August | 2024 | Blissfulbritt

Just on the outskirts of my most beloved town of Leavenworth sits a bumpy, pot hole filled road that leads to one of the most popular hiking trails in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. I have lived in Washington for most of my life, aside from a couple temporary moves for jobs, and the hike to Colchuck Lake has been on my radar for many of those years.

The main deterrents for why I had not yet hiked to Colchuck Lake were: distance (three and a half hour drive to trail head from my house), road to trail head (no way my Toyota Camry would make it), and popularity (trails are popular for a reason, but I loathe huge crowds while hiking.) All that said, I knew I still wanted to hike this trail at least once in my life. Lucky for me my pal Caitlin has a car made for roads like this, and she matches my go getter attitude when it comes to hiking.

This meant we decided to leave at 4am on a Friday, and drive the three and a half hours to the trail head to beat the crowds.

We arrived around 0745 to find the parking lot full, but we only had to park a few spaces down on the road. Caitlin has done this trail before, and she told me parking on the road backs up multiple miles during the peak weekends in the summer. We arrived at a good time. Despite doing this hike at the tail end of July, I was shocked to discover how cold it was at this time of the morning.

The temps were in the mid 30’s and it took me close to an hour to fully warm up my fingers and my legs.

The first couple miles of this trail pass through wooded forests with tall trees and lush green plants. The trail is moderate for these miles and doesn’t begin to climb until you’re out of the trees. From there the lush green disappears, the trees get shorter, and the legs feel wobblier. We took our time getting to the lake, and we arrived around 1020. The downside of arriving this early was that the lighting was terrible.

The upside was that there were minimal people at the lake and we were able to find our own pocket to sit.

We snacked and savored the view for about 20 minutes, all the while I was gathering the courage to get into the water. The hike warmed me up, but it was still slightly cooler than I would have liked in order to dive head first into the water. In all reality, I never dive head first – I walk out and take far too long to commit to the cold because I am a wimp. Alas, I always submerge myself eventually.

After sitting on a rock contemplating when I wanted to shock my body I finally decided to pull the trigger. If the sun is shining, and the temps are above 70 I will without a doubt get into the water. I try to collect alpine lake swims like 1999 Pokémon cards. Gotta catch em’ all.

*Caitlin captured my contemplative scowl.*

*Nothing like getting your hair wet to remind you just how big your forehead is. LOL*

Caitlin eventually joined me in the water, and we played mermaids for quite some time. I found it difficult to get out of the water once I was in. There are few things more invigorating than a cold alpine lake surrounded by mountains. I finally dragged my soaked skin out of the water to dry in the sun, and I was thankful I had my jacket once again.

I needed my jacket for another couple miles after we left the lake despite a comfortable 70 degree wind and sunshine.

*Made a new friend, but he wouldn’t swim with me. Rude.*

Colchuck Lake was just as beautiful as I expected, but I think I enjoyed the second half of our hike more than this lake. The trailhead for Colchuck begins at the trailhead for Lake Stuart, another lake within the forested area. The trail comes to a fork about 2 miles in, and this is where most people go to the left and head towards Colchuck.

We decided that we were going to hike to both Colchuck and to Lake Stuart since we were already in the area.

The additional hike to Lake Stuart only added another 4 or so miles, and while overall this was doable, once the heat kicked in and the bugs started to party next to our faces the slog became tough. The main trail to Lake Stuart isn’t anything to write home about, but just under a mile or so into this portion of the trail the forested surroundings open up to one of the most unbelievable meadows I have ever seen. I am still dreaming about these views.

The trail is barely visible amongst the brush, but this added to the fully immersed sensations of being in the meadow. If it weren’t for the incessant buzzing of bugs trying to feast on my flesh I could have stood here for hours. We trudged on another mile and some change before seeing Lake Stuart in all his glory. Not quite as in your face as Colchuck, but beautiful nonetheless.

I appreciate a modest lake.

Lake Stuart was quiet and we only saw one patch of campers in this location, allowing us our own pocket of nature. We sat here just long enough for me to eat 3/4 of an apple before making our way back through the meadow, and back to the car. We arrived back to the car around 1545, making this an 8 hour excursion covering 13.1 miles. The most beautiful half marathon I have walked in years.

You can see the official trail details if you click here. Just know AllTrails is notorious for being off on milage.

Just when I thought the hike couldn’t get any better, we encountered a chipmunk at the tail end of the hike with cheeks stuffed to the brim. I am still laughing at the sight of his swollen cheeks, but I was too focused on him begging for more food to snap a photo. This will be one of the mental snapshots that will forever live within my memories.

We ended our adventure with a walk through the town of Leavenworth for a cup of coffee and a scoop of ice cream from Whistlepunk Ice Cream Co. I had been wanting to try this ice cream since Duncan and I were in Leavenworth back in April. I didn’t get any then because I had already eaten a cupcake the size of my face, and while it goes against my intrusive thoughts I do in fact have self control over my sweets intake.

The ice cream was worth the wait, and you may tell me it’s boring to get vanilla flavored ice cream, but I will tell you the best way to test ice cream is by getting the basic flavor. That and I just like vanilla. Too many bells and whistles in my ice cream and I’ll feel 10x worse than ice cream already makes me feel. This pit stop was the perfect ending to an epic adventure. We started the drive back home around 1730, and I arrived back to my fur child just after 2100. A full day, a full belly, and a full spirit.

Q: What is your go to ice cream flavor? Vanilla for me these days, but back in my heyday I was known to go for cookie dough, anything with peanut butter and chocolate chunks, or cookies and cream.

I tend to change with the seasons both mentally and physically. My moods change, my activities change, and my habits change. I find that living in a state with four seasons allows me to appreciate the changes, and allows me to let go of what no longer serves me. When summer hits I know I will stay up later in the evening, feel naturally a bit more joyful from the extra vitamin D, and most importantly my hiking shoes get a lot more use.

I still hike year round when possible, but in the summer I can climb into the mountains that were once off limits because of snow. I appreciate the seasons forcing me to wait for these moments each year. In a world surrounded by instant gratification I enjoy the delay. Waiting for an adventure makes the journey that much sweeter.

When it comes to choosing a hike, I am one who reads trail reports like I am studying for a college exam. I need as much information as possible to feel prepared and to quell my anxiety. Once I find a trail that is up to snuff in my book I wrangle a willing participant and venture to the mountains. Lucky for me, last summer I befriended my coworker Caitlin and the rest has been history.

She is just as eager to hike as I am, which lets Duncan off the hook for weekly excursions.

Our first bigger summit of the season happened to coincide with the first 90 degree day of a very hot week. We left as early as possible to beat the heat, and overall we were successful. Caitlin, her sister Christina, Duncan, myself, and Caitlin’s sweet pup hiked to the top of Mount Townsend, a trail I have done a handful of times now.

This is a great hike to welcome the season, with spectacular views of the surrounding Olympic mountains.

The day was certainly hot, but when we are on mountain time there is no rush in getting to the top. Gone are the days I used to hike just to rush to the top. There was once a period of my life where I hiked solo a lot. I enjoyed this season of my life, but just like the seasons of weather – things change.

I enjoyed hiking alone and going at my own pace, but the reason I started doing it was because I couldn’t find any willing participants. Now that I am older and wiser (and far more anxious) I avoid hiking alone. I am thankful to have met both Caitlin and Duncan in the last few years, because now I never have to go alone.

While summer is likely my least favorite season, I take full advantage of the longer days. Summer months bring early starts to beat the crowds, and less fear of trying to beat the darkness of the setting sun. We only saw a handful of people on this hike, allowing us to find our own pocket of solace at the summit. We snacked, we savored, and then we sauntered our way back to the car.

Day hikes like this are the perfect summer excursion for me because I have something to look forward to on my weekends, but I am home in time to snuggle with my kitty in the evening. It’s taken me a while to appreciate the simpler things in life, but sometimes all it takes is a hike in my own backyard (metaphorically speaking of course) to bring me to life after a long week.

While I am ready for the high 80 / low 90 degree days to go away, I plan to use them to my advantage on some of these hikes. Insert alpine lake here. More on that in my next post. Who doesn’t love a good cold plunge after a grueling hike.

Q: What’s your favorite season? Hands down fall for me. I don’t care that it’s only August, I LOVE seeing all the fall themed items in the stores.