Back to Carr Lake. Serendipity.
Grouse Lakes Basin - Sat, 22 Jun 2019, 1:30pm
After we turned around from the heavy snow drifts at Feely Lake we walked back past Carr Lake to the trailhead just below it. I almost feel bad for Carr Lake. This trailhead is named for it, but the lake itself gets short shrift compared to all the awesome places it's a jumping-off point to reach. We pass it quickly on the way in, thinking about where we're headed, and pass it quickly on the way out because we're usually tired and thinking about getting home. Well, today we have time to stop and smell the roses. "Let's walk around the lower end of the lake and see if we can cross the outlet stream," I suggested.
Crossing the stream was only slightly hard with the brisk flow. Hawk spotted a broad area near the dam where the water was flowing swiftly but through a wide channel so it wasn't deep. We strode across there and then walked atop the earthen dam to a natural ridge on the far side. From there it was only several strides up the ridge to... serendipity.
Wildflowers on the ridge above Carr Lake and the view south
Hiking through the Grouse Lakes Basin is fun but one limit to it is that you can often only see whichever lake basin you're in at the time. Wide-ranging, far-off views are few. Here atop this ridge we had almost a 360° view and could see dozens of miles away in 270° of that spread. And with what I consider the finest view of Carr Lake.
Wildflowers on the ridge above Carr Lake
The serendipity was not just that we found this very different view in a place we've often given short shift to, but also that we had it to ourselves. The trailhead parking lot felt crowded with approximately 20 vehicles in it. The trail was crowded with people (like us) hiking 1 mile in and then turning around because of the snow. There was never a private moment on the trail. But here we felt a mile apart.
The finest view of Carr Lake is on the remote far side, with Grouse Ridge rising to the right
From here it looked like we could simply cross-country our way up the ridge- Grouse Ridge, the geologic feature this entire area is named for- to a higher vantage point. We discussed doing it but Hawk felt her back starting to lock up. So we scrambled down to the lake again, hopped across the stream, and followed the trail back to our car, fulfilled. In beauty we walk.
The day's not over yet! Keep reading....
After we turned around from the heavy snow drifts at Feely Lake we walked back past Carr Lake to the trailhead just below it. I almost feel bad for Carr Lake. This trailhead is named for it, but the lake itself gets short shrift compared to all the awesome places it's a jumping-off point to reach. We pass it quickly on the way in, thinking about where we're headed, and pass it quickly on the way out because we're usually tired and thinking about getting home. Well, today we have time to stop and smell the roses. "Let's walk around the lower end of the lake and see if we can cross the outlet stream," I suggested.
Crossing the stream was only slightly hard with the brisk flow. Hawk spotted a broad area near the dam where the water was flowing swiftly but through a wide channel so it wasn't deep. We strode across there and then walked atop the earthen dam to a natural ridge on the far side. From there it was only several strides up the ridge to... serendipity.
Wildflowers on the ridge above Carr Lake and the view south
Hiking through the Grouse Lakes Basin is fun but one limit to it is that you can often only see whichever lake basin you're in at the time. Wide-ranging, far-off views are few. Here atop this ridge we had almost a 360° view and could see dozens of miles away in 270° of that spread. And with what I consider the finest view of Carr Lake.
Wildflowers on the ridge above Carr Lake
The serendipity was not just that we found this very different view in a place we've often given short shift to, but also that we had it to ourselves. The trailhead parking lot felt crowded with approximately 20 vehicles in it. The trail was crowded with people (like us) hiking 1 mile in and then turning around because of the snow. There was never a private moment on the trail. But here we felt a mile apart.
The finest view of Carr Lake is on the remote far side, with Grouse Ridge rising to the right
From here it looked like we could simply cross-country our way up the ridge- Grouse Ridge, the geologic feature this entire area is named for- to a higher vantage point. We discussed doing it but Hawk felt her back starting to lock up. So we scrambled down to the lake again, hopped across the stream, and followed the trail back to our car, fulfilled. In beauty we walk.
The day's not over yet! Keep reading....