Seracer Member
Joined: 02 Jul 2004 Posts: 417 | TRs | Pics Location: Hooterville |
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Seracer
Member
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Tue Aug 07, 2012 4:04 pm
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Well, I thought going into Grace Lakes would be someplace new. It was for me and I thought since the trail is suppose to not be maintained anymore, it would be pretty new to others. Imagine my surprise to see several recent TR's from folks going in there! Good on ya. It's a swell place.
My long time hiking/climbing bud Kevin and his son Chet, myself, and Max the dog starting hiking the Whitepine late morning this last Friday. We passed a Youth Corps van leaving and I have to assume they were doing some trail maintenance. I'm here to say that they do fine work. Thanks! The trailhead does not require a NW Forest Pass, by the way. Maybe someone can tell me why, cause it's a mystery to me. We made quick work of the wonderful 2.5 mile Whitepine stretch and began the climb up the Wildhorse towards Frosty Pass. The morning had been cool, quiet big growth timber to this point, with lots of side creek crossings. Now it began to open up and we starting getting nice views towards Bulls Tooth. Glacier Peak was just visible over the ridges to the north. This trail was an example of what to me is a well graded trail. Mostly just a demanding but not deranged pull out of the valley, with just a few switchbacks. We began to get views of Chiwakum Ridge and Snowgrass Mtn., even sidetriping for a short spell to check out a nice big basin just north of Grace Lakes.
We began looking for a faint path leading off the main trail as we got closer to Frosty Pass. This trail is not maintained (supposedly), and so we did not expect anything like a sign. Eventually we came to a large avalanche chute choked with debris and, wonder of wonders, a sign! Off we headed to climb our last thousand feet or so to Lower Grace Lake. The trail wandered around through a couple of small basins dominated by Snowgrass Mtn., sometimes easy to see and follow, sometimes not so much. We finally lost it on a small snowfield just below the last hill south of the lake. Climbing to a small notch we crested the hill to get our first view of Lower Grace Lake.
Lower Grace Lake reminds me very much of Cradle Lake, up the Icicle. A small, mostly shallow lake with meadows and a dominating mountain rising behind it. We dropped into a nice campsite perhaps a hundred yards from the southshore of the lake. I quickly hung my hammock and Kevin and Chet got their tent up. There was no need for my tarp as the day had been clear and hot and the night looked to be the same. We pumped water and had dinner, it having been a long, sweaty day, and retired early. That night, a strong downlake wind roared through camp for most of the night, rocking Max and me in my hammock and blowing sand into Kevin and Chet's tent.
Next morning dawned calm and warm. We slept late and rose to breakfast and bugs. They were to be constant companions this trip, only slowing their attacks when the breeze came up. Even nightfall did little to discourage them, the nights being so warm. Still, we explored the shore of Lower Grace Lake. Lots of flowers and little streams and always the constant hovering mass of Snowgrass Mt. to brood over us. Little snow anywhere, which made my ice axe look rather stupid hanging off my pack. Hey, I just was not sure. Later in the day, Kevin and Chet decided to climb to Upper Grace Lake. Max had taken quite a beating getting in the day before (being just a little dog) and I was afraid he would hurt himself more doing too much today. So we opted to spend a quiet day hanging in the hammock and reading along with the occasional stroll among the heather and flowers around the lake. Kevin and Chet returned late in the afternoon with tales of terror trying to negotiate the steep and exposed hillside getting up and down from Upper Grace Lake (a rock and ice lake with nice views). I felt better about my choice after hearing their stories. We found some whiskey in our packs (score!) and wasted some brain cells as the sun dropped behind the mountain ridges to the west.
Sunday dawned the same. Sun, heat, bugs. We slept late again (cause we could) and finally hoisted our packs again for the trip out. A mostly uneventful return hike. We did misplace the trail just down from the place we lost it two days ago, but in the open hillsides it was not tough to see where we had to go. Max was a trooper for the entire trip but finally hit his wall with about 1 mile to go to the truck. I ended up carrying him for a bit that last stretch.
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