We opted to head to ice lakes via the spider meadow, leroy creek route as i read that it was more difficult than the Entiat route and shaved something like 7-9 miles off the trail . this was step for step the most difficult hike i did in 2010. hiking up phelps creek is a breeze, take a right at leroy creek and strait up. there is a trail most of the time all the way up to leroy basin. but we blazed a few of our own after that. the hardest time we had was the boulder fields and scrambles up to the saddle to ice lakes. it was just us and two other hikers that came via entiat and camped at lower lake. the area is beautiful high country. we hiked down the carne mountain, old Gib trail path making a loop back to the car. from ice lakes down to the valley floor we were lost. we followed our map as best we could hiking the ridge and then down the scurry to the trees. we landed right back on top of the trail. saw lots of marmot and deer, 1 goat far off.

To read this report in its original form, with photos, check out my blog: http://dontlookdown.wordpress.com/2009/08/31/lower-ice-lake-082709-082909/ And, more photos at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/asmugglersbible/sets/72157622196683948/ Somehow, I found myself with an extended weekend at the very end of August; Nicole didn't. Thus, the table was set for my Second Annual Solo Backpacking trip, a trip set to coincide with my twenty-ninth birthday. Certain conditions were to be met. The hike couldn't be too high on our must-do list, because Nicole wouldn't be along to enjoy it. I also wanted something that would challenge me. And why not make something that's a little further away than our normal weekend overnighter? In the end, I decided on Ice Lakes, via the Entiat River. 100 Hikes... put the round-trip mileage at ~28 and recommended allowing 3-5 days. Ice Lakes were on my list, and the criterion fit. I'd be carrying a heavy backpack (~45lbs) but reasoned that the elevation gain would be spread over so much mileage that it'd be no problem. More training for the Canadian Rockies! My itinerary was flexible: I'd leave Thursday, make the lakes Friday, spend Saturday exploring or summiting Mt. Maude, and return Sunday. Or, if the forecasted thunderstorms came to fruition, I might return Saturday instead. Whatevs. I left straight from work on Thursday around 12:30, and pulled into the trailhead parking lot at the end of Entiat River Road at 16:00. The drive was nice, taking me past Leavenworth for the first time through Wenatchee and north along the Columbia River through an interesting landscape. Though there were signs warning of big horn sheep crossings, I saw none. I booted up and hit the trail at 16:20, setting a comfortably quick pace in order to put as many easy miles behind me as possible on the first day. The trail starts off wide and dry, mixed-use as it is (hikers, horses, motorcycles). The trees turn from somewhat unhealthy-looking to fully fire-scarred and destroyed as one makes progress down the Entiat River trail. At 17:55, I entered Glacier Peak Wilderness, ~4.2 miles from the trailhead. The trail narrowed. Deer met me head-on on the trail. The sun lowered behind the ridge to the west. Every snap, crackle, and pop in the forest had me looking over my shoulder; I attributed each one to another deer, fearing a bear or cougar as the sounds stalked me along the trail. I realized only later that the heat of the day had gone from the naked, burned trees. And now they contracted in the shade like an old house in night's silence. I pressed on, coming to the intersection with the Ice Creek trail at 19:30, and crossing over Entiat River via logjam minutes later. The crossing was fairly simple, and there were unoccupied campsites on either side of the river. After crossing, I set up camp, ate banana chips and a pepperoni stick for dinner to avoid cooking, and went to bed an hour or so later. The sky was clear and a beautiful half-moon hung visible through the trees. *** I woke up Friday at 06:00 and stepped out of the tent. My birthday! I busied myself with breakfast and breaking down camp, which took nearly two hours without Nicole's help. Once again, the trail works through burn, gaining slightly more elevation than it had earlier. Views improve, either across Ice Creek to the Entiat Mountains (including unnamed 8000'+ peaks I'd mistaken for Mt. Maude) or uphill through avalanche chutes toward the Spectacle Buttes. I crossed Ice Creek, high-stepping straight through it the first time and using a well-placed and well-cairned log the second time, working my way up through healthier forest and patchy meadows toward the head of the valley. In one large meadow, the real Mt. Maude revealed herself. At 09:50, I reached the end of the Ice Creek trail at a campsite below cliffs and waterfalls. From here, the trail to Ice Lakes is unmaintained, but obviously well-travelled and easy to follow. After resting and eating, I took off at 10:20 to climb the final mile to Lower Ice Lake. And a climb it was. Gaining some ~1500', in such a short distance, without a single switchback, with a 45lb backpack, was quite difficult. I had to watch every step, avoiding loose rock that sat on dry slopes ready to slide away beneath me. I stopped every several steps, sat down dozens of times, sometimes right on the path. Marmot's whistles and pika squeals kept me company. A weasel ran right behind me, startling me up from a spot I might still be sitting today otherwise. Larch trees appeared sporadically amongst the others. I could guess at the distance remaining above me. On my final approach, my quadriceps nearly burst into spasm. At 12:40, over two hours since I'd left the valley floor, I took a few more ascending steps and Lower Ice Lake lay before me. I gave thanks and dropped down along the lake, setting up camp on a picturesque peninsula after only a moment's hesitation but several minutes of rest. I napped, filtered water, ate, put on my tent's rainfly. Another person arrived at the lake—the first I'd seen, though he'd be joined by others in his party later. I set aside any ideas I'd had for further exploration: exhausted as I was, I could only walk around Lower Ice Lake in my flip-flops, taking photographs. Clouds rolled in, the wind picked up. I ate a homemade cinnamon roll for my birthday dinner and retreated into the tent to drink Glenrothers whisky and read Anna Karenina, which I'd insisted on carrying with me. I wrestled with my plans: stay tomorrow night as well, or head out if the weather doesn't cooperate? The wind continued to strengthen as night fell. I'd set up my tent to view Mt. Maude out my window, which ended up being broadside to the wind. Gusts were strong enough to collapse the tent into me; I stuck my arm out of my sleeping bag to brace one of the poles several times. Eventually I was able to sleep, only to wake up with a full bladder around 22:30 to an eerie calm. I walked out into the night and came back relieved. Not a few minutes later, the wind began again, this time accompanied by rain. I decided that if it wasn't sunny and clear the next morning, I'd hike all the way back out to the car, stop at McDonald's for my yearly McNugget allotment, and be home Saturday evening. I fell asleep sometime later. *** Saturday morning I woke up again at 06:00. It was quite cold and cloudy. I looked up at Mt. Maude, her summit hidden in clouds, and set myself to breaking down camp. I'd be heading all the way out today after all. At 08:00 I was on my way down through The Rockfield of 10,000 Pika. I nearly hyperextended my knee, but made better time going down than up. Though each step had to be watched, I wasn't exhausted as I was while gaining the elevation. By 09:30 I was back on the Ice Creek trail, and I crossed the Entiat River at 11:15. I had ~8 miles to go. Just keep moving, I told myself. My feet were starting to bother me. My shoulders were beginning to ache. I kept moving, feeling blisters blossoming in strange places on the bottom of my feet. I stopped to address them—unsuccessfully, as it turns out. If I stopped moving, the pain upon re-starting would intensify. I began to limp. The last ~five miles were pretty terrible. When I made it within ~two miles of the trailhead, I rolled my left ankle. I sang songs over and over in my mind to pass the time, looking at my watch regularly, figuring out just when I would arrive at the parking lot. 14:44. My backpack was off, and my boots weren't far behind. I ate some Advil with a shot of whisky. My water bladder was empty. It was my longest day on trail. But I was heading home... *** This trip was a challenge. And it was a success. My only disappointment is that the weather kept me from staying another day, making it to Upper Ice Lake and perhaps the summit of Mt. Maude. Then again, that most likely would've made for an even more difficult day on the way out. I guess I'm saving Upper Ice Lake and Mt. Maude for a later date. I'll definitely look in to taking the shorter approach, though. One trip up to Ice Lakes via Entiat River and Ice Creek is enough for me! Stats: ~26 miles round-trip from the Entiat River trailhead to Lower Ice Lake and back, spread over 3 days, with ~3800'+ of gain (and loss). Also, some big blisters. Day 1: ~8.1 miles to the Entiat River crossing, ~3:10 hiking time, ~1200' gain. Day 2: ~4.7 miles to Lower Ice Lake, ~4:50 hiking time, ~2600' gain. Day 3: ~12.8 miles to the trailhead, ~6:40 hiking time, 3800' loss.

Thursday 8/28/08 Started the day on the Entiat River Trail 1400 to the river crossing at mile 8.1. The trail to this point was relatively easy with a gradual elevation gain of 1200'. The river crossing was a little tricky using a log jam that crossed the river. It did require taking off our boots and wading some. Earlier at mile 5 Snow Brushy creek was crossable on a narrow log, but we chose to wade it in sandals. Also noteworthy was the 2006 fire damage. I have never hiked a fire affected area and the devastation was fascinating to see. Mile 8.1 was also the beginning of the Ice Creek trail, 1405. We noticed that the Pomas Creek Trail at the .9 mile mark on trail 1405 was hard to figure out. We were planning on taking this trail on the way back and were a bit puzzled. The signs were on the ground as the fire had burned them down and the trail was very faint. We continued up the Ice Creek trail and out of the fire area. At this point the views started improving. We saw several avalanche shutes and the valley just got more scenic as we progressed. There were two creek crossings on this trail. The first at mile 2.4 was about a foot deep and we waded it in sandles with minimal difficulty. CAUTION: The second Ice Creek crossing at mile 3.5 of Trail 1405 was difficult to follow. The trail just seemed to end at a pile of rocks. It turns out that a very big log in front of the pile of rocks is a bridge across the river and the trail picks up on the other side. there is an easy .5 miles after that to the excellent campsite at the end of the Ice Creek trail; there is also a small creek hop or wade in this last section. First day totals: 11.8 miles and 2400' of elevation gain. Friday 8/29/08 This day was set aside to day hike to Upper Ice Lake and back on trail 1405.1. This trail is easy until you hit the end of the valley at about .5 miles, at which time the trail turns up steeply (an understatement). The mile to Lower Ice Lake took us over two hours to reach. The trail up the valley wall is steep, but it is in grass and the traction is pretty good. No promises about traction if this section gets wet. Lower Ice Lake was our first stop for lunch. The boys with us (13 and 14) played in the lake while we ate. The trail to Upper Ice Lake is not well marked, but if you follow the Green Trails map for the area the trail route becomes clear. The hike from Lower to Upper Ice Lake went surprisingly quick and before we knew it we were looking at the Lake and Mount Maude behind it. There were several snow fields over the trail, but they were easy to navigate. We enjoyed the views and had some snacks. The weather started to turn, so we started back down to base camp. We passed a Ranger who was heading up to Upper Ice Lake for the night at this point. Totals for the day: 4 miles and 1,700' elvevation gain. Saturday 8/30/08 The weather cleared over night and we woke up to 30 degree weather. Today's trip would first carry us 3 miles down the Ice Creek Trail, which went quick and easy. We then turned onto the Pomas Creek Trail (1453) and our fortunes turned to something a bit more difficult than we had anticipated. The first 2 miles of the trail proved an adventure as the trail faded in and out and was overgrown in many places. watch the trail carefully and look for the notches on the trees that mark the trail. At the creek, it took us about 10 minutes to find the trail again. At Pomas Creek the trail begins a slow tortuous climb (3 miles, ~3,000' elevation gain). The faint trail and the steep incline slowed our progress to under a mile per hour. About 3/4 mile from Pomas Pass you pass the treeline and the trail is easier to follow and views are incredible. The last mile to the pass is at the end of the valley and , like the Ice Lake trail, turns up steeply on a grassy slope. After the pass, the trail becomes treacherous. It narrows to less than a foot wide while crossing a scree field with a very long drop to the valley below. If you are not comfortable navigating this type of trail do not try and attempt it. We nicknamed this portion of the trail the ""trail of death"". After a 400' climb to 6,700 feet the trail finally crosses the ridge again and slowly begins its one mile drop into Upper Larch Lake. The views at this point are beyond description... absolutely incredible. Totals for the day: 8.5 miles, 2,400 feet, and 8 hours to hike it. Sunday 8/31/08 I woke up at 5:30 at our Upper Larch Lake campsite. A nice buck was wandering around camp and I was able to watch him for about 5 minutes. Our camp was on the peninsula on the west side lake. It also was the site with the pit toilet, a nice touch! We packed up camp by 830 and headed down the Larch Lakes trail (1430). The drop down to the Entiat River trail is about 2 miles and 2,000 feet. My old forty-seven year old knees hurt and my feet developed ""stopping"" blisters. We chose to take the Entiate river trail rather than the hiker trail to Myrtle lake. This is because the Entiat River trail is much faster to hike and we were ready to finish as soon as possible. Be advised that the foot bridge of the Entiat River on the Larch Lake trail (1430) is a wade in about 2 feet of water. The footbridge has been was washed out. All in all a great four day trip. Totals: 34 miles and 5,500 feet.

Four day trip beginning August 8: Day 1: Cottonwood Campground to Upper Larch Lake via trail 1400 to the horse ford at mile 4.7 and then up trail 1430. Neither the USGS nor Green Trail (version 1986) maps show trail 1430.1 on the west side of the Entiat River from Myrtle Lake to 1430 so we forded the Entiat. Fun and refreshing because the water was below the knee. Shortly after heading up 1430, we saw where trail 1430.1 joined it. Both trail 1400 and 1430 in good condition. Ran into multiple horse and mule pack trains on days 1 and 4. This is an area where some overnight hikers rely on packers to get the gear up to the high country. Some pack trains stick around with the parties; others return to Cottonwood the same day after dropping their loads. Larch Lakes were very buggy with mosquitoes. Most camp sites are at Upper Larch, with only one seen at Lower Larch. No snow here. Day 2: Left Upper Larch Lake and continued up trail 1430 to the north, exiting the lake basin and traversing the west slopes of the Entiat Range as we head toward Pomas Pass. Left the bugs behind and saw no more on this trip. This trail is lightly used, apparently by hikers only. Tread is easy to follow but narrow and the exposure is often considerable. Hikers with vertigo might wish to skip this trail. Fine views down to Rock Creek and Clark Mountain off to the west. Pomas Creek trail 1453 begins at Pomas Pass. Only a small patch of snow present, off the trail on the north slope of the pass. Pomas Creek trail is more substantial than 1430 to the south but also more overgrown, particularly at the north end. Quite a few blowdowns in the forest at the north end. Other than some brushing on the northern quarter mile leading down to Icy Creek, probably done last year, this trail apparently gets little maintenance. Pomas Creek trail crosses Icy Creek where Pomas Creek meets it. Scramble across Icy via one of any number of log jams. On the north side of Icy Creek, the trail goes through a burned over area before meeting the Icy Creek trail. The junction is obvious to those on trail 1405 but marked only by the broken and burned pieces of signs propped by the side of the trail. Icy Creek trail continues west, re-entering healthy forest in about half a mile. Since the 2007 trip reports, this trail has seen substantial maintenance. There were no blow downs and very little brush. In the burned over areas at the eastern end, between trail 1453 and trail 1400, there are areas where new tread has been cut. Maintenance has made this trail accessible to pack trains, too. There are two fords on trail 1405. The first required switching to sandals to avoid wet socks. The second is across a log that looks like a new addition to the stream environment. The trail formally ends at 5,500 feet elevation. There is one obvious camp site here but there may be others hidden in the forest. See other trip reports for the account of the final mile and 1,300 feet up to Lower Ice Lakes -- it is steep but beautiful. Lots of lupine and Indian paint brush in full blossom. Lots of camping spots at Lower Ice Lake. Again, see other trip reports for photos of this fabulous lake. Our party was the only one camped at Lower Ice Lake for two nights. There were no bugs at the lake. A few small patches of snow still surround the lake, which is ice free. Day 3: We accessed Upper Ice Lake by leaving Lower Ice at the SW corner and walking up the draw and over the saddle to the tarns associated with the Upper Ice Lake outlet. The pumice-strewn areas around these tarns also would make low-impact, private campsites. Upper Ice Lake is larger and in a more severe landscape. The lake is ice free and there are some patches of snow on the west and south sides. Mt. Maude is an easy scramble from the basin at the SW corner of Upper Ice Lake. We ascended several large snow patches and the soft snow made ice axes unnecessary. The route zigzags west up the snow/scree until reaching a climbers trail that takes you to the south ridge of Maude just where the jagged ridgeline gives way to a smooth ascent at 8,000 feet. From gaining the ridge, it is an easy but steep walk to the summit. The slope here is broad and covered with hardy little alpine plants. Both chipmunks and marmots live here. It took us just over an hour to reach the summit from Upper Ice Lake (7,188 feet to 9,082 feet). There was rime ice on the windward side of the mountain and it snowed on us for about five minutes at the summit -- on August 10!!! Then the clouds lifted and the incredible views opened up. Day 4: Hiked out to Cottonwood via trails 1405 and 1400, taking just under 7 hours. Had to ford the Entiat just before reaching the junction with trail 1400.

After a 3 pm start went to the Ice Lakes via the Carne-Leroy trail (Aug 5-7). From Phelps Creek took the Carne Mountain trail. Got water in the basin below Carne and camped night one at the old lookout site. Next day proceeded to the pass between Carne and the lookout peak and continued over to a sign that indicated trail to the right (Rock Creek Trail). I went straight instead on the Carne-Leroy. This is one fine trail! Much better than going across on the Phelps Creek Freeway. Views and flowers, water and camping. Trail in great shape to Chipmunk Creek where the high route begins. Hike up Chipmunk Creek to upper basin and to obvious saddle on left to find trail again over to below pass to Ice Lakes. This is actually another saddle but a short scramble brings one to above the lakes. Camped at upper Ice. Next morning to car in 4.5 hrs. 3 days/ 2 nights 5000'+ in, 1500' out, 19 miles total.