Tag: Snow Lake

• Summer of the Lakes

  Posted at 10:30 AM by Brittany, on September 6, 2024

  This summer has been the season of the lakes for me. My activity of choice changes with the seasons, and summer is reserved for hiking as many places as possible. While I prefer hiking in the fall, summer hiking means I am far more likely to submerge myself in a body of water. I have managed a few more lake hikes since I last posted, one of which I swam in.

  All of these hikes I have done before (and blogged about!) so I will share the link to the previous adventures because I like looking back in time.

  First up I ventured to the Olympics for a tromp up to Lake Angeles. I did not swim in this lake because it was under 65 and I was a wimp. We did see one swimmer, and I commend him for his bravery. Caitlin, Duncan, and I had a lovely time on this adventure. We saw a multitude of frogs, very few other humans, and had coffee and ice cream after we finished. I was wild and chose a honey lavender flavor, but it did not sit well. This is why I stick to vanilla.

  Hike Highlight: spending time giggling with my two favorite people. Read about my last venture to Lake Angeles here. (I was much more philosophical in that post. lol.)

  

  

  Next up was a trek to my favorite alpine lake within the Alpine Lake Wilderness. I used to embark on this trail solo after a long week working at Starbucks, and it holds a very close spot in my heart. I wrangled up three of my coworkers (including Caitlin because duh) and we headed to Melakwa Lake on a Friday morning.

  I almost didn’t make it out the door however, because look at what I had to say goodbye to…

  

  I warned my other two coworkers who had not been hiking much that this trail was relatively steep, but they were up for the challenge. Despite the fact that I had done this trail many times, I had not been since they reconstructed the parking. I was thrown off by this and ended up taking us on the adjacent trail adding another 2 miles to our day.

  While this made for a longer hike overall, I was jazzed we made this detour because I had never ventured down this other trail. This 2 mile out and back leads to Franklin Falls, and I can’t believe I never took the time to make this detour on my last few visits to Melakwa Lake.

  

  

  

  We managed around 12 miles total this day, and while one of my pals was in a good bit of discomfort after, she is still up for another adventure. We spent just enough time at the lake for three of us to swim, snack, and SAVOR the surrounding beauty! No ice cream after this hike, how sad for me.

  Hike Highlight: swimming in my favorite alpine lake. Read about my last trek to Melakwa Lake here.

  

  

  

  Next up was a stroll to Snow Lake, one of the most popular trails in the Alpine Lake Wilderness. I was quickly reminded why I do not hike this trail on a weekend, alas I wanted my Monday – Friday working boyfriend to go with us on this hike. I also saw a woman hiking up with a cat in a mesh backpack, so I guess it was worth it.

  We started early making the hike up pleasant because we didn’t see many people. We secured the perfect spot on a rock by the lake to drool over the view before heading back to the car. This hike is more of a moderate one, which is partially why it’s so popular. Caitlin, her pup Poncho, Duncan, and I ventured off for this stroll on a Sunday. Never again.

  

  

  This was another chilly day so we did not swim in this lake either, which is a bit of a bummer. Last summer Caitlin and I hiked to Snow Lake, and continued on further to Gem Lake where we did swim. I have yet to swim in Snow Lake, so next year it will be a must. Coming back down after we enjoyed our snacks was a nightmare. There were more people than a big city train station and I was loosing my mind. No more popular weekend hikes for me, sorry Duncan. Also no ice cream after this. I am deprived.

  Hike Highlight: cat in a backpack. Read about my first stroll to Snow Lake here. So young, and my photo quality was so, so bad.

  

  

  

  Lastly a quick honorable mention. My mom spent a week in Glacier with one of her girlfriends last month, which meant I got to stay home with my sister. For those of you who don’t know, my older sister has autism. My mom and I tag team taking care of her, and while she will never be fully independent she is relatively high functioning.

  She loves going on adventures, and was keen on the idea of going for a hike with me and Duncan.

  We took her to a moderate trial, and while I dressed her myself I was shocked to discover just minutes before arriving at the trail head that she had changed out of her Nike shoes and into her Converse shoes. I refused to turn back, so we hoped for the best. Turns out she was more eager than both of us to get to the top (perhaps because Duncan told her she could have a Beanie Baby from our bin in the garage after), and her shoes worked fine.

  Hike Highlight: watching her trail blaze like a pro.

  

  Q: Do you prefer savory or sweet after a long physical endeavor?

  

  | 31 Comments Tagged Alpine Lake, Hiking, Lake Angeles, Melakwa Lake, Snow Lake, Summer

• August Alpine Lakes

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on September 23, 2023

  Within the last few years I have become fascinated and intrigued by the benefits of cold water therapy. As someone who does whatever they can to manage autoimmune flare ups, the idea of dipping ones body into frigid waters makes sense to me as a way to mitigate inflammation. When my water heater broke last November I took a cold showers (in the middle of winter) for over a month, and while the initial process was not fun, I felt amazing.

  Alas, when the water heater was fixed I was happy to go right back to warm showers.

  I didn’t always embrace cold water. When I was in my 20’s I used to avoid going into the ocean when at the beach, or alpine lakes while hiking, but in 2020 I submerged my body into an Austrian alpine lake after a very, VERY hot day of hiking and I was sold. The last few summers I have done my best to get into the water at the beach at least once during beach visits, and this past August I managed to swim in two alpine lakes.

  First up: Lake 22

  

  

  A modest, beautiful hike in the Snoqualmie National Forest area, clocking in at 6 miles RT with an elevation gain of 1500′. I embarked on this adventure with my friend Caitlin and her sister Christina. In an attempt to beat the crowds and the heat we left at 0500, arriving at the trail head by 0700. We were the first car in the lot, quickly followed by one other guy. He beat us to the lake, but as we were arriving he was leaving, giving us the lake to ourselves for at least 45 minutes,

  I had never done this hike before, but I can see why it is so popular. There is a well maintained boardwalk system that circumnavigates the entirety of the lake, and the reflection of the surrounding mountains are stunning. We found a spot in the sun and started swimming around 0900. I kept my body submerged in this cold, yet refreshing water for at least 25 minutes before we headed back down. This was a perfect introduction.

  Next up: Snow Lake & Gem Lake

  

  

  Heading East of Seattle towards Snoqualmie Pass is one of the most popular summer hikes in the Seattle area. Snow Lake is a 6.7 mile RT, 1700′ elevation gain hike that hundreds of people flock to. The waters of Snow Lake are some of the most blue and green I have seen in this area, and this is one of my favorite hikes. It had been years since I hiked this trail, and I wrangled Caitlin into hiking this, with the intention of continuing on to Gem Lake for a swim.

  Gem Lake is an additional 3 miles, with an extra 1000′ of elevation or so, and I was hopeful we could find a pocket of solace as most people stop at Snow Lake. We arrived at the Snow Lake trail head around 0700, and there were a LOT of cars in the lot already. People likely staying in the nearby cabins, and we saw a few parties starting their ascent up to Snow Lake. We were able to pass some people, giving us the trail mostly to ourselves on the way up. We stopped for our first snack once we reached Snow Lake, appreciating the quiet of the early morning ambiance.

  

  

  The final trek to Gem Lake was easier than I anticipated. It was getting warm, the high of this day was in the 90’s, but with a cold lake to look forward to it was easy to push on. Thankfully with the early start we beat most of the heat, until we were going down. More on that in a minute. We passed a few people who had camped along the way, we weaved and bobbed through the trees, we scrambled over a rocky field (my ankles were sore for days after this), until finally we reached the lake.

  There were more people than I expected at this lake, but we still found our own spot to swim. We were in the shade, which was chilly, but it only took a minute before my body acclimated to the water. One of my favorite things to do after sitting in cold water for a bit is to crack my knuckles. My joints swell when it’s hot and when I am hiking, and twisting my back to pop as well was such a relief. We stayed in our section of water for probably 30 minutes.

  

  

  

  Across from us on a rock higher up were two guys listening to music. This smaller cove like lake area carries sound incredibly well, and although they were too far away to normally hear them, with the water carrying their sounds we heard not only their obnoxious music, but their voices. At one point one of them said: “those girls are staying in the water.” Clearly they were being outshone by us women, and they jumped one by one from their ledge into the water.

  This made my sphincters tighten, I don’t like watching people jump into possibly shallow waters.

  Caitlin and I both stayed in the water cooling off, but once I felt my fingers turning white I knew it was time to get out. We moved ourselves into the sun to eat our second snack before heading back down to the car. Caitlin and I sneakily took similar photos of each other while we were snacking, great minds think alike.

  

  

  I couldn’t tell you what exactly went wrong for me as we made our way back down. Maybe it was the RX bar I ate (those never sit the best, but man I love them), maybe it was the heat getting into the 90’s, maybe it was fatigue, but I started to feel incredibly nauseous as we descended the switch backs after passing Snow Lake. The traffic was stop and go at times because there were so many people coming up (whoever decides to start a hike at 1300 in 90 degree weather is a certified psychopath in my opinion) making the hike down slower than I’d have liked.

  This was a one step at a time descent for me, and I was so thankful when we reached the car. Unfortunately I was sick the entire 2 hour ride home, but thankfully Caitlin drove to this hike. I had my eyes shut most of the the way home focusing on my breathing and doing my best not to hurl on my newfound hiking pal. I made it home unscathed, took a shower, ate, and finally started to feel better.

  

  Sickness aside, this was my favorite hike of the year so far. It was a beautiful day, and I loved swimming in Gem Lake. Swimming here was a full circle moment for me, because the last time I hiked to Gem Lake in 2014 my hiking pal swam, but I did not. I was overheated then too, but wasn’t comfortable with my body (the irony, I was at my thinnest then – typical female brain) so I did not swim.

  These days I could care less what people think of my body, I’m getting in the damn lake.

  As I say goodbye to summer the weather is turning colder, and the pumpkin products have hit the shelves. I don’t see many alpine lake swims for me the rest of the year, but who knows maybe a true polar plunge is in my future. Fall hiking is my favorite, and I cannot wait to watch the leaves change. Crunchy walks here I come.

  Q: Do you like swimming in cold water?

  

  | 62 Comments Tagged Alpine Lake, Gem Lake, Hiking, PNW, Snow Lake

• Since You’ve Been Gone

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on August 24, 2016

  *Two weeks later*

  I didn’t plan to disappear from this space for so long, but whenever I had a free moment the last thing I wanted to do was bust out my computer. I now know what it’s like to want nothing to do with technology at the end of the day.

  

  I go from work, where I stare at a computer all day (I do have a standing desk though, so that’s a big fat sugary win) to my house where I then stare at the computer for school work. Needless to say when I have some free time I am outside starting at trees.

  

  Work, work, work, work, work.

  So what have I been up to the last two weeks?

  —I got to meet Annie, her sweet partner Kel, and her adorable pup Ike. We had lunch, and walked around a lovely Seattle lake. We chatted like old friends and she gifted me the most adorable painted photo of Ike. What really sold the deal was when she suggested the photo below. She’s good people…and those curls are too legit.

  

  —I made an executive decision to do 90% of my shopping at thrift stores in an attempt to further expand my minimalistic mind. I was able to find some solid wins. The other 10% is usually at REI, they always suck me in.

  —My camping compadre Jessica and I escaped to Mount Zion yesterday. She’s the kind of girl that keeps you grounded, the kind that you just need in your life. Always a fun adventure with that one. This trip didn’t involve stripping and spooning, so it was much more casual than our last adventure.

  

  

  —I bought and returned two new Garmin watches. I just couldn’t let go of my original true love. I now have the mindset of “earning back” $440 so I will probably spend that on camping gear.

  —I had two awesome solo hikes where I found myself mesmerized by a lake at the end of each of them. I looked like Mowgli when he first met Kaa, only the lake wasn’t singing to me. I went to Annette Lake and Snow Lake. Snow lake always steals the show though.

  

  

  

  This is the kind of view that has you questioning why there are people in the world that dislike being outdoors. I found a dime on this hike which makes for the second time I’ve found money while hiking.

  

  Annette lake it great too, but not nearly as photogenic. I did however encounter an extinct inter-species love affair. Only in the woods…

  

  — I didn’t run a single time, and loved every moment of it.

  — I ate a non vegan cinnamon roll and loved every moment of that too.

  

  — I finished and started two semesters for school in a matter of a few days. Can’t stop, won’t stop.

  — I spend 10 days with Gizmo the cow dog and was like a 12 yr old child when reunited with my cat. #catladyforlife.

  

  —Went against everything I said in my opening paragraph and watched at least six hours of Netflix. Mindless computer time doesn’t count.

  Q: What’s your current Netflix binge?

  

  | 82 Comments Tagged Adventure, Annette Lake, Explore, Garmin, Gizmo, Hiking, Mount Zion, Snow Lake, Starbucks

• An Alpine Lake Stole My Heart

  Posted at 8:03 AM by Brittany, on August 21, 2014

  All of the hikes I’ve done lately have been similar. I start at the bottom, and I go to the peak – very straight forward. Or “up” forward?

  

  When I got a text from my friend about doing an Alpine Lake hike I knew it was time I checked one of these off my list, and man am I glad I did. Lake hikes are a bit different because instead of going from bottom to top, there’s lots of winding and up and down and up and down.

  

  An Alpine Lake is considered any lake or reservoir at a high altitude. Alpine lakes are usually clearer than lakes at lower elevations due to the colder water which decreases the amount of algae and moss growth in the water. Often these lakes are surrounded by varieties of pine trees, aspens, and other high altitude trees.

  My first Alpine Lake hike was to Snow Lake, and then I carried on to Gem Lake. Two birds with one stone, because why not? Ten miles total with an ending elevation of 4857 ft.

  It was the perfect balance of a climb.

  

  My compadre was a better man than I, and actually jumped crawled into both lakes. Me? Not so much, I observed just in case a wild animal came. Someone had to take care of the serious stuff.

  

  One thing on this hike that really captured my interest was this.

  

  There are camp spots all throughout these mountains, so someone built totally legit wooden toilets around them. Lucky for me, because my bladder is the size of a peanut.

  What can I say, I am easily amused.

  

  Forget a pool, I want an Alpine Lake in my backyard. With cookies, always with cookies.

  

  

  I’ll be back to uphill climbing this week, but these lakes will soon see my face again.

  For more Snow Lake photos click here.

  Q: Do you prefer long and gradual hikes, or shorter and steeper climbs? Definitely both, depending on my mood. It’s all about the balance! 

  

  | 47 Comments Tagged Alpine Lake, Gem Lake, Hike, PNW, Snow Lake

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