Overall 13.5mi RT 1415m ascent. Weather was supposed to be mixed this day, and indeed it stayed cloudy, partially gusty, and drizzly at times. One benefit is that the air temperature coupled with the humidity was just right to stay cool. Arriving at Gem Lake, I had considered Wright Mountain as a choice, but decided I would take this opportunity to continue to the Wildcat Lakes. The hill down to Wildcat Lakes is rather steep, so there's a good supply of switchbacks at the beginning. There are several slope crossings, and boulders to consider. In the rain, it's well worth a bit of caution. The trail around to the lake is a bit more of a boot path, and there are a few places where tree crossings are required. There are a few steep muddy spots. The lake itself is... a lake, but walking around to the far side is worth it. The pictures would be better. Ascending from Wildcat was much quicker than expected.

#*@! the weather forecast! We went ahead with a planned backpack to Gem Lakes despite the high chance of showers. As it turned out, it poured all night with strong winds but we didn't get rained on during either day. Snow and Gem Lakes were beautiful with mist streaming through the passes, occasionally lifting to show Chair Peak and Mt. Roosevelt. The clouds combined with waterfalls crashing down made the area feel wilder and more remote than it really is. On Sunday we day hiked to Wildcat Lakes from Gem Lake, following the directions in Craig Romano's Backpacking Washington, which were spot on. The trail from Gem Lake rapidly drops into a very pretty, lonely valley. We had one routefinding problem where the trail emerges from the trees onto a talus slope. The path can be found by following the stream down and keeping the talus to your left. The path soon becomes clear and passes in and out of the woods past several small tarns before arriving at Lower Wildcat Lake. The trail to Upper Wildcat Lake, to the left of Lower Wildcat, is narrow, brushy, and indistinct at times, but we found our way by paying close attention. Just follow the stream uphill and you'll get there. Upper Wildcat Lake is perhaps a touch less stunning than or Snow or Gem, but it's a worthwhile trip for the remoteness. We didn't see anyone from when we left Gem Lake to when we were returning up the switchbacks. It's worth it to get into the wilderness, even if the weather isn't perfect.

Solitude on the Snow Lake trail? Nah, but after the crossing the outlet, I only saw 5 people, and once I turned down to the Wildcat Lakes, I was all alone. 9:30am Late start from the Alpental parking lot. Already lots of people on the trail. I had hoped the overcast weather would lessen the crowds, and maybe it did, but I still had to be patient and pass loads of people all the way to Snow Lake. 10:15 Reached the log crossing the outflow from Snow Lake, 3 miles in. 2 guys sitting there snacking. Fog settled on the lake, and there were no views, could hardly see the lake. It was the same all the way up and over the ridge. Only complaint were the dog owners that don't control their animals. 10:45 Above Gem Lake, roughly 5.3 miles in, at the turn-off for the Wildcat Lakes. Passed 2 hikers since the log crossing at Snow, and saw one camper at Gem. Fog is still thick, but clearing enough to see the immediate surroundings. Trail is great. 11:20 Sitting on the shore of Upper Wildcat Lake, in complete solitude. Absolutely beautiful setting. The last time I'd been on this trail was in high school, in the late '80s. The descent down from Gem was steep, but the trail was clear and runnable. Clouds continued to disperse, so my running was frequently interrupted because I simply wanted to soak in the environment. I blew past lower Wildcat without even realizing it because the fog sitting in the bowl obscured it completely. The climb up to Upper Wildcat was steep, but only lasted a few hundred feet. Nothing like my memories of being a pudgy teenager lugging a 100 lb pack up an obscure footpath. The trail from Lower Wildcat was definitely more brushy and resembled a fisherman's path, but still easy to navigate. After arriving at Upper, I surprised myself with a swim, since I didn't think I would risk the cold, but the air was so still, it wasn't too chilly at all. I spent about 30 minutes by the lake, marveling at how incredibly quiet it was. No birds, wind, people, not even a distant airplane engive overhead. Maybe it was the think blanket of fog deadening outside noise. My patience paid off as the fog started to dissipate, and I caught glimpses of the rock walls enclosing the lake, which added to my sense of isolation. It was with great reluctance that I left. 1:45pm Arrived back at the car after a smooth run back. The trail back to Gem was all mine. Once at Gem, started passing hikers who had climbed Wright Mtn, or had reached Gem and were returning. Lots of hikers coming and going, but people were very gracious and let me pass. Snow Lake is a classic hike, and it serves a purpose in getting people into the countryside, but I'm happy to leave it alone for another 20 years or so, as great as my Wildcat experience was.

Some images from this trip: http://www.flickr.com/photos/urbandisturbance/sets/72157631664308306/ We started Saturday 8:30am and it took us 6 hours to get to Upper Wildcat Lake, with some rest time at each of the lakes on the way. The trail was a little busy up to Snow Lake but in very good condition and not too strenuous. We had a snack there and enjoyed the views (despite the low cloud cover limiting visibility) and continued along the lake toward Gem Lake. The hike to Gem Lake is more or less level, with only a few ups and downs, much fewer people here. Gem Lake is gorgeous and a great place for lunch. We refilled our CamelBacks and then got on the way to Lower Wildcat. The trail drops around 1000 feet between Gem and Lower Wildcat Lake. From here on we were on our own. Lower Wildcat is a nice lake but the shore is not very accessible and the only campsite not too appealing. We made our way up the 0.5 miles or so to Upper Wildcat. this section is short but very steep, I definitely broke some sweat here with a fairly heavy pack on my back. It's all worth it though. Upper Wildcat Lake is amazingly beautiful. There wasn't a soul there. We had a few hours with daylight, put the tents up and made some dinner. It got pretty chilly during the night but manageable, probably upper 30s or so. On the next day we left Upper Wildcat at around 10:45 and made it back at around 4:30. It was nice to see all the lakes again on a sunny day as the previous day was much cloudier. The trail is overall in a very good condition, only after you get past Gem Lake there are a few blowdowns and a landslide, none of them a massive problem though, just keep an eye on the trail, at some points it's a little easy to take a wrong turn. This backpacking trip was amazing, beautiful scenery and total solitude at Upper Wildcat Lake, a great experience that I hope can be repeated sometime.

We set out at 7am to make it to Upper Wildcat lake. We only saw one person on the way to snow lake. The hike to Gem lake was really pretty and the reflection on the water was spectacular. After Gem lake the trail continues around the backside and promptly drops about 1k feet in switchbacks. (according to another TR). This part of the trail has recently seen a small avalanche and there is a good amount of blowdowns and moved rocks. After you descend it is a nice flat walk over to Lower Wildcat Lake. The trail up to Upper Wildcat Lake is actually easy to find and follow. At the Lower lake follow the trail at the came site to the left. The trail is easy to see if you look down, however there are a lot of overgrown bushes and you must move through. I suspect it is about 1/2 mile and 400' up. If you just look at the ground, you'll be able to follow the trail. The camp sites are nice and we would have enjoyed spending the night up here. We dipped out feet in the lake and headed back. We got back to our car in the Alpental parking lot at 4:30 so the rt time was 9 1/2 hours. Not too bad for about 15 miles rt. I'd recommend visiting upper wildcat lake for a fun day hike