West Fork Foss River and Lakes — Sunday, Sep. 13, 1998

Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - West

Getting there: Drive to the W. Fork Foss River trailhead just past the Skykomish Ranger station on your right (south side of road). The Trail: The trail is in very good shape up to Big Heart Lake. From here the way becomes a little sketchy with numerous cairns to help mark the way up to a high point (between Angeline and Big Heart Lake) at a little tarn in a granite basin. The route then continues down to Chetwoot Lake. At the outlet of the Lake bear to your left up meadows and boulders to the ridge above Chetwoot. Once on the ridge follow it south than eastward toward the summit. There is a beautiful unnamed lake just below the summit with a permanent snowpatch on one end. There is a summit register but this peak doesn't get climbed very often and not at all in 1997. I made a little loop on the descent down the north ridge and on down to the outlet of the little lake and then over the ridge and on back down to Chetwoot Lake. This is a long day trip 8+ hours and some sections of the trail are difficult to negotiate in the dark, until back to Big Heart Lake (at one point I stumbled right into toilet at Little Heart Lake, it was around 10:00 p.m. and there are many way trails around these lakes; it can get confusing trying to determine where the main trail may be!). I got back before mid-night so it was still techincally a day hike, I guess next time I think I'm going to hike 20+ miles that I should start before 3:00! Take care and see ya on the trail, Pilar.