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Matt Tea, Earl Grey, Hot
Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 4307 | TRs | Pics Location: Shoreline |
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Matt
Tea, Earl Grey, Hot
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Sat Dec 01, 2007 3:24 am
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Rachel & Rampart Lakes, 11/23/07
Party: Matt, Mike T, Lynn G, Richard B
What a difference just eleven days can make. In the time since my previous Rampart Lakes trip, the waters froze, new snow fell, and the skies cleared.
Date: 11/12 11/23
Sky: Cloudy, Dim, Gray Clear, Bright, Blue
Precip: Freezing Rain Dry
Trail: Bare or Slush Ice or Snow
Waterfalls: Running Frozen
Rachel Lake: Dark Wind-Blown Waves Shiny Clear Fresh Ice
Rampart Lakes: Gray Ice patterned White Snow patterned
with White Snow with Tree Shadows
Horizon: Gray Mist White Peaks
Hiker: Chilly Comfy
Photos: Blurry Sharper
Satisfaction: High High
Valley Trail:
11/12 11/23
Creek Waterfall:
11/12 11/23
Cliff Waterfall:
11/12 11/23
Rachel Surface View:
11/12 11/23
Rachel Elevated View:
11/12 11/23
Tea Tarn:
11/23
Waterfall Lake:
11/12 11/23
Waterfall Lake downlake:
11/12 11/23
Christmas Lake:
11/12 11/23
Zen-Christmas Channel:
11/12 11/23
Zen Island
11/12 11/23
Zen Lake:
11/12 11/23
Long Lake South Island:
11/12 11/23
Ripples on Long Lake:
Looking uplake 11/12 Looking downlake 11/23
Rampart Outlet Creek:
11/12 11/23
(Further down I've added new posts with more pics and the story of today's trip, inlcuding a dim ending.)
“As beacons mountains burned at evening.” J.R.R. Tolkien
“As beacons mountains burned at evening.” J.R.R. Tolkien
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Scrooge Famous Grouse
Joined: 16 Dec 2001 Posts: 6966 | TRs | Pics Location: wishful thinking |
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Scrooge
Famous Grouse
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Sat Dec 01, 2007 6:21 am
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Something lost behind the ranges. Lost and waiting for you....... Go and find it. Go!
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Dayhike Mike Bad MFKer
Joined: 02 Mar 2003 Posts: 10958 | TRs | Pics Location: Going to Tukwila |
Nice! I like the contrast between the two sets of pictures....
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
"Ignorance is natural. Stupidity takes commitment." -Solomon Short
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke
"Ignorance is natural. Stupidity takes commitment." -Solomon Short
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Gil Member
Joined: 29 Sep 2004 Posts: 4062 | TRs | Pics
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Gil
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Sat Dec 01, 2007 10:07 am
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Cool report! Nice to see people still getting out.
Friends help the miles go easier.
Klahini
Friends help the miles go easier.
Klahini
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Backpacker Joe Blind Hiker
Joined: 16 Dec 2001 Posts: 23956 | TRs | Pics Location: Cle Elum |
Really nice work Matt.
"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide."
— Abraham Lincoln
"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide."
— Abraham Lincoln
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wildernessed viewbagger
Joined: 31 Oct 2004 Posts: 9275 | TRs | Pics Location: Wenatchee |
Nice, the snow laden forest is awesome and refreshing to be out in.
Living in the Anthropocene
Living in the Anthropocene
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Bryan K Shameless Peakbagger
Joined: 29 Sep 2005 Posts: 5129 | TRs | Pics Location: Alaska |
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Bryan K
Shameless Peakbagger
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Sat Dec 01, 2007 11:54 am
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Amazing what 11 days can do up in the mountains. Thanks for posting comparison pictures, cool idea
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Gabigabs Trail Breaker
Joined: 07 Nov 2007 Posts: 841 | TRs | Pics Location: Seattle |
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Gabigabs
Trail Breaker
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Sat Dec 01, 2007 3:41 pm
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Awesome. Thanks.
Life is simple... Eat, Sleep, Hike!
Life is simple... Eat, Sleep, Hike!
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Matt Tea, Earl Grey, Hot
Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 4307 | TRs | Pics Location: Shoreline |
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Matt
Tea, Earl Grey, Hot
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Mon Dec 03, 2007 2:02 am
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Earlier I posted comparison photos from this trip and my previous trip eleven days earlier.
Now here's the story of how today's trip went, plus photos unique to this day.
The trail began in morning shadow, but blue skies promised hope above the trees and sunshine slid down the valley walls toward us. The recent clear calm weather was evident all around. Several inches of undisturbed powder snow flocked the wide needles of the conifers and perched in cottony fluffs on the bare limbs of the brush in the avalanche tracks. The creek was lined with ice and steamed golden where the morning sun struck.
Icy Misty Morning Creek Winter Wonderland Frosty Lynn
Creek crossings had narrowing channels of water running over and under the ice, all contoured in flowing shades ranging from crystal clear to thickening gray-green to frosty white. At one crossing, the ice was just thick enough to hide the stepping stones, but too thick to support hikers, making for a chilly splash-dash passage..
Icy Creek Icy Creek Crossing Step Fast!
The rapids and waterfalls were a frenzy of frozen spray, hanging icicles, and layered coats of ice. The trail required creative footwork in many sections, where runoff had frozen to hard ice.
Switchback Waterfall Freezing Crossing below the Cliff Waterfall Frozen waterfall rock face Outflow with Icicles Icicles
Rachel Lake was a surprise. Eleven days ago it was dark wind-ruffled water. Today it was flat calm ice, banded by successive rings of of snowy ice, gray ice, and crystal clear brand new ice. From above it reflected the sun with eye-watering brightness. As we hiked higher, the sun’s impact filled the valley below with a sea of fog.
Banded Rings of Rachel Bright Rachel
Up at the Rampart Lakes, the snow had fully overrun the lakes. Only the contours of the shoreline and islands marked the location of each lake. Under clear skies, the trees cast long shadows across the lakes, and the surrounding peaks stood up around the horizon.
Tarn 2 Tarn 2 Hiding in the Snow The peaks are out!
Now, however, I experienced a shocking betrayal. At the first major lake, my companions sat down on a comfortable snowy viewpoint and declared that they were perfectly content to just relax there for a break and then head back down. Apparently they weren’t thrilled at the idea of descending the icy trail after sunset. But what about my ambition to circumnavigate all the lakes and find a high point for viewing them all? Isn’t that more important than a few falls on hard slick steep ice? How to resolve this terrible divergence of goals?
Passel of Lazy No-Account Denali-Wearing Traitors
The rest of the story is just a little farther down the page.
“As beacons mountains burned at evening.” J.R.R. Tolkien
“As beacons mountains burned at evening.” J.R.R. Tolkien
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Tazz Member
Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 7902 | TRs | Pics
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Tazz
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Tue Dec 04, 2007 8:15 pm
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love the comparison shots Matt! COOL!
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Matt Tea, Earl Grey, Hot
Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 4307 | TRs | Pics Location: Shoreline |
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Matt
Tea, Earl Grey, Hot
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Wed Dec 05, 2007 1:34 am
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The Rest of the Story
So the mutineers relaxed and I hurried. They wandered a bit and proceeded back at a leisurely pace, detouring toward the opposite end of the ridge to watch some hikers on Alta. I scurried around the lakes as fast as I could, racing from one photo vantage to another.
I skirted the upper end of Waterfall Lake, where the waterfall still kept an oval of water open. Above the waterfall, Christmas Lake was just a flat surface of white snow, except for its outlet pool. The channel between Christmas & Zen Lakes was speckled with snowy rocks and bright sheets of ice, reflecting Alta in the distance. Rows of icicles stretched across the rock bands above.
Waterfall Lake Shadows on Waterfall Lake Alta Mountain above Channel between Christmas & Zen Lakes Icicles on the Rocks Above
I headed up point 5530 to get a view above the lakes:
Rachel Lake & Hibox Mountain Waterfall Lake Outlet Long Lake & Thompson
Shadows outpaced me back along the Zen Lake shoreline. By 2pm, the low winter sun had already dropped behind the ridge crest.
Zen Lake from Above Shadows Stretching Across Zen Lake
I circumnavigated Long Lake by hiking up the far side to check the farthest pools.
Tree Shadows on Long Lake with Hibox Pools at North End of Long Lake Frozen Ripples of Snow on Long Lake
Then I paused for a self-portrait and tea, and rejoined our tracks for the trip out.
My Shadow on Tarn by Long Lake Warmer than last time Tea at Tarn 2
Rachel Lake and the valley formed matching seas of ice and fog. The last bit of open water at the lake’s end caught reflections of the ridge above.
Rachel Lake Meeting of Fog & Ice Rachel Reflection
Then it was down from sunlight into the valley sea of fog.
Late Light on Hibox Misty Frozen Waterfall
I guess I’ve lived too long in the Pacific Northwest. The dim misty forest felt relaxing and friendly, like a comfortable blanket wrapping around me as I hiked out.
Trees in the dark mist Forest disappearing upward into the fog Ghost Brush
“As beacons mountains burned at evening.” J.R.R. Tolkien
“As beacons mountains burned at evening.” J.R.R. Tolkien
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TrailPair Member
Joined: 17 Apr 2005 Posts: 1699 | TRs | Pics
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We have been waiting for your report! Good stuff!
Just look at what those mutineers (or mousceteers) missed.
This thing called work is interfering with my play
This thing called work is interfering with my play
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touron Member
Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Posts: 10293 | TRs | Pics Location: Plymouth Rock |
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touron
Member
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Wed Dec 05, 2007 7:24 pm
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Nice photos. You demonstrated great strategy in handling the mutiny. In days of yore the general would scuttle his ships, thus necessitating the march forward. What would the modern day equivalent of this be--impounding the snow shoes?
Touron is a nougat of Arabic origin made with almonds and honey or sugar, without which it would just not be Christmas in Spain.
Touron is a nougat of Arabic origin made with almonds and honey or sugar, without which it would just not be Christmas in Spain.
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Scrooge Famous Grouse
Joined: 16 Dec 2001 Posts: 6966 | TRs | Pics Location: wishful thinking |
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Scrooge
Famous Grouse
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Thu Dec 06, 2007 10:47 am
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What a difference a day makes.
Matt cold, wet ....... and happy Matt warm, dry ...... and happy
Something lost behind the ranges. Lost and waiting for you....... Go and find it. Go!
Something lost behind the ranges. Lost and waiting for you....... Go and find it. Go!
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Quark Niece of Alvy Moore
Joined: 15 May 2003 Posts: 14152 | TRs | Pics
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Quark
Niece of Alvy Moore
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Thu Dec 06, 2007 1:52 pm
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Wow, Torok must be gettin' old. Why back in my day, that boy'd be all over them thar hills.
I like your summit tea photos. They all very similar - I mean it is a cup of tea - but I like them anyway, and would think something's amiss without 'em.
"...Other than that, the post was more or less accurate."
Bernardo, NW Hikers' Bureau Chief of Reporting
"...Other than that, the post was more or less accurate."
Bernardo, NW Hikers' Bureau Chief of Reporting
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