Winter Camping 2014

Winter Camp 2014
Two scouts went on the winter camp again this year.   Great weather, but snow conditions weren't perfect.   We had to dig through an ice layer about 16" down that made snow blocks more of a challenge to produce. We ate really well and of course, managed to stay warm.   Doesn't get better than this.

Spider Meadow Back Pack Trip

 Spider Meadow Back Pack Trip 2012 from Kurt Haunreiter on Vimeo.


The troop hiked to Spider Meadow this past Saturday, spending one night, then returning the following day.   The hike was 5.5 miles to the edge of the meadow.   It wandered through a Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and  ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forest starting at the 3500' elevation.  

  At about 2.75 miles, we reached the Glacier Peak Wilderness.   Here you begin to find aster (Aster ledophyllus) growing along the trails.   After 5.5 miles of hiking, you reach the basin at 4750'.    Along the slopes climbing to the peaks of the mountains, you see subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa).    Snow persisted in the shadows of the peaks.  Visible are the avalanche chutes and the destruction that they created in the valley below. 

The trail up to the meadow is very dusty.   The dust is the ash from former eruptions of Glacier peak.   There are several established camp sites to stay in.   One of which is a designated horse camp.    The meadow stretches for nearly a mile so there is plenty of room.   Trails criss cross the valley and a few the forest service has marked off in an attempt to return those to nature - we attempted to improve the barriers to these areas, but still observed hikers stop, read the signs, and promptly ignore them.
The creek running off the glaciers is cool and clear, having a wonderful flavor.    I definitely plan to return for an extended stay and hike up to spider gap and perhaps even to Lyman lakes.
Directions: drive Highway 2 about 20 miles east of Stevens Pass to Coles Corner and turn north onto Lake Wenatchee Road (SR 207). Cross the Wenatchee River Bridge and stay right as the road splits onto the Chiwawa Loop Road. Turn left onto Chiwawa River Road (FR 62), drive 22 miles and turn right onto Phelps Creek Road (FS 6211). Note:  The last 10 miles of this road will test the shocks on your vehicle and cover it in many layers of dust.

Snow Shoeing to Grace Lakes

The troop hiked up to the Grace Lake area of Steven's Pass to practice making snow caves.   Ryan took the title with a cave that could easily have fit two comfortably.    Kevin was a close second with his A-frame igloo.  Despite the blistering wind and snow - this turned out to be a great hike.

Snow shoeing to Grace Lake

Scouts went snow shoeing up to Grace Lake from Steven's Pass.   Beautiful day, fog rolled in only a few times and on the way back down.  Scouts practiced making snow shelters.

Colchuck Lake

I found this hike in Craig Romano's "Day Hiking Central Cascades". Being in the area, I thought it would be a good opportunity to check out this hike for suitability for the troop. These are by lottery. The trail to Colchuck Lake begins at an elevation of 3400 feet. Follow US Forest Service trail #1599. At 2.5 miles you come to a Y in the trail. The right path leads to Lake Stuart, keep left for Colchuck. From this point the elevation gain will climb 1100 feet in just 1.6 miles to reach the north shore of the lake at a final elevation of 5600 feet.

On the way up we ran into a Boy Scout troop coming out - they said that there are a limited number of sites but well worth the hike. There are several places you can camp overnight around the lake, but you must first have a permit - and no camp fires allowed. The total hike is 4.2 miles in. This is by no means an easy hike and would be a challenge for anyone not in good physical shape. We only had day packs to contend with and it still took us 3 hours to arrive at the lake. The majority of the elevation gain is towards the last 2 miles.

This hike was well worth it. The views are spectacular. But even at the beginning of September it was chilly - there are glaciers here year round.



GPS Coordinates:
47° 31' 40.65'' N
120° 49' 14.61'' W


Contact Information:
Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
Wenatchee River Ranger District
600 Sherbourne
Leavenworth, Wa 98826
Tel: 509.458.2550
Fax: 509.548.5817
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/wenatchee/


Driving Directions:
From Leavenworth, drive south on Icicle Creek Rd (Forest Service Road 7600) 8.5 miles. Turn left on Forest Service Road 7601 and drive 4 miles to the trailhead at the end of the road.