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Ulrich
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Joined: 02 Feb 2002
Posts: 174 | TRs | Pics
Location: Seattle
Ulrich
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PostTue Jul 23, 2002 3:09 pm 
After our last trip up to Marten Lake we decided to give Rainy Lake a shot. We had also noticed that the 2002 revised Green Trails Map now shows a thin green interrupted trail line to Rainy Lake. When we arrived Monday morning at the Middle Fork Taylor River Trailhead not a single car was parked. Actually we didn't run into a soul all day. Being retired certainly is helpful, one can chose the day of the week. However, this Monday was a bad choice because it got awfully hot! Following instructions in " Hidden Hikes in Western Washington' we had no troubled finding the trail leading up to Rainy Lake. Initially, the trail was quite misleading, leaving us with the impression of a nice, soft forest path. Soon however, the trail started climbing, often steeper than a miners' trail, over countless downed trees, and at times extremely rough. Sturdy boots and hiking poles an absolute must, as we discovered on the way down! There were also some heavy muddy portions. At about 2100 feet someone's placed flags appear, not always helpful. At 2300 feet a small field [ 100 yards or so across] of avalanche debris had completely obliterated the already faint trail. The trail continued straight across on the other side of the field. At 2700 feet, a small creek, coming down a steep hillside, now almost completely blocked by a large tree, needed to be crossed. Crawling under the downed tree, even with our backpacks taken off, turned out to be a rather strenuous exercise on this hot afternoon. From here on the trail became fainter and fainter. One really needed to pay careful attention, it wasn't always obvious which way to turn, at least for us. At about 3100 feet my wife had the misfortune to sprain her ankle. Wisely, I think, we called it quits and 'aborted our mission.' Walking slowly it took us three hours to reach the parking lot. Rainy Lake, may be for another, cooler day.

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McPilchuck
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Joined: 17 Dec 2001
Posts: 856 | TRs | Pics
Location: near Snohomish, Wa.
McPilchuck
Wild Bagger
PostTue Jul 23, 2002 6:17 pm 
A George Lewis rule: always go into Rainy Lake on a rainy day. When you do eventually get into Rainy Lake, you will discover perhaps just who George Lewis was and why he loved it so..... Hope that ankle gets better.

in the granite high-wild alpine land . . . www.alpinequest.com
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JimK
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Joined: 07 Feb 2002
Posts: 5606 | TRs | Pics
Location: Ballard
JimK
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PostTue Jul 23, 2002 7:17 pm 
George Lewis
McPilchuck, I had never heard of George Lewis but through the wonder of the internet I found out about him. Quite an interesting guy. George Lewis

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Ulrich
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Joined: 02 Feb 2002
Posts: 174 | TRs | Pics
Location: Seattle
Ulrich
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PostTue Jul 23, 2002 7:27 pm 
I read about George Lewis in ' Hidden Hikes..' Thanks for filling in some blanks.

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