Forum Index > Trip Reports > Larch lakes, Cow Creek meadows, Entiat river, with Daisy
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Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!



Joined: 27 Mar 2003
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Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!
PostWed Sep 23, 2009 11:03 pm 
Daisy the wonder dog and I headed up the Entiat river trail on Sunday for three days of fun and adventure. The weather was perfect the whole time, except maybe a bit cold, especially Sunday night. I could have used a couple of more dogs, it was that kind of night. wink.gif We camped the first night at Myrtle lake, due to a late start from home and a long drive. It was actually pretty nice for a non-wilderness lake that allows motorcycle access. We saw about a hundred hunters, many riding motorcycles, but all were very polite, and they were all leaving. biggrin.gif That was on the trail, we saw none at the lake. No pictures worth posting from Sunday except these two of Daisy, one eager, and one after I'd walked a bit of the swagger out of her.
Monday it was time to do some serious hiking, so we hit the trail raring to go. I was unaware of the existence of a separate trail for "hikers only" to Larch lakes, even though I photographed the sign pointing it out, doh.gif so like dummies we hiked an extra two miles, forded the icy Entiat river, and hiked up the horse trail. No problem, suffering builds character, right? suuure.gif We saw some good stuff, like a burned-over section of forest.
Arriving at the first Larch lake (lower) was awesome. The emerald water, the huge meadows, the end of the endless climbing, hooray! The 2,000 ft climb from the Entiat was actually pretty easy, due to the low humidity and moderate temperatures. We took a long break there, partly to rest and partly because we were not heading back out that way, so it was "hello-goodbye" to this very nice lake.
Next up was the upper Larch lake. It was even better, a real gem. I'm a meadow lover, so I was in pure heaven. More awesome water colors, reflections, colors all around, great campsites, and like the first lake, totally deserted. Complete solitude which lasted from Monday morning until Tuesday night. We hiked around to the other side and chose the second best campsite at the lake. More on this later.
Tuesday it was time to leave, but not by the straight route, and it would take all day. We started by fully exploring the lake area with the light in our favor for once.
That's when we found the best campsite, next to a giant rock, with incredible views and the best sitting rock I've ever seen.
Some larches were turning.
We left Larch lakes on the trail to Garland mtn and Fifth of July mtn, up and up some more, onto a ridge that looked out over the area and down into the Larch lakes basin.
Then it was down and down, 1,500 ft, to Cow Creek meadows, another cool area to explore.
We wandered around the meadows for an hour or so, finding a couple more classic campsites, checked out a great spring, and basically sucked up all that good photography light by putting the sun behind us. Mostly, anyway.
It was a different world in the shadows at the end of the meadow, which I experienced twice that day, once at upper Larch and once at Cow Creek. The hike out from Cow Creek meadows went through a very nice forest with an understory of blueberry bushes just starting to turn.
We left the trail junction with the Myrtle lake trail and the Entiat trail at 5:10 pm, having already hiked 6 miles and gained 1,000 ft and lost 3,000, but we still managed the last 3.5 miles in 1.5 hours, which seemed like an eternity at the time. We left the trail head at 7 pm (after Daisy's dinner) and got home at 11:30 last night. Stats: day one, about 5 miles and 1,000 ft of gain. Day two, another 5 miles and 2,200 ft of gain. Day three, almost 10 miles, another 1,000 ft of gain, and 4,000 ft lost. Trails were all in excellent shape if a bit dusty. No bugs or other problems. We heard no gunshots despite seeing all the hunters on Sunday.

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trailjunky
Backcountry Bumpkin'



Joined: 14 Jun 2004
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trailjunky
Backcountry Bumpkin'
PostThu Sep 24, 2009 12:23 am 
Thanks Sluggo, man those larch better step it into high gear before next weekend. huh.gif

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Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!



Joined: 27 Mar 2003
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Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!
PostThu Sep 24, 2009 12:35 am 
I was thinking the exact opposite. embarassedlaugh.gif I want them to wait until the weekend after this one coming up. I am doing a non-larch hike this weekend, and I'm hoping to see the larches after that. In any case, the whole area up there is all larches. Especially the trail from upper larch lake to Garland Peak. Whole forests of them. It would sure be spectacular to be there at just the right time.

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Backpacker Joe
Blind Hiker



Joined: 16 Dec 2001
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Backpacker Joe
Blind Hiker
PostThu Sep 24, 2009 12:55 pm 
Great report and adventure Sluggo. Im hoping to hit the Golden Lakes loop during larch season. Come on larches.....

"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide." — Abraham Lincoln
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harrymalamute
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PostThu Sep 24, 2009 8:43 pm 
good to see daisy back on the trail.

hikes and climbs with malamute
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DIYSteve
seeking hygge



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DIYSteve
seeking hygge
PostFri Sep 25, 2009 8:28 am 
Cool! Lovely place for you and Daisy. up.gif

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Tazz
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PostFri Sep 25, 2009 8:38 am 
smile.gif i am liking the larches...this weather (cold nights and warm days) are gonna get them turning quick.

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Bedivere
Why Do Witches Burn?



Joined: 25 Jul 2008
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Bedivere
Why Do Witches Burn?
PostFri Sep 25, 2009 4:10 pm 
Love that area. Was up there last year about a week early for the peak of the season but it was still plenty spectacular. How fast do the larches turn? That trip last year was on the 10-11 of October, hard to believe they'll change that much in just a couple of weeks.

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Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!



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Slugman
It’s a Slugfest!
PostFri Sep 25, 2009 7:57 pm 
Nice report and pics, CW. I liked the snow in the meadows, and of course the larch color was fantastic. I also lamented the lack of a mountain bike, but I wasn't going to make Daisy run behind me on the way out. But if anyone is thinking about going to Ice lakes via the Entiat, and the 14 miles each way has "scared" you off, remember that you get 4.5 miles of easy mountain biking each way, making the hike just 9.5 miles.

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Layback
Cascades Expatriate



Joined: 16 Mar 2007
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Layback
Cascades Expatriate
PostFri Sep 25, 2009 8:20 pm 
Dang... Those larch are looking a bit more lime that I'd hope. I got's the Chants next weekend and I need me some laaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrch!!!

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Larry
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Larry
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PostSat Sep 26, 2009 7:29 pm 
Simply a GREAT report, well written. DSC0093, with the light and shadows - what a BEAUTIFUL image, Slugman. Really nice. In fact, all your images are truly fine, with the light and shadows taking the lead. cool.gif

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joker
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joker
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PostSat Sep 26, 2009 8:39 pm 
It's nice to see you out with Daisy again!

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grannyhiker
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grannyhiker
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PostSun Sep 27, 2009 9:11 pm 
Great report, Slugman. I'm going to try this one for next weekend. All the snow forecasts have spooked me out of the Pasaytens. At least with Larch Lakes my car will be 3,000 feet lower!

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.--E.Abbey
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grannyhiker
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PostFri Oct 16, 2009 3:03 pm 
Just an update to Slugman's trip report. That hiker-only cutoff to the Larch Lakes Trail takes off from the Cow Creek Meadows trail a bit under 1/2 mile past Myrtle Lake. This is the way to go to avoid fording the Entiat River! My own trip report (two weeks later) is coming soon, maybe tonight! Still working on the pictures.

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.--E.Abbey
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