, Saska and Emerald Peaks from Choral

Anthem and Duncan Hill from Choral

After descending back to the col and retrieving my pack, I made my way down to Choral Lake, and then down a little further to a ramp that provides passage into the upper Choral Basin below Gopher Peak. The lake is a very peaceful spot, with a nice grassy area on its north shore bordered by a grove of larch and pine. I filled up with water here as it would be my last source for the day. I went through the upper Choral Basin to enjoy the trees there and then made my way up to Gopher’s gentle west ridge. In time I made it to the summit, where a level area right on the summit provided a good site for my tent. I set up camp in a light wind, anchoring well for potentially stronger winds overnight, then wandered the wide summit area, taking in the views. The sunset was spectacular under clear skies.

Old tree in Choral Basin

Choral Peak and Basin from Gopher summit

Melody, Anthem, and Duncan Hill from Gopher summit

View north at sunset

Cardinal Peak at sunset

Camp on the summit of Gopher

View south at sunset

Rock ridge at dusk

Rock ridge detail

It was cold in the morning, with wind and frost, but sunrise light never fails to bring me out of my cocoon. I have found it is always worth it.

Maude, 7 Fingered Jack, Fernow, and in the middle ground, the Spectacle Buttes

Buck Mtn and Glacier Peak

Bonanza!

Pinnacle Peak with smoke hovering over the Lake Chelan valley

After enjoying the morning light and eating some breakfast, I carefully took down my tent in the wind and packed up. I meandered back down the ridge and into the basin I’d come up, then traversed to the saddle at the base of Gopher’s south ridge. I descended the east side of this gentle pass and then traversed northeast between about 6800 and 6500 ft on good traversing terrain, strewn with larches, pine, and colorful meadows. When I reached the area where I was roughly below Saska Pass, I ran into an old, wide avalanche path with smaller, tight trees that was difficult to navigate, so I made a descending traverse down to the stream that drains Emerald Basin and followed it up to the trail for the last bit.

Choral Basin with Garland, Devil’s Smokestack, Rampart, and Fifth of July Mtn

Trees in the rock

Descending through red talus into the NF Entiat Basin

A Mountain Chickadee probing branches for a meal

Sights set on Emerald

Before I arrived at Emerald Basin, my tentative plan had been to maybe climb a peak, and then continue on to another destination for the night. But when I arrived, I had to change my plans. I’m not sure why other larch groves on previous days hadn’t had quite the same effect on me, but as I entered the basin, a special warm fuzzy feeling came over me, and as I continued, the scene felt revealing, dynamic, and inviting. I could sense it seeping into me, and I felt a bit overwhelmed. I was smitten you see, most completely smitten. There are those who don’t believe in love at first sight. But I have to believe that these people have never been to Emerald Basin on a perfect Fall day in peak larch season.

Entering Emerald Basin

I was the only person there when I arrived, and I knew right away that I had to stop and spend the night there. I began wandering and found a great campsite just above, in a small meadow near the rim of rock that holds the basin in. It offered great viewpoints and was luxuriously comfortable. I didn’t want to take the time to set up camp yet and just left my pack there as I followed my nose up, down, around and through the heart of this wonderful place.

Cardinal Peak

Emerald Peak and Basin

I felt so good that day as I walked and skipped and jumped around and through the larches. I felt like a little kid re-discovering the world. I sat on a mat of yellow needles and ran my hands through them, gathering them to my nose for a deep breath, then slowly sprinkling them back. I circled trees to watch their color change with the revolving light direction, and marveled at their small, expanded cones full of bracts. The branches were full of exquisite little knobby bumps that the needles sprout out of in bunches, and if you looked closely enough, you could almost imagine each bump as a separate, exotic seedling sprouting along a long, common root running airborne through the sky (branch). I started seeking out the densest stands of smaller trees that I could find and walking through them. They became tunnels of color and my arms bathed in their soft branches. Color streamed across my body as I pushed through, open and unprotected, letting the gentle, supple needles run across my face, my chest, my open hands in tender swishes. I walked faster and slower, shifting side to side through the trees, reaching up to branches above my head, and crouching to feel branches grazing my calves. All of this to the sound of sporadic, spontaneous bouts of irrepressible giggling. It seems silly, thinking back on it, but it welled up from such a deep place that it poured out like water. There wasn’t any thinking involved, just doing; and what great fun it was.

Tunnel of larch

The Matriarch

After spending all afternoon wandering the basin, I finally returned to my pack and set up camp. Then I went up on the rock rim just above camp for some evening views.

Cardinal in evening light

Larch at dusk

After sunset, I cooked up a hot dinner, and watched the stars emerge. I do some of my best star gazing in October during the long, dark evenings before bedtime. It is nearly unfathomable, the size and scope of what you’re looking out at. I also recalled the past day and the sheer, unbridled joy I had felt. I don’t keep a journal, but I do often write brief notes on my phone when thoughts occur to me when I’m out on a trip, and I ended that night with a single, simple sentence: ‘Remember this perfect day’. The morning dawned clear and cold once again, and I wanted to climb Emerald Peak. I thought it might have nice morning views, and it just looks like such a cool peak above the basin. Frost covered the meadow as I crossed it and began the climb. Despite the cliffs all around, the route was pretty straightforward, and cairns appeared at key moments to confirm the route. Though it had a fair amount of loose talus, I thought it was a fun climb, especially the last part where there is a little scrambling.

Frost in Emerald Basin

Climbing through the upper basin

Summit view to Cloudcomb

Pinnacle and North Pinnacle with Bonanza behind

Bearcat with Oval and Star Peaks on the horizon

Saska, Gopher, and the view southwest

It was windy and cold on the summit, but the views were great. When my view appetite was sated, I relaxed and had second breakfast in a sunny spot sheltered from the wind. Eventually I headed back down, meandering through the lower basin when I reached it. I packed up unhurriedly and then headed south on the trail.

Farewell Emerald

The ridge that runs south from Cardinal Peak separates the basins to the west of Cardinal from the Grouse Creek drainage. The trail traverses out to round this ridge on its way around to Grouse Pass, but I thought that the crest of that ridge might have nice views, so I decided to try to climb it instead. There is a spur ridge that rises just southeast of the trail junction with the NF Entiat trail, and I used that nice ridge as my ascent route.

Saska and Emerald while climbing the spur ridge

Cardinal

…and a ruffed grouse in a larch tree!

When I reached the 7880+ ft top of the ridge, I climbed the rocky points that seemed to be the high point. At one point I had thought about trying to go from here to Skidgravel and then to Grouse Pass that way, but it looked more rugged than I’d hoped, and would be a pretty long way out to the NF trailhead in one day for me. The ridge drops precipitously on its east side but is gentle on the west side with larch and pine trees that make you work for a good view. I explored the ridge crest going down to the south for a while and then returned to another, gentler high point south of the rocky spires. This nice spot provided a good bivi site with a break in the trees for good views. I had a great sunset, a sky full of stars, and then a nice sunrise the next morning.

Grouse Creek basins with Squaretop and Pyramid Peaks at sunset

Skidgravel at sunset

Predawn color to the west

Saska Peak

Buck Mtn, Glacier Peak, and Gopher Peak

Choral Peak and Clark Mtn

Seven Fingered Jack, Fernow, and Copper

After the fine morning light was over, I packed up and made my way back down the way I came. I stopped a few times on the way to enjoy the views and appreciate the warming sunshine. I had wondered if anyone else had climbed this ridge but hadn’t seen any paths or evidence of that the previous day. But just under 7200 ft during my descent I got another answer. There on the ground laid an empty glass bottle. It was an old 16oz Pepsi Cola bottle and felt quite hefty. It had a swirling glass design, and on its bottom was a production date code that indicated it was made in 1962. I chuckled as it brought to mind the animated Christmas-time TV commercials of polar bears drinking Coca Cola. Evidently the black bears of the NF Entiat preferred Pepsi, or at least they did in the 1960’s. I continued my descent down the spur ridge and then took the trail down to the NF Entiat River. The weather was great, and the smell of the autumn forest was very pleasing.

Large larch skeletons for Halloween - descending the spur ridge

Descending the spur ridge

Colorful ground cover – can anyone here ID this plant for me?

An infinity pool on the NF Entiat

Magical water

This area is already very well known, particularly in larch season, and I did see a number of groups on the trail between Saska Pass and the trail junction, and then on the river trail, but I didn’t see anyone off the trails (except for the young woman and her 14-year-old little dog (!) climbing Emerald Peak as I was descending). The long walk out through the burns went well, and I felt a particular satisfaction as I removed my boots and transitioned into the car. Trips like this one stay with you long after you leave.

[Now I Fly]

Wonderful Report! After spending time in the area last month, I went home and studied up on pretty much the same route you did. So much to explore in our great state! Thanks for sharing this trip, and your photos are top notch!! B Also, I'm quite sure I saw a Goshawk in the area when I was there. Very cool.

[HitTheTrail]

Yes! The whole area has magical feel to it, but Emerald basin is especially magical. One of the best TR's of the season.

[jaysway]

Wonderful photos and storytelling. Seeing this makes me realize that I don't give the Entiat enough credit, clearly despite the fires (or in some of those early photos, because of them) it holds so much beauty. I know exactly what you mean with "golden-larch-time" . I really feel the happiness and magical feeling that you are describing as I am reading these and looking at these photos. These were some of my favorites, but it is hard to choose.

[Sculpin]

A great TR from an area I have yet to visit!

[Sadie's Driver]

Wonderful report and gorgeous pics . . . . shhhh! Don't turn it into the Teanaway or the Enchantments!!!