[Seracer]

Did a little daytrip with family members and friends this last Sunday up the Entiat River trail just south of the Glacier Peak Wilderness. My brother Randy and his wife Lee, my wife Alice, my daughter Catrina, one of my hiking buddies' daughter Cassie and myself set out to try for Cow Creek Meadows. I had doubts about making that destination, but thought Myrtle Lake would work nicely. Some of the members of our party have not been hiking in quite some time, so the meadows seemed a bit ambitious. But I was game. The morning dawned mostly clear and hot, so we took minimum gear. The weather patterns around here have been very unsettled, with days starting nicely but ending with rainstorms. We all took raingear tops, but no long pants of any kind. Not a smart decision in hindsight. Our first surprise was that the Entiat Road is closed 2 miles below the normal trailhead. This required a total of 4 additional miles of road walking which in my mind made even Myrtle Lake a questionable goal for our group. Nevertheless, we forged on. The road walk in was pleasant in the late morning sunshine. We walked 3 abreast talking and catching up on things. The 2 miles passed quickly and we soon were at the Cottonwood Campground. The campground and Entiat River trailhead were strangely vacant. It was erie. This is a popular camping area and the trailhead is usually quite full on weekends. We spent some time looking at the campground then headed down the trail towards Myrtle Lake. The trail was not terrible, but there was still quite a bit of deadfall, though none of it too large. Some snow also lingered in spots under the shading trees. We kept hiking as distant thunder and dark clouds began filling the sky. By the Anthem Creek trail intersection 2 miles up from the trailhead, we knew it was time to call it a day. I boiled up some water for a cup of tea for several of us and we had our lunch. With no long pants, most of us got chilled as we ate. Rain began to fall with vigor, and a brief hailstorm along with a very close crash of thunder convinced us to head out. The return trip was uneventful. My new 2 person umbrella, while wonderful for covering all my body and pack, was quite heavy. I think I will try and customize it a bit and reduce some weight on it or else just go back to my single person one. Even so, I let Alice use my Togg top and just depended on the umbrella for protection and I stayed dry. A few pics: http://community.webshots.com/myphotos?action=viewAllPhotos&albumID=551306837

[wildernessed]

WOW !, Why was the road closed, debris or snow ?, it looks fine from the pics. I was just thinking about Anthem to Carne Mtn., last year at this time I had already been to Carne Basin / alpine lookout, Cow Creek Meadows, and 5th of July Mtn., seems odd.

[Seracer]

Hi wildernessed, Not sure why the road was closed. It was just a basic plastic barricade across the road, you could move it if you wanted. Nothing very informative on the signs either, just "Road Closed to Motor Vehicles Except by Permit". I thought perhaps the road had suffered washout or something, but you could have driven it with no problem. Heck, even the Fee Area signs at the trailhead were still covered by bags.

[wildernessed]

Well, I may have to open the road for business, there are probably 3 guys drinking coffee in the Entiat Ranger station right now. Thanks for the info., it's a long drive up to Cottonwood. I should check the website and see what it says.

[Cascade Bill]

Even though the snow is gone, they usually close the roads early in the season to let them dry out a bit in order to minimize the amount of damage due to vehicles going thru the mud. Latest recreation report: Wenatchee NF Recreation Report