Wagonwheel Lake Ridge as seen from Mount Ellinor
First Warning Sign
Second Warning Sign
I woke up tired and sore and I wanted to go back to sleep, but this was going to be my last chance to go hiking this week, so I took it. I saw the sweet morning light outside my window when I woke up and that helped to get me out the door. The sweet light comes twice a day and I always try to take advantage of it.
When I reached Staircase I saw that the campground was sparsely populated. Soon the gate will close for the season and the campground will be empty. I parked right at the trail head even though most other people parked down by the noise generator. I put my mp3 player on before I started up the trail because I knew that the noise generator in the parking lot was going to take a while to escape.
I did not feel the need to look at my GPS until I had ascended 500 feet and that made me happy. I gained 1,200 in the first hour so I knew I was in good hiking form. It only took me 2.5 hours to gain the 3,200 feet to the lake. I lost track of time after I left the lake. The only thing I had to remember was that the sun would set at 7pm.
I was tempted to swim in the lake but I wasn’t quite hot enough for that and evil aunt flow had greeted me at the trail head. What timing! I snapped a few quick pictures of the lake and then I headed for my goal.
My goal was the top of the ridgeline above the lake. The lake its self is not worthy of the effort required to reach it but I had read that there were great views to be had above the lake. I have been to wagon wheel lake once before and I really was not impressed with it or the hike. After I read about the views past the lake I decided to try the trail again.
The trail past the lake is a bit hard to follow but the general direction is up, up and more up. The “trail” climbs about 450 feet in about ½ of a mile. When I emerged from the forest and saw the bare ridge line I understood that I was going to be in for a treat.
When I topped the ridge I was pleased with what I saw. The ridge is topped with a very pleasant little meadow and I had it all to my self. From the ridge I could see the following mountains and ranges, Ellinor, Washington, Copper, Pershing, The Sawtooths and Lincoln. The meadow was lined with beautiful silver snags from a past fire, but there was no sign charcoal. I felt really blessed to be in such a beautiful place and to have it all to myself.
The sun was hot up in that meadow and I managed to get sunburn in spite of it being late September. I don’t think I have ever burned myself this late in the year before. The elevation was 4,500 feet and that is what made the difference.
I turned off my MP3 player and spent about an hour in that meadow taking pictures and trying to doze. Unknown to me, a grouse was watching over me as I dozed. I think that grouse let me get closer to it than any other grouse I have seen in the Olympics.
(Grouse on the ridge)
Reluctantly I picked my way back down to the lake. I had a harder time finding the exact route back down to the lake so I used my GPS track log to help me out a little bit. When I reached the lake again I stopped and turned off my music and soaked my feet while enjoying the solitude. The lake water was warm for such a high elevation. I spent a fair amount of time at the lake before I headed back towards the trail head.
The way down is steep and my knees hurt a little bit and my toes hurt a lot as they hit the front of my shoes. The descent was so steep that for the first time ever I got a blister on my hand from all the weight I was putting on my trekking pole. I’ve never had that happen in my hundreds of miles of hiking with poles.
About half way down to the parking lot from the lake I met a couple who were hiking up to the lake. All they had with them was a hydration pack. That made me feel kind of silly with all my gear but still, I think they were under prepared. They only had 4 hours until sundown and they had over 1,000 feet to gain and another 2000 feet to lose on the way down. I wonder if they made it to the lake or if they turned around.
I got a bit tired on the way down and I kept checking my GPS to see how many feet I had left to descend. The last time I checked it I had 300 feet to go. And then before I knew it I was totally surprised to see my car. I think listening to my mp3 player made my hike go much faster. I might start bringing it on all of my hikes.
I did not see any of my favorite fall mushrooms; the forest is still too dry. The only notable fungus I saw was a lobster mushroom. I did see people bringing chanterelles to the mushroom buyer down town last week but they were all very dry. It looks like mushroom season is going to start late this year.
When I was done hiking, I drove my car down to the pay phone by the bridge and called my husband to tell him I was done. But I did not go home right away. Instead I cooked my lunch and drank hot tea from the thermos in my car while I soaked my feet in the cold river. From my vantage point in the river I could look up and see all the people who were walking across the bridge and taking pictures. I could also see the spot where the NOFO trail washed out a few years ago.
I enjoyed resting and soaking by the river until a family of whistling marmots and their screaming kids came down at sat at the table next to me. When they arrived I knew it was time to go up.
Thank $diety$ and Teddy Roosevelt for the Olympic backcountry. Without the backcountry I would never be able to escape from the chaos of humanity.
6.3 miles Round Trip 3,900 feet elevation gain and loss.
176 miles on my shoes
I started my hike at 8:45 am and I finished at about 4 PM.
Other times I have blogged this hike:
10/19/2005
Some other people's trip reports:
The Most Gawdawful Hike in the Olympics: Wagon Wheel Lake
This hike scored 32 on the "hike difficulty calculator" Mount Adams scored 33 (6,500 feet in 14 miles)
Tracklog
The sawtooth range and my hand on the summit block
Ridgeline
Summit Block
Warm water foot soak at Wagon Wheel Lake
Snags and the sawtooth range
Wagon Wheel Lake from the shore
Wagonwheel lake from above
Mount Ellinor (on the right) and Mount Washington (on the left) from behind.
Amphibian in Wagonwheel lake
This trail could use the help of the Mount Rose Trail Crew
Mount Cruiser
Copper Mountain (I was hoping to see the route up to the summit of Copper from here but failed to)
Lake side campsite
Long Shadow (the days are getting shorter!)
Shadow
Ranger Bruce was here!
Summit
Cross
Three fingered mountain, maybe Lincoln
Is this the climbing route for Copper Moutain?
South East Face of Mount Ellinor with 12X zoom.
12X zoom on south east face of Mount Washington
North Fork Skokomish Trail Washout. Can you see the people on the trail?
Hot tea and a cold soak, post hike.
