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HIKE |
Melakwa Lake |
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ROUTE |
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DATE |
8/04/2005 |
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ATTENDEES |
Joan, Doug, Don, Lynda, Mark and Tom. |
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NOTES |
PHOTOS
TRAIL REPORT
Overnight TNAB hikes: they seem like a good idea, but the results are iffy at best. This year's trip to Melakwa Lake was definitely in the "sketchy" category. Would anyone show up to hike, let alone camp out?
Fortunately, we had a decent turnout for the hike, and two campers! However, this was probably one of the most de-centralized TNAB events on record - it was more like three separate hikes to the same place, at relatively the same time.
Group #1: Joan, and her friend Doug. Cool, a newbie! Doug is from San Diego, making a stopover on his way to Alaska. Joan and Doug were on the trail first, and were the only ones to see the whole crew at one point or another.
Group #2: Don and Lynda. They got a more traditional start to the hike, and met Doug and Joan at the lake. Way to go after putting 40+ miles on in the Olympics the previous weekend! No more bears, OK?
Group #3: Mark and Tom, the campers. We were running late, mostly my fault (traffic was gawd-awful!). We met in Issaquah, picked up the "Trail Truck", and got to Denny Creek by 6:30 PM. Any chance of bagging Kaleetan was squashed at this point.
Back to the hike. The weather was very warm, hitting the 90's on the Eastside. It was much nicer near the pass, and we got to hike in the shade for much of the way, thankfully. Tom and I met Joan and Doug heading out about 15 minutes below Hemlock Pass, and found out that Don and Lynda were already at the lake. Tom and I were almost to Melakwa when I led us on a short bushwhack. This action put us far to the right of the normal approach to the lake, and by strange coincidence caused us to miss Don and Lynda hiking out - they could only wait so long (Melakwa does mean "mosquito" in Chinook). Sorry about that!
It was 8:40 PM when Tom and I got to the campsite and unpacked. Daylight was fading fast. Tom broke out the fishing pole to sample the lake's trout population, while I made a token effort to bag Kaleetan. Tom only got one nibble, and I decided to stop on top of the ridge, where I caught the last of the sunset. Very nice.
By the time I got back, Tom had already setup his very cool one man tent. It would be another bivy bag experiment for me (too hot this time!). Dinner was smoked swiss cheese, wheat thins, and jerky washed down with a fine bottle of red. I'll leave the quesadillas to Matt...The night sky was incredible, especially for being so close to Seattle. Lots of stars, the Milky Way, satellites and shooting stars. The reflection off Melakwa's clear surface gave the impression of bottomless depths. Very cool.
Both Tom and I had to work Friday, so we were on the trail by 5:30 AM, and out by 7:10 AM. The "trail truck" did it's innocuous best, and even avoided a trail pass ticket! :) Tom and I then proceeded to North Bend, where we gave the Starbucks crowd something to smell other than french roast. Ending the adventure with a triple mocha - there's nothing better!
Next Week: Kendall Peak via the PCT. I don't believe we've actually tried this route before, so it should be interesting. Plan on visiting the "catwalk" as well. Of special interest, we will be re-placing the "NW Hikers Traveling Summit Post", which I procured from Gothic Peak on 8/6. Here's a link to the website/thread: http://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10955
Hope to see you there!
Oust,
-Mark