Image Lake via Miners Ridge, Suiattle River Trail — Saturday, Jul. 29, 2000

North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway

Two perfect weather days on a weekend was too good to pass up, so i packed my bag and extra film for a weekend marathon to Image Lake. I left the trailhead and a swarm of flies at 10am. The Suiattle trail is in good shape, although the brush is trying hard to cover parts of the first few miles. There are several small run-off creeks that must be crossed between miles 3-5. After the bridge at 6.5 miles the trail gets progressively dryer; make sure you get water early since the last few miles are dry. The views of Glacier Peak get better and better as you head up the switchbacks that start at 9.5 miles. The switchbacks are gentle sloped and back- packer friendly. I reached the top of the ridge at about 6:30 and chatted with the summer ranger who's stationed with his wife at the lookout tower. I was quite surprised to find only two other parties camped at the hiker's camp just beyond the lake. A photographer had been camped there all week looking for the perfect shot; i got mine in one day--at sunset and then a matching set at sunrise! One word of caution: the bugs are out big time, and there is NO escape. Even the mosquitos were feasting on my Deet-soaked limbs! Not wanting to hike in the heat of the day, after exploring the ridge a bit i made record time back to the trailhead. Only passed one hiker on the way back. The two day total of 34 miles and about 5,000 feet definitely had my feet starting to feel like hamburger; i reccomend more time to enjoy this trip. I met two groups on their way to Stehekin for a week-long outing; this sounded like a good plan. Looks like more warm sunny weather is in store for the mountains--get out and enjoy while you can!