I don't think I subscribe to the idea of "larch madness", but I do have some light larch interest. For example, what color are larches anyway? Gold? Yellow? Green? They kind of remind me of Lemon-Lime flavored Gatorade. It's a tough color to nail down right now. Color is indeed a spectrum.
Anyways, I'm generally kinda misanthropic with trendy locations and practices in the outdoor genre, but my partner requested a larch hike, so we got after it! Inspired by fellow trip reporter and friend nwroth's recent visit to Lake Ann, we headed east with hopes to visit a marginally less chaotic larchish hike.
We arrived at the Lake Ann/Ingalls trailhead around 8 a.m. to a full lot, but there was plenty of room along the immediate shoulder -- we didn't have to walk more than a hundred feet or so until we hit the trail. Most of the traffic dispersed as soon as we made the turn off towards Lake Ann.
In my opinion, the trail is in great shape. It offers stunning views of Rainier and Glacier Peak, plus numerous other craggy mountains, golden meadows and rocky walls. It's easy to find and easy to walk — the meager 500 feet elevation gain per mile is enough to work up your heart rate, but graded enough to hold a full conversation. The only area with potentially tricky footing was at the pass before descending to Lake Ann, and even then it's only for a few feet.
The lake itself is small and beautiful. We only saw one tent there. Larches aren't quite in their full golden splendor, but they brought awe and appreciation to my outing regardless. All hikers we met were friendly and respectful, and we only saw one (only one!!!!) bag of dog poop the entire trip. We enjoyed hot chocolate and biscotti at the lake for about 90 minutes before heading back to the car.
Navigating the parking lot and road on the way out was a bit of a zoo. Folks were parked for at least a mile down the road, and I got a big kick out of noticing which vehicles were willing to park "off road" and which were willing to disregard no parking signs. Overall, great hike. I hope to visit again next fall or maybe spring.
Distance: 9.13 miles
Elevation gain: 2,526 feet
Moving time: 3:23
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