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| Hiking | 11.00 Miles |
1,553 AEG |
| | Hiking | 11.00 Miles | 5 Hrs 22 Mns | | 2.05 mph |
| 1,553 ft AEG | | 10 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | Left Portland around 1100 and headed up to hike some lakes on the north end of Indian Heaven Wilderness. Made a couple of brief stops along Wind River Highway on the way up to forage for Chantrelles and admire the fall color that is in full peak right now.
Arrived at the iced over parking lot for Placid Lake just after 1300. Despite the numerous tracks from previous cars winding through the snow to the parking lot, I was the only person present. Got my gear ready and was on trail at 1330.
Wandered my way through melting snow patches and quickly arrived at Placid Lake. The afternoon sunlight was beating down on the snow and ice, forming steam that was rising through the forest and off the lake, very pretty.
Headed up to Chenamus Lake Trail involved navigating through and around multiple streams and deep pools of water that had overrun the trail from the snow melt. Nothing challenging, just enough to spice things up a bit. Explored the shores of Chenamus Lake for a bit and admired the ring of ice that was beginning to encroach upon the lake.
I had initially thought about returning to the parking lot and driving to another access point on the east side of the wilderness to visit some other lakes, but time was growing short and I decided I could maximize my time in the wilderness by hiking directly up to Wood Lake instead.
The climb was much slower going than I expected. The trail isn't steep at all, but wearing heavy winter boots and mashing my way through the snow (combined with already sore legs) really gave me a good workout. By the time I reached 4700 feet the ground was completely covered in snow. Along the way I passed several small ponds that were completely iced over. Fortunately the Indian Heaven trails are pretty easy to follow, so despite the lack of footprints I was able to make my way through the snow without any problems.
Linking up with the PCT I came across a pair of tracks that were headed south, the first real fresh prints I had seen all day. I headed the opposite direction through the increasing snow and eventually arrived at the turnoff to Wood Lake.
Although it's not even a mile from the PCT to Wood Lake, this was the most miserable part of the day. There were absolutely no prints to follow and the trail was covered under at least a foot of snow. As the trail winds downhill to Wood Lake it passes several low spots that typically contain small pools of water during the summer months. But due to all the recent rain and snow these spots were overflowing with large, iced over ponds that completely swallowed the trail, forcing me to detour around them through the trees and brush or splash my way along the rim of the pond while icy water filled my boots. It was very slow going and I contemplated turning back, but I figured I had gone far enough that I would regret turning back. Eventually I arrived at the ice covered shores of Wood Lake. Definitely not the most scenic lake in Indian Heaven, but at least I can say I made it.
Once I rejoined the PCT I changed back into dry socks and put on some additional layers, then high tailed it back downhill to race the setting sun. I arrived back at Placid Lake at dusk and took a couple minutes to enjoy the solitude and watch the evening fog forming over the lake, then headed back to the parking lot by headlamp. |
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Autumn Foliage Observation Substantial
Fall color along the Wind River Highway on the way to the trailhead is fantastic. Not much fall color actually in the Indian Heaven Wilderness though. |
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