Leavenworth is just on the eastern edge of the Cascade foothills, so it was just a short drive to get into the mountains. Most of the hikes in the area are in the
Wenatchee National Forest. One day after work we drove to Icicle Gorge and hiked along the Icicle River. We felt the river...I believe we know now why they call it "icicle".
Saturday was our "big" hike. We did the 9-mile r/t hike to Stuart Lake. The USFS trail flyers said this was one of the most beautiful in the area. Then, ironically, we met a USFS ranger out on a hike and when he asked us why we picked Stuart Lake, I told him about the trail description. He disagreed and said next time we should go to Colchuk Lake! Ha! It's all about individual preference. It was a nice hike, but we did expect more views along the way. But reaching Stuart Lake and seeing the glacier on Mt Stuart were well worth the walk. And, I'm sure the couple of meadows we passed must be stunning in wildflower season.
Here's Stuart Lake - our destination and snack spot. We tried putting our feet in here, too. It makes me miss our warm Florida waters that's for sure! It was beckoning us to go for a swim, but two seconds is all it took for me to change my mind.
This hike was a little different for us as we didn't start until 1pm. Having to worry about getting home by sunset is not our normal pattern. Especially being in the woods and with the sun sliding behind the mountains, it was noticeably darker by the time we reached the car again at 6pm.
Saturday was our "big" hike. We did the 9-mile r/t hike to Stuart Lake. The USFS trail flyers said this was one of the most beautiful in the area. Then, ironically, we met a USFS ranger out on a hike and when he asked us why we picked Stuart Lake, I told him about the trail description. He disagreed and said next time we should go to Colchuk Lake! Ha! It's all about individual preference. It was a nice hike, but we did expect more views along the way. But reaching Stuart Lake and seeing the glacier on Mt Stuart were well worth the walk. And, I'm sure the couple of meadows we passed must be stunning in wildflower season.
Here's Stuart Lake - our destination and snack spot. We tried putting our feet in here, too. It makes me miss our warm Florida waters that's for sure! It was beckoning us to go for a swim, but two seconds is all it took for me to change my mind.
This hike was a little different for us as we didn't start until 1pm. Having to worry about getting home by sunset is not our normal pattern. Especially being in the woods and with the sun sliding behind the mountains, it was noticeably darker by the time we reached the car again at 6pm.
No comments:
Post a Comment