[Snowdog]

Gosh, what a pretty place Gothic Basin is! I hadn't been up there in a few years & I'd forgotten. The trail is in decent shape, albeit a bit more 'rugged' than some, and very little snow left- just a few patches. The best part though was the absence of BUGS!!!!! I think this cooler weather has worked magic - at least I sure hope so! There hasn't been a single report in recent weeks that hasn't mentioned skeeters, biting flies & other assorted evil insects putting a damper on everyone's enjoyment of the great outdoors.

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Ian loved this sign- added a nice element of 'danger' for him.

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[Magellan]

I'm thinking about Gothic and Del Campo this weekend. Thanks for the timely report.

[David¹]

On the short list - thanks for the report

[Tazz]

i really need to get in there!

[Highwalker's Daughter]

No bugs in the Rainier area off 410 either. Glad you got out. We missed you on Norse Peak Wed. Maybe backpacking next week??? Everyone else seems to have canceled out again.

[ree]

Beautiful pictures. Love that hike.

[Chief Joseph]

I plan on going to Gothic basin in a week or so and was wondering if the water is potable after filtering or are there heavy metals due to previous mining in the area? Also are there any fish at all in or near the basin?

[Slugman]

Bugs are so weather dependent. At Thornton, they were horrible Sun and Mon, not a problem at all on Tuesday (cooler). That was in part because they were black flies (heat activated) but almost no mosquitoes any of the days. Yeah, Gothic basin and Foggy lake is a great hike. I've been meaning to spend the night there so I can explore more, as it was a pretty tough dayhike, and I never went past Foggy lake.

[the Zachster]

That was short and sweet...very sweet pics! Just enough to entice me up there again..it's been long time.

[rbuzby]

The water at Gothic Basin is not tainted by mining. The type and scale of the mining there was not of the sort that would leave lasting water pollution. We used to call that secondary summit north of Gothic "The Nasty Hat". Cuz it looks like a nasty hat.

[NikonHiker]

[Slugman]

I even used a bike for the one mile of road, and the hike still nearly killed me. Lots of gain and the rough trail, almost a scramble in parts, added to the difficulty. But well worth it, and I stayed all day to suck up the beauty. I love glacier-polished rock! While up at the tarn before the lake, looking down on it from the rocky ridge above it, something swam across the tarn, fast enough to leave a wake, then disappeared into the rocks on land. I thought of every creature I'd ever seen to explain what I saw, and I'm still not sure. It seemed to wiggle back and forth like a snake of some sort while in the water, but scrambled on land like a legged creature. My guesses sound kind of crazy, like a giant salamander. It could almost have been a small mammal, maybe a fisher? Perhaps the memory is better as a unsolved mystery.

[MysteryMachine]

I've always wanted to do this one and never gotten around to it. Maybe next weekend (this weekend we are taking a noob and it doesn't sound like a noob trail). Are the rocks sharp? Loose? Too big for a knee height dog to climb? Just want to know if I can take the dog along.