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Dave Workman Member
Joined: 06 Aug 2006 Posts: 3699 | TRs | Pics Location: In the woods, by the big tree |
Took the short trek up to the Twin Lakes north of Silver Peak Sunday. I like this spot because it gets very little traffic. Water clear as glass. I spotted a couple of people high on the ridge making their way up to the peak. Lots of game traffic around the lake, elk and deer tracks. It's a good stretch of the legs, about a 25-30 minute walk from the road. Nice spot to go for a short hike with kids, or just to have a picnic. You can also follow the Gold Creek Trail up the ridge, although the lack of traffic has allowed this one to get a lot of growth.
Ran into a couple of people who said the berries are ripe up around Mt. Catherine in those big meadows, and that there are lots of pickers. On the way into the Twins, I found berries on the bushes wherever sun got down to the bushes, but also keep in mind something has been munching on them.
2019-08-18 13.24.06 2019-08-18 13.50.27 2019-08-18 13.20.47 2019-08-18 13.45.37 2019-08-18 13.50.46
"The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. It has never yet melted." - D.H. Lawrence
"The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. It has never yet melted." - D.H. Lawrence
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timberghost Member
Joined: 06 Dec 2011 Posts: 1316 | TRs | Pics
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JonnyQuest Member
Joined: 10 Dec 2013 Posts: 593 | TRs | Pics
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Nice spot. We often use this as the starting point for a Mt. C / PCT / CC loop, often making a side trip to one or two of the other lakes in the area. Easy access, usually very few people (except for the PCT portion from WP to the Silver cut off) so good for our pups. And they certainly enjoy a swim at lower Twin both on the way in and on the way out (which ensures they're still wet when they get back in the car!).
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Dave Workman Member
Joined: 06 Aug 2006 Posts: 3699 | TRs | Pics Location: In the woods, by the big tree |
timberghost wrote: | Any grouse? |
No, I didn't see or hear any but it was the wrong time of day, too. With all the berries around, however, I suspect there are a few in the neighborhood.
I did see a heap of elk and deer tracks, as one of the images shows, and enough poop around to suggest they're not far away.
"The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. It has never yet melted." - D.H. Lawrence
"The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. It has never yet melted." - D.H. Lawrence
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Dave Workman Member
Joined: 06 Aug 2006 Posts: 3699 | TRs | Pics Location: In the woods, by the big tree |
JonnyQuest wrote: | Easy access, usually very few people (except for the PCT portion from WP to the Silver cut off) so good for our pups. And they certainly enjoy a swim at lower Twin both on the way in and on the way out (which ensures they're still wet when they get back in the car!). |
HA!
The water in lower Twin is crystal clear, so they should really enjoy it. I was surprised at the clarity, actually. It's really a beautiful little lake, overlooked by a lot of people because it's not really much of a hike in there.
I went up the trail toward Mt. Catherine several hundred yards just to check on the conditions and look for any deer/elk sign. I was surprised at the lack of foot traffic, as if nobody had been up there all season.
All in all, a pleasant little outing and maybe the perfect spot for somebody to take their kids on an over-nighter to get them used to the outdoors, and still be within easy distance of a vehicle in case of ghosts ( )
"The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. It has never yet melted." - D.H. Lawrence
"The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. It has never yet melted." - D.H. Lawrence
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Dave Workman Member
Joined: 06 Aug 2006 Posts: 3699 | TRs | Pics Location: In the woods, by the big tree |
JonnyQuest wrote: | Nice spot. We often use this as the starting point for a Mt. C / PCT / CC loop, often making a side trip to one or two of the other lakes in the area. Easy access, usually very few people (except for the PCT portion from WP to the Silver cut off) so good for our pups. And they certainly enjoy a swim at lower Twin both on the way in and on the way out (which ensures they're still wet when they get back in the car!). |
Just out of curiosity, where do you park, then? When I was up there,, I found a couple of cars parked on that real sharp corner but didn't see or hear anyone, so they must have gone on farther, maybe up Cold Creek.
That's not a big spot for lots of cars to park. I think over the years the most I've seen jammed in there were maybe four vehicles.
Maybe that's a good thing! Helps to keep traffic down.
"The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. It has never yet melted." - D.H. Lawrence
"The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. It has never yet melted." - D.H. Lawrence
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JonnyQuest Member
Joined: 10 Dec 2013 Posts: 593 | TRs | Pics
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Yep, inside of that sharp right hand corner, just adjacent to the trailhead. We sometimes drive to Windy Pass, but with the rough conditions at the next corner, plus the increasing crowds up there, it's nice to park lower and add a bit more to the hike, especially if one of the summits isn't in the plans. Pretty sure we've only seen another car parked there once when we were using that access. Fairly lonely trails from there up the Mt. C to WP or Cold Creek up to the PCT.
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Dave Workman Member
Joined: 06 Aug 2006 Posts: 3699 | TRs | Pics Location: In the woods, by the big tree |
JonnyQuest wrote: | Yep, inside of that sharp right hand corner, just adjacent to the trailhead. We sometimes drive to Windy Pass, but with the rough conditions at the next corner, plus the increasing crowds up there, it's nice to park lower and add a bit more to the hike, especially if one of the summits isn't in the plans. Pretty sure we've only seen another car parked there once when we were using that access. Fairly lonely trails from there up the Mt. C to WP or Cold Creek up to the PCT. |
Oh, yeah, that crummy road on the next corner up the hill. I talked to a guy the other day who was heading up there in a small family car. I was a little concerned he might high center and get stuck, and he had his kid along. Never a good thing to get in a pickle on a mountain road with your kid along.
Last time I went through that I had to put it in 4-WD and I've got pretty good clearance.
Next time you wander up that way, gimme a report on what the condition of the Cold Creek trail is. I got turned back the last time because the trail was literally blocked by wet brush for as far as I could see and I really hadn't planned to go that far anyways. I was hoping to get some elevation for a photo of the lake.
But you're right that it's a "fairly lonely" trail. I'd rather not hike with half of Seattle trying to run me over.
"The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. It has never yet melted." - D.H. Lawrence
"The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. It has never yet melted." - D.H. Lawrence
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JonnyQuest Member
Joined: 10 Dec 2013 Posts: 593 | TRs | Pics
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Dave Workman wrote: | Next time you wander up that way, gimme a report on what the condition of the Cold Creek trail is. |
We did the loop counter-clockwise about a month or so ago, and most of the cold creek trail was fine. It's a less used / less maintained trail, but all but the lower portion near the lake was brushed out enough for easy hiking. However, the few hundred yards adjacent to and just uphill from the lake was a brush bash. Since we were coming down the trail, we got sucked in and dealt with that portion last, just before reaching the lake.
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Dave Workman Member
Joined: 06 Aug 2006 Posts: 3699 | TRs | Pics Location: In the woods, by the big tree |
JonnyQuest wrote: | Dave Workman wrote: | Next time you wander up that way, gimme a report on what the condition of the Cold Creek trail is. |
We did the loop counter-clockwise about a month or so ago, and most of the cold creek trail was fine. It's a less used / less maintained trail, but all but the lower portion near the lake was brushed out enough for easy hiking. However, the few hundred yards adjacent to and just uphill from the lake was a brush bash. Since we were coming down the trail, we got sucked in and dealt with that portion last, just before reaching the lake. |
About what I expected. I can't really remember when that section wasn't a mess. Ah well. Stay safe out there!
"The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. It has never yet melted." - D.H. Lawrence
"The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. It has never yet melted." - D.H. Lawrence
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