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ajgoodkids
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Joined: 11 Aug 2002
Posts: 113 | TRs | Pics
Location: Issaquah
ajgoodkids
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PostThu Sep 05, 2002 9:12 pm 
trip pix in Alpine Lakes Wilderness album We did a five-day, Labor-Day-weekend backpacking trip with another family to the West Foss Lakes. Our two seven-year-olds and the other family’s eight-year-old daughter and four-year-old son had a blast together. On this relaxed, family-oriented trip, we were more interested in exploration and play time than grinding out trail miles. We spent a night at Trout Lake, a night at Copper Lake and two nights at Big Heart Lake. The higher we got, the prettier the scenery got and the less garbage was strewn around the campsites and the lakeshores. One nice aspect of this hike is that it enters the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and old growth forest immediately. The hiking stints between lakes are around three miles each. The hike from Trout Lake to Copper Lake gains two thousand feet. The hike from Copper Lake to Big Heart Lake passes Little Heart Lake, which was the destination for several Labor Day weekend parties. The hike from Little Heart Lake to Big Heart Lake is an especially pretty stretch of trail. On the final day, we hiked out the seven and a half miles from Big Heart Lake to the trailhead. Trip highlights included: Big trees: Most of the trip is in sparse, open forest with granite cliffs, rockslides and boulder fields. We regularly passed trees four to five feet in diameter. Early in the trip, we passed two big douglas firs in the ten to twelve foot diameter range. Waterfalls: The hike up to Copper Lake is adjacent to an impressive waterfall. On the hike to Big Heart Lake, there is a view across to another steep waterfall. A four-hundred-foot falls drops right off the Big Heart Lake outlet. Creek crossings: Three creek crossings are on footlogs. Two have a single pole handrail; one is a handrail-less double log. The three older kids are used to walking footlogs. The four-year-old was guided across. Other creek crossings are easy rock hops and low log walks. Logjams: All the upper lakes have logjams at their outlets. We crossed three logjams and camped adjacent to two. The kids nicknamed the Copper Lake logjam “the maze”. It has lots of frogs. Rocks: The upper lakes are cliff-walled for most of their perimeters. There are some impressive rockslides with large boulders. We were fascinated by the regular, straight, variable-width, pure feldspar bands in the granite. We found some bright green malachite in a gravel slope on the trail above Copper Lake. Camping: All our camps were near lake outlets. Our Trout Lake camp was in deep forest. Our two upper camps were atop bluffs overlooking the lakes, with short paths down to the logjams. The cliffs are reasonably brush-protected and the kids, as usual, showed respect and care regarding drop-offs. Fishing: The fishing was only fair. I caught pan-size rainbow trout, cutthroat trout and brook trout. I kept a couple for breakfast and dinner supplements. The kids loved the fresh fish. Hiking: The kids all did a super job of hiking, both up and down. The eight-year-old carried ten pounds and my two seven-year-olds carried nine pounds each. The four-year-old carried no pack. The four-year-old was a good hiker; he was especially fast uphill. Alpine rambles: From our Big Heart Lake camp, the adults took turns exploring the alpine terrain above. There is a nice wonderland of granite, meadows, tarns and snowfields overlooking Trout, Delta, Angeline, Big Heart and Chetwood lakes. The route has some ups and downs. Cairns along the sketchy main route save a lot of mistrips down dead end side paths. I was up there in the rain and it was still beautiful. Bug factor: The bugs were not bad this trip. Sometimes the mosquitoes were annoying, other times they were absent. Weather: The first three and a half days were clear and sunny. The last day and a half had broken overcast skies, patchy fog and intermittent rain. We were prepared for rain; everyone stayed warm, dry and happy. It rained hard for several hours the last night. We did fine with only minor leaks at the tent edges. The kids all had warm clothes, mittens and good, effective raingear. They all enjoyed the hike out in light, intermittent rain.

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