Little Ranger Peak via Ranger Creek, Dalles Ridge, Greenwater and Echo Lakes, Noble Knob, Deep Creek, White River & Greenwater Trail to Lost Lakes — Monday, Jul. 6, 2020

We parked on 410 at the Little Ranger Creek trail head this trip-- BEWARE-- our car was broken into! 

Day one took us through 3 separate ecosystems of terrain/ vegetation. There was lots of salal and sword fern to start but not much else. This area was devastated by the 2017 fires and continues to be in rehabilitation. The 2nd portion along the Dalles trail had few views because of the fog but we could see the nearby airport. Lots of mountain bikers here. Enjoy the lupine and other quick-to-recover vegetation. Fur-filled predator scat and the remnants of a devoured flicker reminded us that that the wildlife is alive and coming back into the area. Lots of strawberry flowers here, but no fruit yet. The final portion past Noble Knob hosted lots of rocky scrambles and tons of mountain blueberry bushes with some small, immature fruit. The descending trail veered from our Gaia mapping but continued to trail along the creek.

Lost Lake was quiet with lots of campers building fires along the mucky, grassy shore. The fog burned off by 8am with 360 views and toads a'leaping. Unripe thimble berries trim the water.

The trek from Lost Lake to Echo Lake began quickly. Pass through lupine meadows blooming among tree ruins. We quickly passed Quinn Lake on the right which looked clear, deep, and the definition of 'aquamarine'. I wished we had stayed there instead-- folks we talked to mentioned it's a great camp spot, but has few places to make camp. After reading reviews about bountiful bugs, we brought our spray and face nets-- I was almost sure we wouldn't need them until they became ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL after turning off onto Echo Lake trail! Have snacks easily available in your pack as you won't want to stop and let the 'squitos suck your blood. Expect woodpeckers, bugs swarming the burnt word, rubbing and creaking trees, LOTS of bridge crossings, and (if applicable) gratitude for your waterproof boots.

The north side camps were all full, but the meadows on the south side provided a beautiful scenery. We spotted a heron at dusk and our pup pointed out a coyote skeleton no more than 20' from where we set up camp. The daytime breezes kept the bugs away and we woke up to a dewey tent.

Lost Lake trail out of camp was quiet and what you'd expect walking through a post-forest fire area. The trail was a blend of charred bark chunks, ash, and sand. The trail itself was very slippery and had several stream crossings and washed-out/burned up areas to traverse-- see pictures. We left camp early and shared the walk with a few deer, a woodpecker, and a couple pika. The switchbacks sport lots of lupine fields, wild strawberry (yes, fruit here!), snow plant, and bear grass.

You can't miss Corral Pass as it's a big, fenced parking lot with a water trough and a charred picnic table-- funny enough, still chained. From there, we walked to Noble Knob trailhead. Tracks in the dirt reveal this trail is used more by deer and elk than hikers! We ran across a few along the way. Watch for tiger lily, Indian paintbrush, columbine, and lots of strawberry-- though only flowers here again. The view of Rainier at Mutton Mountain is FANTASTIC, and made for a lovely lunch spot. We watched a herd of elk run and bugle one peak over as we munched.

From Noble Knob we trekked to Deep Creek trail which was a long, very steep trail. We were glad to be going DOWN in this stretch, though it was a slow process. It's clear this trail is predominantly used by mountain bikers-- expect worn corners, deep ruts in the trail, and some very unusually carved obstacles. Watch for thistle, phlox, and lots of false hellebore. 

Our final stretch was from the bottom of Deep Creek across the White River Trail to traverse 410 back to our car making the complete loop. At the bottom of Deep Creek trail we splashed in the water and pushed onward.

We approached the car with tired feet and collarbones to find the window had been smashed sometime during the three days. We had left nothing of value in the car, but we were grateful they didn't take our America the Beautiful pass on the dash! We decided next time we'll leave the car unlocked with a note in the window.