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| Backpack | 21.58 Miles |
5,266 AEG |
| | Backpack | 21.58 Miles | 2 Days | | |
| 5,266 ft AEG | | 23 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | After learning about the Mt. Margaret Backcountry last Fall when I hiked out to Coldwater Peak, I have been dying to get back and check it out. I did tons of research on the area, scouring trip reports to figure out what campsites were the best, and booked my permits months in advance.
I left Portland mid afternoon- right at the sweet spot where I was able to get plenty of sleep, but still early enough to miss all the traffic. Arrived at the trailhead a bit after 1700 and started up trail shortly before 1800. It has been pretty warm recently and weather was supposed to be in the mid 80s for my trip, so I strategically got a late start so I could get the uphill portion out of the way as the sun was setting and it was getting cooler. My plan worked perfectly and I made decent time as I hiked out to Bear Camp, the destination for night #1.
I didn't know how much water I could expect to find before I entered the lakes basin, so I started out carrying 5.5 liters. Fortunately this turned out to be overkill as there was a small creek fed by snow melt that ran right through my campsite. I had a nice bug free evening watching the sunset over Mt. St Helens, then crawled into my sleeping bag and watched stars move overhead for the next couple of hours.
As a night shift worker, sleep tends to be a luxury that I don't always get to partake in. Since I didn't bring any sleeping pills with me for this trip, I spent most of the night watching the sky as a thin veil of clouds obscured the stars and the moon moved overhead. I think I managed about 2 hours of sleep before I broke camp the next morning and was on trail at exactly 0610.
I continued west along the Boundary Trail as it gradually got lighter. Pausing by the junction to Mount Margaret I stopped to watch a family of Mountain Goats on a rock outcropping below the trail. While still checking out the goats, I noticed movement to my left and spotted a herd of at least 50+ elk that were running/sliding their way down the steep slope a couple hundred yards below me. They were kicking up huge plumes of dust as they worked their way down the hillside.
After making the short trip to summit Mount Margaret, I continued along the boundary trail for another hour or so to check out the other 2 nearby backcountry camps (Mount Margaret and Dome Camp). Along the way I passed several more groups of Mountain Goats and got one final view of the Elk Herd, now far below me, before I turned back and made my way back to the ridge that leads to the Lakes Basin.
I read somewhere online that the Whitter Ridge Trail is more of a goat path than an actual trail- and after completing it I must say this is 100% accurate. Although I didn't see any goats on this section of trail- the ground was completely covered in goat prints and I passed enough goat hair that was tangled in bushes and trees that I probably could have filled a small pillow. The trail here sticks to the top of a rocky ridge line that separates 2 basins. At only 2 miles long it took me the whole 2 hours to make my way across it. It is very slow going with a decent amount of exposure. Nothing super technical, but challenging enough with a pack on to really force one to concentrate and be careful. While it would be tough to get truly off trail here (since your only real option would be eventually falling into the basin below), there are a couple of spots where meandering goat trails lead to other side ridges or rocky outcroppings, so you need to do your best to follow the main ridge.
Finally back on stable ground at the Lakes Trail intersection, I was almost out of water and decided to head west to check out Snow Lake before dropping into the core of the lakes basin. It was almost noon at this point and it was starting to get pretty hot out, shade was scarce which made things tougher and I was starting to get tired. I found a small stream to dunk my head in and fill my bottles on the way down to the lake where I planned to have lunch and take a break. Unfortunately, I was swarmed by biting flies along the lake shore- despite having sprayed myself with Deet and soaking my clothing in Permethrin, so I abruptly turned around and headed back uphill.
As much as I wanted to sit down and take a break or have a snack, anywhere I seemed to stop resulted in me being swarmed by the flies. I really wanted to check out Shovel Lake, but by the time I reached the turnoff I knew I didn't have the energy for the extra mile and several hundred feet of elevation gain/loss, I also didn't want to risk dropping down to the lake shore only to encounter more flies again, so I kept going.
Finally the flies started to subside when I reached the inlet to Panhandle Lake. I stopped to filter water in the creek, have a snack, then laid down on a large rock midstream with my legs in the water. It felt sooooo good to finally cool down.
Beyond Panhandle Lake, the trail crosses multiple small creeks and a couple more lakes before making the long climb up to Bear Pass. Several areas of the trail here were badly eroded and/or completely overgrown which made for slow going. But once past Bear Pass and back on the Boundary Trail its much faster moving.
I really wish I had enough time/energy to spend more time at Panhandle Lake and visit Shovel Lake. I think I might try to head out again in the fall when things are a bit cooler and the plants start to die back a bit. Really not sure which route in is tougher- following the ridge or going straight up the lake basin. I might even try heading in from Coldwater Lake- its almost 2 miles longer, but I suspect the trail is in better shape. |
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Wildflowers Observation Substantial
Indian Paintbrush, Lupine, Western Pasque Flower, it felt like everything was in bloom. |
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