my best friend mike and i headed out for some memorial day weekend fun. he found out that the ross lake resort would offer shuttle service and rent out a canoe. he picked me up from colonial creek campground and we were on our way.
we parked at the ross lake trailhead, walked down the mile-long trail, and called the resort on the land-phone. minutes later, a boat was there to pick us up. getting the canoe took all of a few seconds and we were on our way.
packing up and heading out
you make the call
awaiting the boat ride
crusin' now
they said most people max out at 5-6 miles/day in a canoe. my roommate and i, being former concrete canoe champions, thought that seemed low, so we aimed for lightning creek CG - 12 miles out. the water on saturday was awesome. well, all the water we had was awesome! i've never seen such a big lake so glassed-over before. it was stellar for sure.
2003 concrete canoe competition
just getting started
is it an underwater extension of the rock, or just a reflection?
idyllic
shoreline
exposed roots
still pretty sturdy
wonderful texture
glass
self-group shot - nicely done!
group shot, from behind
we explored the various canyons, nooks, and crannies along the way, zigging all over the lake. it was so new and so enjoyable. the lake level was down about 41ft from it's high level, so it was very interesting to see the shoreline, cut trees, and terrace shelves of the shores (not sure how that happens exactly).
boat wake ripples
more ripples
rippletastic
bridge over devil's creek [img]
going into the canyons was neat. they'd start out tame, but then become more and more turbulent the closer we got to the creek/waterfall coming into the lake. the walls on either side of us were nearly vertical and looked like they went down forever. in some of the canyons, like devil's creek, there was a little residue on the surface of the water which created scintillating swirls, especially with each paddle stroke or as the canoe glided through the water.
foamy swirly stuff in the creek
swirls
cutting through the swirls
our lake elevation tree-gage
clear waters
roughly five hours after we started, we reached camp. it was in the low 80s, sunny as could be, and secluded. the campsites and facilities there were second to none in the park service (if you like those kind of campsites). we had two quiet neighbors and a couple of local deer that liked to visit and eat the plants. after setting up, we hiked about 11 miles (5.5 each way) south on the lakeshore trail back towards devils creek - we wanted to check out the suspension bridges.
more glass
more of that small feeling
taking a little hike to inspect the bridges
a little perspective from where we went
hmm, should've checked to make sure the map bag didn't have holes in it
from camp
giving the cable a test
bridge and people shadows
losing light
just perfect
evening light on jack
the bridges were quite interesting, especially given how old they were. it was amazing to see something in pretty good working condition that's made partly out of timber and is in a highly exposed environment. we both found the trail to be less-than-exciting as there were seldom views. i liked the creek crossings, especially since the trail made me feel like i was on topo map, following in the V to indicate a depression (creek, river, etc).
sunday morning we went out for a 12 mile paddle to the north, gaining views of hozemen and some of the tips of the pickets. again, great water and fun to explore. when we got back, desolation peak was calling our names. it felt really warm, despite my altimeter reading 80 degrees. i guess it's been awhile since being in warm hiking weather.
more morning glass
man, can it get better?
we could just sit here all day
perhaps the calmest water i've seen, besides the frozen kind
campground visitors
accented ridges
my backup diet
we followed the lakeshore trail for 2 miles from camp to where it meets up with the desolation peak trail and the many switchbacks. there were probably 20-30 blowdowns in the forest - somewhat annoying. and i found the trail littered with hundreds of branches - most of which i tossed off the trail. around EL4000', we hit patches of snow. by EL5000', it was mostly consistent along ridge. views got better with every step, especially now that we'd emerged from the forests. things were starting to feel like a real mountain again.
creek along the ross lake trail
finally starting to gain some elevation
rich green colors
heading up the ridge
mike soaking in the gorgeous views to the south
desolation summit and jack mountain
on the nice switchback in the open portion of the mountain
signs of summer
true summit and hozemen
mike claiming the summit
mike and hozemen
it's a lookout-well (like a tree-well)
benchmark
winds brought the temperatures down so we didn't stay too long at the summit. the lookout was still closed and locked, so there was no exploration to be had. snow was firm in places, soft in others, and really wet and cold.
a new gang member has been found - they're spreading!
ross lake and southern pickets?
pickets
northern pickets
heading back
a ray of light
emptying the water from the boots
losing daylight on the way back to camp
two different colors on this tree's bark
what i'm always in search of
we got back to camp around 8:30 and we dared each other to take a dip in the lake. mike went first while i sat way far away at camp. hmm, he did it. must not be too bad. so i went in too, and sure enough, it wasn't. it certainly wasn't as cold as the columbia was last week. it was warm enough late into the night to not feel cold, so that was a huge plus.
monday, we woke early to avoid whatever wind there might be on the lake. we did hit some, and our first paddling through waves, but they were very minor. we were 100% fortunate to have the weather and water conditions we did this weekend. just before getting back to the resort, i figured out a way to mount my camera to take a sweet video of us paddling. had only i thought of it earlier in the trip...
leaving on the last day
checking our measuring stick. the lake rose ~2.5ft in 1.75 days
and the measuring tree
postcard worthy
sad to leave
almost back to the resort
we broke the mountain
it's a twisted world
does anyone else see george washington's face in this slope?
ross lake dam - wow!
it's tall!
let's hope it holds
all-in-all, it was quite an experience. prior to a week ago, i knew nothing like this existed here. while the trails around the lake weren't great, the overall quality of it was second-to-none. i'm sure early season and less people helps my perception, but still, it was really nice. i particularly enjoyed the canyons and the winds that came rushing out of them from the force of the water. and, the smells of the sun hitting the pine needles... mmmm.
~38 miles paddling
~25 miles hiking
~5500'
~great weekend!
You guys really get around.
Makes my arms tired just looking at the speed you're paddling that canoe in the video.
Great photos of the still lake and of the creek canyon exploring.
“As beacons mountains burned at evening.” J.R.R. Tolkien
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“As beacons mountains burned at evening.” J.R.R. Tolkien
Not entirely satisfied with hiking and paddling for miles and miles he is doing a few hundred crunches. Sounds like a perfect friend for Iron.
Seriously one of the best TRs in a while. It really nice when you can combine sports for one great outing.
A quick tip and I mean this in the best way, learn the J stroke unless you are racing. You will save a lot of efort and go longer distances in comfort.
"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
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"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
A quick tip and I mean this in the best way, learn the J stroke unless you are racing. You will save a lot of efort and go longer distances in comfort.
the j-stroke isn't in my vocabulary. mike and i were actually joking about it during the trip. i was eons away from getting tired from paddling, so i think the current method of paddling works ok. he and i used to race in college, so anything but that type of form will not work. it's like trying to get a runner to change their gait after doing ten marathons - probably not gonna happen. the pace and effort we were paddling at was probably 50% of normal but, thanks for the thoughts nonetheless.
A great adventure, wonderfully captured in words, pics, and video!
While watching the last video I was struck by a couple of things, 1) that even at the great pace you were setting, the distant shore seems barely to advance - the size/scale of that lake really is huge, and 2) being a hiker/biker, my upper body gets less action than a Wookie at a Star Trek convention - paddling for even a few minutes like that would likely kill me. I should look into some light arm weights or something to better spread the cardio while hiking.
Thanks for sharing this!
A great adventure, wonderfully captured in words, pics, and video!
While watching the last video I was struck by a couple of things, 1) that even at the great pace you were setting, the distant shore seems barely to advance - the size/scale of that lake really is huge, and 2) being a hiker/biker, my upper body gets less action than a Wookie at a Star Trek convention - paddling for even a few minutes like that would likely kill me. I should look into some light arm weights or something to better spread the cardio while hiking.
Thanks for sharing this!
agreed on the scale of things. it was quite strange, actually. starting the trip, we were constantly amazed how quickly we were reaching different destinations. things felt like they were moving fast.
the second day, we'd see the end of a ridge jutting out into the water and think we were only a few minutes away. soon, however, we found that we were closer to miles and many minutes away.
even more interesting was being in the dead center of the lake (between shorelines). it always felt like we were close to shore, but when we'd paddle in the direction of it, sometimes it would take 20 minutes to even get close.
i don't think i've ever experienced a sense of scale quite like this one before. it was wonderful to feel that small!
Great tri and TR Iron. Brings back memories... I did a paddle trip from Canada south to Ruby Arm and everywhere in between back in '73. When we paddled up Devil's creek I don't remember the bridge, so it's not too old ;-).
Nice mixing up of the activities for a great trip. Temps in the 80's? Thought it was hot out... A great place where only miles away we were up high trying to stay warm and you trying to stay cool.
We saw you guys at Lightning! We were heading back from Silver Creek that morning, and you guys were on your way to Desolation. I'll post a report on our trip shortly, but nice shots!
well, for the video, we were synch'ing our paddle strokes - which invovles me calling out the switch. but for 99% of the trip, we just paddled however and talked whenever.
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