[Larch]

Hiking the Ingalls Creek Trail was like walking through a garden Sunday. There were flowers everywhere. In bloom were honeysuckle, roses, thimbleberries, tiger lilies, lady slippers, lupine, columbine, paint brush, spring beauty, balsam root, and many others. The most unique part of the hike was the huge number of butterflies there. We literally saw dozens (I do exaggerate frequently, but there really were dozens)! They seemed fondest of the tiger lilies, but were also landing on the bushes by the trail. We also saw a small mud colored snake - don't know what kind. The lupine had many large seed pods in addition to flowers, and we opened one. Inside it looked like green lentils. Fortunately we didn't try them. Upon looking them up when we got home we discovered they are poisonous. No bugs, no rain, and lots of things to look at.

[Dean]

Great hike in the early season, one of the best. Thanks for your report. The proximity of Ingalls Creek to the trail is another nice aspect as it really rips at this time of year.

[Eric]

We did a dayhike up there on Thursday. We were thinking of doing a loop from there up Crystal Creek to Navaho Pass and then back down Falls Creek but the WTA reports indicated that both creek trails were viewless brushy bootpaths so we did decided to do both Ingalls Creek and Crystal Creek as dayhikes. Nice trail but man was it hot. You are right about the butterflies, they were all over, pretty big ones too. Got a few decent flower pics, although it looked like some of them were about done. Tiger lilies were looking very nice. There was some crew out there as well brushing the trail, looked like maybe they were from a youth group for some church. Didn't look like they were having too much fun but then again they were teenagers so their, like, oh my god, this really really sucks look may well be permanently chiseled unto their faces. We ran into one rattlesnake right next to the creek, he didn't seem inclined to let us get to the water but I was gladly willing to let him get his way as repayment for being kind enough to rattle and hiss before I got too close.

[Allison]

The Nav and wandered up here Thursday and Friday. Nice walk, good quality. HOT down at the beginning. First rilly good rest is at the toe of a boulder field which has some sort of vortex of chillosity around it. Totally Refridgetacular! We had planned to camp somewhere near the Falls Creek cutoff (NOTE there is no bridge across Ingalls Ck to gain the Falls/Negro Ck trail, see directions to secret campsite for the log crossing if the water's too high to ford, but when we got to the sites there, they were in the trees and devoid of view. Well, the Nav's a viewhound, so we walked past the array of sites right there to a clearing with a pretty sweet view up to Maclellan Peak and the back side of the Enchantments. (insert drooling emoticon here) At this point my GoodCampsiteSensor (patent pending) hit the redline and we were forced to bash brush until at last the site my SiteSensor (TM) had been satisfied. There's a spot about 100 yards off the trail on a huge sandbar, full view of the mountains and a lovely falls, fire ring, everything ya want. There's an almost impenetrable wall of brush between the trail and the creek, and the site is, naturally, on the other side of the creek. We thrashed around in the meadow of angry brush for quite a while before giving up and wandering back into the woods in search of better options for gaining our objective. We went to the very last site in the woods, looked around a bit, and found the trail down to the creek. It's on the right. Traveling roughly straight ahead and walking a log brought us to a big logjam that escorted us right across the creek. A combination of boot trail and brush bashing gained us the supreme campsite. We hadda bleed for it, but it was great. Being the first ones there this year, the firewoods was unlimited and DRY. Starting a fire with no paper was nooooo problem, that's how dry it was. Make a note of this rather awesome camping spot for future reference.

earning the campsite with my own blood nav's knees=same

the Nav laughing at something dumb I said, view from camp behind him

[Erik the Nav]

Just a couple notes: The campsite was worth it, and if you go you won't have to bleed for it as much as we did, 'cause you won't have to do all the thorn bush exploring. Then again, if you dig that kind of thing, go for it. Nice red pin-striping jobs available free. Flowers were good, but not massive, I think we were just behind the peak of 'em. Did see probably the single biggest head of tiger lillies on one stalk I've ever seen. And of course, further/higher was probably better... Eric - wondering if we saw you on the trail - we were headed in pretty late, did see one lone feller on his way out, and yessir, it was darn hot.

[Erik the Nav]

OK, if Marylou is going to post silly pictures of me, I'm going to have to bust her for the obnoxious cell phone conversations. Jeez! You gotta admit those are some sexy legs on her though, eh?

on phonenwh

[Eric]

It is possible that I saw you guys but your faces don't look like anyone I remember seeing. I was with my brother so if you saw two guys who look fairly similar that would have probably been us. Probably saw a dozen hikers or so on the day, plus also the 10 or so kids working on the trail. Unfortunately I have no pics of my legs to show off although I would be embarrassed to do so anyway with my lack of battle scars. I do have a few pics to post, hopefully people will excuse the low resolution for the sake of bandwidth, not that they were the greatest in their high resolution form in the first place either. Unfortunately the pics of some of the better views of the Enchantment peaks came out a bit overexposed in midday sun and will need to be tweaked before they are presentable, plus the film ones are still in the camera.

And a few more that are only worthy of linkage: http://www.wolverinealmanac.com/rattlesnakewide.jpg http://www.wolverinealmanac.com/ingallscreektreeandtrail.jpg http://www.wolverinealmanac.com/purpleflowerwashedout.jpg http://www.wolverinealmanac.com/threebrothers.jpg http://www.wolverinealmanac.com/redpodflower.jpg

[marta]

Great pictures of the rattlesnake. I've hiked that trail at many times and I've never seen one.

[Dean]

Superb pics and I really enjoyed the Tiger Lily ones. Yeah, the lower reaches of Ingalls does have snakes but they are great photogenic subjects as you have proved.