[Tom]

Rain and snow have me holed up at home this week so I figured I might as well catch up on a belated trip report or two. I had long wanted to return to the Square Lake vicinity and take care of unfinished business from last year's rain shortened trip. After seeing pictures of the incredibly low Square Lake shoreline from the Square Lake Fire web page I figured this was a must do - how often does one get the chance to walk on portions of a lake bed covered by water for hundreds if not thousands of years? I wasn't too worried about the fire smoldering on the trail a half mile NE of the lake as I planned to go in cross country via Deception Lakes where I have a good view from the SE ridge and keep my distance if necessary. As usual I got a late start and ended up leaving the house at 1 PM. Stopping by the Skykomish Ranger Station I found out the area was still officially closed, regardless of how one entered. Not having a cell phone to inform anyone of a change in plans I decided to take my chances. An angelic smile crossed my face as I recalled a classic thread, places we are not supposed to be... Upon reaching the Deception Lakes cutoff around 3:30 I began to fill out the trail permit for big brother. Let's see, intended camps, one night at Deception, one at Thunder, one at Swallow. Oh wait, it says Thunder and Swallow are also closed, punishable by up to 6 months incarceration and $5K fine? OK, make that two nights on Mac Peak. Thanks to my light pack I made quick work of the trail to Deception Lakes, then followed the horse trail around the middle lake(s), and strung up my hammock in the trees at lake 5280' in time to cook dinner before dark. The next morning I awoke to low clouds but was not worried as sunshine was predicted for the rest of the week. By 9 AM I was packed up and soon thereafter atop the ridge looking down on Square Lake. My jaw dropped as I surveyed the scene. The water level was even lower than the pictures I had seen, so much lower that the island which had materialized at the other end of the lake was no longer an island. Other than the charred slopes of Thor Peak above Wolverine Lake I could see no smoke or evidence of fire around Square Lake itself and so proceeded down the steep slopes to the lake. While descending I heard a chopper approaching from the NE ridge and hover above the lake for some time. Due to the thick tree cover I could not see if they were dropping or picking up something but it was obviously related to fire. I thought to myself, it could challenging to stay out of sight for the next few days, particularly if I get out my raft. Reaching the shores of the lake I was awestruck as I walked onto large boulders that were covered by 30' of water the year before. As I proceeded toward the inlet, it looked more like the ruins of a Greek amphitheater due to the sandy terraced shoreline extending more than 50' to the lake. It is very difficult to convey the surreal felling I had as I traversed the barren shoreline (the pictures do not do it justice), other than to say it was similar to the first time I visited Mt St. Helens after the eruption. Upon reaching the inlet I hadn't seen any activity at the NE end of the lake so I decided to walk around the lake and make it a loop. After a side trip up to Milk Lake (which wasn't as flattering as its name - I suspect the pretty one above square is the correct Milk) I continued on to the outlet and was again in a state of disbelief. The shoreline so far away and below the outlet it wasn't even visible. I checked out the 4' brick dam which appeared to have a fresh layer of concrete laid at the base with the inscription 9/18/03. To the left of the dam toward the lake was a wooden foundation. I thought this must be the foundation of the old cabin but this seemed a rather odd spot since it was approximately the same elevation of the dam, maybe even a little lower. Upon returning home I reviewed BPJ's pictures of the old cabin which was on much higher ground so I'm not exactly sure what this structure was. Perhaps a dock? Piled on the other side of the dam was a large amount of chopped wood and I figured this must be the remnants of the old cabin which was nowhere in sight. In the flat area vacated by the outlet was a large mesh net with fire fighting supplies. I wasn't sure if this was dropped by the chopper earlier in the day or awaiting pickup, but I figured it was time to move on. I decided to forego Lake Wolverine and headed along the north shore to where the island had materialized earlier in the year, now just part of the shoreline. In certain spots along the way the lake bed didn't have much consistency and finding wood or stable ground to step on became a priority to avoid sinking in mud. Just before reaching the island I noticed two people over at the outlet wearing reflective jackets, most likely firefighters. I was far enough away that it wouldn't have been worth their effort to catch up to me and do whatever they would have done, but they didn't seem to be too upset that I was in the area. Nevertheless I was glad I hadn't headed over to Lake Wolverine and run into them. After checking out the island I decided to scramble up to Thunder Mtn Lakes. Route finding was easier than expected but the climb was hot and quite steep. Views back down to Square Lake were superb, including views of Stuart to Mac Peak, and from a viewpoint above the lakes, Daniel, Hinman, and down to Glacier and Surprise Lake. I didn't find satisfactory trees for my hammock at the lakes so after filtering water I decided to head down and camp in a meadowy area with a scenic overlook above Square Lake. The next morning I continued down to Square Lake and debated whether I should check out Lake Wolverine. I figured it would be foolish to have come all this way and not take a peek, so I headed on over. I was glad I did as Wolverine is a very beautiful and photogenic little lake. As I approached I heard a loud "whoosh" and saw a flock of birds lift off from the clear glass lake, circle for while, then come to a rest on the lake a safe distance away. As I walked around the lake this event repeated itself several times, making for a magical morning. As I neared the far NE end of the lake I could smell smoke and decided it wouldn't be smart to hang around too long. After getting my fill of pictures I headed back to Square lake and circled the west shore to the inlet and up to Upper Square Lake. This is a shallow but pretty lake fed by a snowfield high above on Mac Peak. From here I hopped the ridge and spent the rest of the day exploring the four Swallow Lakes. The middle lake was just a few feet above 5000' and I decided to "round down" and have a campfire since there was plenty of firewood . It was my first experience cooking foil wrapped trout on the coals - delectable to say the least. The next morning I headed back up the ridge to scramble Mac Peak. In a couple spots the ridge was somewhat exposed and I found it necessary to dodge into the trees and brush to navigate safely. This was a little surprising since a peakbagging friend had reported "the ridge presents no difficulties". Views down to the various lake were excellent, the least of which I was thankful I hadn't planned to exit via Talus Lake (which is more swamp than talus and one of the ugliest looking lakes I have ever seen). Looking toward Square Lake I noticed that the strong wind (which had been blowing constantly since early morning) had stirred up the smoldering fire and now I could see puffs of smoke rising from the ridge NE of Square Lake. Upon reaching the summit I was afforded with views over to Daniel and Hinman, across the valley to Marmot and Clarice Lake, and down to Deception Lakes. I searched for and found a couple film cannister registers, the second of which was buried quite deep and left by Johnny Jeans (who I since learned was the first person to complete the Back Court). Clouds obscured many of the distant peaks, and after a couple hours I decided it was prudent to head down instead of waiting for them to burn off. On the way down I passed by two large unnamed ponds, the lower of which was completely dried out. The upper one still had plenty of water and was very scenic. As I continued down the ridge I made a slight navigation error found myself heading down to Deception Lakes instead of the PCT so I decided to continue on and do a little fishing before heading home. Although the fish ignored my lure, this turned out to be a very fruitful navigation error as a group of very attractive females decided it was a fine day to skinny dip in the lake. Without question, one of the best and most enjoyable hikes of the year.

Southwest Shoreline of Square Lake

Square Lake About 30' Below Normal

Amphitheater-like Square Lake Inlet

Square Lake From Southern Inlet

Square Lake Dam

Fresh Concrete Base For Square Lake Dam?

Square Lake From Dam

Remnants of Old Square Lake Cabin On Other Side of Dam?

Mt Stuart To Mac Peak From Little Thunder Peak

Mac Peak and Thunder Arm From Lake Wolverine

Thor Peak From Lake Wolverine

Marmot Lake, Terrace Mtn, and Clarice Lakes From Mac Peak

Square Lake Fire From Mac Peak

[Backpacker Joe]

Great shots as usual. That is turbo scary. Square is way low joe. TB

[Tom]

BPJ, while walking around the shore I was thinking, hey BPJ wouldn't have to dive down for all the garbage he usually goes after - talk about a rare opportunity to clean up a lake! How long would it last though? Actually there was some interesting stuff including some old pots and cans that had almost completely disintegrated.

[Backpacker Joe]

Well then Thomas, did you pick it up? I wish I could have been there to pick it up. The destruction of the cabin just screws me up. What destroyed that thing? I wish I could have gone on that trip with you. Looks to have been a good one. Why didn't you go overland to Granite lakes and up to Robin Then down to the pass and your car? TB

[Tom]

Well, I figured why pick it up? I'm not gonna lug rusty metal back home or dump it on the shore. I didn't go overland to the Robins because I've already been there and looked down on the swamps above Leland.

[Backpacker Joe]

[Dean]

Good grief, somehow I had missed seeing this thread until now. I hope this doesn't sound overdone but that is an outstanding trip report and your pics re-inforce the fact that I've seen very few photographers that capture the mountain scenes as well as you do. Your photos are superb and always a pleasure to look at. Believe it when I say that every time I see pics like the one you post here, I resolve to try and improve my own photography. Excellent work Sir Tom.

[Backpacker Joe]

You said it very well Doc. I've even hiked with the guy and picked up tips..... TB

[Tom]

Thanks Doc, it helps ease the pain now that it appears one of the best hiking seasons in over a century has gone the way of snow.

[Backpacker Joe]

The end of a good one! TB

[pianodirt]

Wow Tom, great pics and report. I loved it all. My first backpack trip *ever* was 16 years ago to this same place. It was my first and only trip with my Dad. We hiked in from the Icicle Ck side, about 11 miles in. We camped at Wolverine (your pic of it is as beautiful as I remember it!) and did most of our fishing at Square Lake. At Square, I remember the cabin, it was still standing, but barely so. There was also a wooden structure (you ?? a dock?) that I took to be a wooden raft, maybe it was a dock at one point. Maybe next year I will make a trip back there. Thanks for the memories.

[Tom]

Wow, that's one long trip for a first hike. I went in that way about 10 years ago but instead of going to Square I was dumb and went to Leland. I hated it with a passion. I remember the trail being long, flat, horsey, and not much scenery past Icicle Creek. Surprised I didn't start hallucinating on that one. Fortunately it didn't jade you. BTW, this is the structure I was talking about. It looks to be a dock by the way the rocks are piled against it.

[pianodirt]

Funny story about tha first trip...I could NOT SLEEP the night prior to the trip. I was so excited. I had been on but maybe 2 short dayhikes. I couldn't get it out of my head how excited I was. Must've been all those hikes my dad had taken me on in the baby pack in CO when I was a baby I was tired by the time we got to Wolverine, but my dad was much more out of shape than I was, he was pukin up raisins and gorp! The wooden "dock" you have a pic of is not what I saw 16 years ago. What I saw was obviously made from limbs or trees from the area, not milled wood, guess it's gone like the cabin.

[Tom]

Hmm, well I decided to head back 20 years later. Who would have thought Square Lake would be even lower than it was in 2003! Not sure if the dam is failing, water was drained for irrigation, or just the exceptionally dry summer.

9/16/2023

9/25/2003

[HitTheTrail]

I tend to agree with Tom’s assessment of the Leland trail/lake. Both are underwhelming to say the least. But it was my wife’s first real high alpine experience and I consider exploring the basin around Phoebe and Jungfrau lakes as one of our best trips ever. I always regret that we didn’t get to spend time in the upper Swallow basin. Or get back there to explore more, notwithstanding the route in.