Eagle Lakes, Martin Creek, Angel Staircase, Cooney Lake & Chelan Summit — Tuesday, Sep. 28, 2021

Decided to take a chance with the weather hoping that the storms would release their precipitation prior to getting this far east of Cascade crest.   I had been here last week and knew the larches should be primed by now.  This time I wanted to skip the any scrambling and just go for a pure trail loop with Cooney Lake being the focus.  

Road is in my opinion, in great shape.  Plenty of parking and a restroom at the TH.  Eagle Lakes Trail is in great shape as it is shared with cyclists so they ensure that trail maint is up-to-date.  About an hour into my hike, the snow flurries started and would continue throughout the day.  However, very little accumulation, even on the peaks above me. Fortunately, the cloud cover was fairly high so my views were not affected too much.

After Horsehead Pass, hopped onto the Summit Trail south.  Nice wandering here through stands of larches.  I noticed that the had taken a beating the day before as the ground was covered in their needles.  They were still looking pretty good though.  

From Summit Trail, I hopped onto Angel's Staircase.  Again, more stands of larches as you switchback up to the pass.  Great views though from the saddle. From there, worked my way to the Cooney Lake trail and looked down on the lake. Holy larches.  Perhaps the thickest stand of larches I have ever seen surround that lake.  The drop down to the lake is the most technical section of the loop as it is steep and a bit loose.

Wandering through the larches surrounding the lake felt like another world.  After the lake, hopped on the Martin Creek Trail to head back to the junction with Eagle Lakes.  This trail is in good condition.

Notes:   Plenty of running water sources along Summit Trail but the other sections are a bit sparse with the exception of the lakes.  Also, I think the larches are already on the downside and with another storm rolling in, they could lose a lot more needles.  This weekend will probably be the last prime viewing of them.  Saw three cyclists and a trail runner for the whole loop.  

Stats: around 23 miles with 5k of gain.