[Gil]

Trail: Chatter Creek No. 1580 to Icicle Ridge No. 1570. Green Trails map No. 177 Trail conditions: Good. Road washout just beyond Ida Creek campground means an extra 1.5 miles of road walk each way. Driving: US2 to Leavenworth, then up the Icicle Creek Road to the (new) road's end at Ida Creek campground (washout just beyond). Distance: 15-16 miles. The clouds moved in overnight Saturday, so thought I would go across the pass to try to escape. Right. Started with breakfast at Der Baring Store and a pat of the goat's head for good luck. Left the car at 1 p.m. After the road walk, the first mile of the trail ascends gently to a nice bridge over Chatter Creek. Then the trail gets down to business, ascending steeply up to the first basin, flattening out there for a breather, then resuming the steep march up to the saddle above Index Creek. Met several parties along the way, one going in, the others going out. One was a couple with a boy of about 10 -- nice to see. Looking down at the first basin (trail comes through the U at lower left) and up to the ridge crest:

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The weather had been overcast for the most part, but at the crest, the sun broke out for a bit for a look back down and then beyond into Index Creek.

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Then the clouds started lowering and I started down to the little basin before Lake Edna (shot below from the next day shows the route; Cape Horn at left center).

Route to Lake Edna, Alpine Lakes Wilderness

By the time I hit Lake Edna, it was completely socked in, the wind was howling, rain was spitting, clouds blowing past. A couple of frames when one hole opened in the cloud cover, then down into a stand of scrub trees to find a wind break.

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A wet dinner, then climbed into my bivvy ready for a wild night and the possibility of a quick walk out in the morning. But I woke up just after midnight, and the stars were coming out. So up at 5 a.m. to see the sunrise on Cape Horn above Edna. Very pretty little lake. Believe I saw a trout rise, which surprised me.

Cape Horn reflected in Lake Edna, Alpine Lakes Wilderness

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Packed up everything, took my camera gear and some water and headed up for Ladies Peak. Trail goes over the ridge to the right of the peak above, then down to Ladies Pass at 6781. That's a really pretty place -- "Sound of Music" worthy meadows. One thing about going on a Monday after a storm, I had the place to myself. Good views up to Ladies Peak, Snowgrass Mountain and Big Chiwaukum.

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Climbed up Ladies and spent an hour soaking up the scenery.

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Views down to Lakes Brigham and Flora on one side, and Lakes Mary and Margaret on the other.

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Then back down and over to Cape Horn for a slightly different views -- a peek-a-boo of Lake Alice.

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Then back to my pack and the trudge back down. When I reached the washout, the shallow water flowing over the road looked so inviting that I decided to have a little rinse. Looked up the road -- nobody coming -- stripped to my skivvies and lay down in that cold water. As I was lying there I thought, "Wouldn't it be funny if there was somebody standing there when I got up?" Stood up -- and there were two teenage girls standing there. They'd come from the campground to fetch some water. Mumbled my apologies, threw on my shorts and headed back to the car.

[GaliWalker]

Missed you by a day! Good read and nice photos (completely different feel from a day earlier).

[Karen²]

Funny story! Did you notice if they made the effort to collect their water upstream a bit from where you were? You got some nice shots, the sunrise ones are my favorites!

[puzzlr]

Beautiful pictures!

[Mike Collins]

That area was one of Sylvester's favorite locales. His account of his trip into the area can be found in the Wenatchee National Forest Historical Files located in Wenatchee. He writes in his Place Naming in the Northwest; "I had with me a copy of the Chiwaukum Quadrangle which covers the area through which we were travelling and turned to it to find the name of the lake, but lo and behold, it was not shown. The topographers had missed it. I sketched it in and asked Burne what we should call it. He had two sisters, Margaret and Mary. I said, 'We will call it Margaret.' We had ridden a little more than a quarter of a mile further when another lake showed up not very far below us but draining down to Margaret. This promptly became Mary."

[Gil]

[Matt]

Nice trip report for an especially beautiful area. Fun story about your cool-down in the stream, also. I really like some of your photos. The reflection in c9 is cool. But what really stands out is the layered peaks in all of the photos you took from Ladies Peak, especially c1, where the alternating layers of peaks and clouds look like artwork created out of mountains.

[goats gone wild]

My oh my, that's some scenery you soaked up. Beautiful pictures!! So, were you wearing whitey tightys?