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fourteen410
Member
Joined: 23 May 2008
Posts: 2486 | TRs | Pics
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Spent a refreshing few days in the Methow Valley. Yesterday we headed up to Rainy Pass in search of cooler temps. Satellite imagery indicated that Wing Lake was still snow covered but Lewis had melted out, so we set off for the latter.
Left the TH just before 10am. We appreciated the first mile or so of shady forest. Then we traded the shade for views. I never get tired of this trail.
Made good time up to Heather Pass, where the snow had recently melted. The meadows were a bit muddy for a short stretch. A couple of these fellows popped out to say hello. Prairie dog relatives, perhaps?
We encountered some residual snow as we descended NW of Heather Pass. Soon Lewis Lake came into sight. I knew from past reports that this sight was deceptive - while it was just over a mile away, a tedious boulder field separated our boots from the lake.
We very carefully picked our way down through the boulder field. An hour or so later, we arrived at pristine Lewis Lake.
We spent an hour and a half relaxing by the lakeshore before heading back. The hike back to the pass was a slow slog due to hot temps and lack of shade on the boulder field. Needless to say, Heather Pass was a welcome sight for us heat-zapped hikers. Took a break in the shade before the a pleasant hike down to the car. Toasty but fun day 
 Triton, GaliWalker, olderthanIusedtobe, SpookyKite89, rbuzby, Cyclopath, Lindsay, Nancyann, jaysway, Slim, Tom, HitTheTrail, kite, JimK, Bramble_Scramble, reststep, awilsondc  KascadeFlat
Triton, GaliWalker, olderthanIusedtobe, SpookyKite89, rbuzby, Cyclopath, Lindsay, Nancyann, jaysway, Slim, Tom, HitTheTrail, kite, JimK, Bramble_Scramble, reststep, awilsondc KascadeFlat |
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kitya
Fortune Cookie
Joined: 15 Mar 2010
Posts: 832 | TRs | Pics
Location: Duvall, WA |
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kitya
Fortune Cookie
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 Wed Jul 27, 2022 10:39 am |
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| fourteen410 wrote: | | Made good time up to Heather Pass, where the snow had recently melted. The meadows were a bit muddy for a short stretch. A couple of these fellows popped out to say hello. Prairie dog relatives, perhaps?
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Columbian Ground Squirrel 🙂
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbian_ground_squirrel
It is a relative of prarie dog, but also of marmots and chipmunks, they are all ground squirrels! Very common east of cascades, but not west.
SpookyKite89, fourteen410, Lindsay
SpookyKite89, fourteen410, Lindsay |
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Nancyann
Member
Joined: 28 Jul 2013
Posts: 2215 | TRs | Pics
Location: Sultan Basin |
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Nancyann
Member
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Wed Jul 27, 2022 11:00 am |
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Beautiful pictures! How were the biting insects?
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fourteen410
Member
Joined: 23 May 2008
Posts: 2486 | TRs | Pics
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Thanks Kitya!
Nancy, the bugs were annoying but not hellacious like some other places I've hiked recently. I suppose it's all relative 🙂
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Backpacker Joe
Blind Hiker
Joined: 16 Dec 2001
Posts: 23902 | TRs | Pics
Location: Cle Elum |
Great pics. I remember it well. Lewis is a great place to stay so you can run up to Wing lake.
"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
"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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rbuzby
Attention Surplus
Joined: 24 Feb 2009
Posts: 982 | TRs | Pics
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rbuzby
Attention Surplus
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Thu Jul 28, 2022 11:59 am |
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Did you notice any "fresh" rock on the route just below Heather Pass, on the way down to Lewis? Here is what it looked like on July 8 this year. There was a recent, big rockfall across the route, just after you start to descend from the pass. (the "new" rockfall is at the top left of pic 1 right below Heather pass, not the big old rock field that cuts through the middle of the shot).
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olderthanIusedtobe
Member
Joined: 05 Sep 2011
Posts: 7564 | TRs | Pics
Location: Shoreline |
| kitya wrote: | | Very common east of cascades |
The only place I can recall seeing them in Washington was Wolf Creek Meadow, they were all over that area.
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fourteen410
Member
Joined: 23 May 2008
Posts: 2486 | TRs | Pics
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| rbuzby wrote: | | Did you notice any "fresh" rock on the route just below Heather Pass, on the way down to Lewis? |
Interesting. I didn't notice it just below the pass but there was some fresh crumbly garbage we had to pass through about 1/3 of the way to Lewis. Most of it could be avoided by dropping a bit lower though.
rbuzby
rbuzby |
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some names
Member
Joined: 08 Jan 2012
Posts: 240 | TRs | Pics
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Nice trip report! Beautiful pictures!
somesignaturehere and somesignaturethere
somesignaturehere and somesignaturethere
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