Entiat River, Ice Creek - Ice Lakes, Pomas Creek & Larch Lakes (Entiat) — Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008

Central Cascades > Entiat Mountains/Lake Chelan

Thursday 8/28/08 Started the day on the Entiat River Trail 1400 to the river crossing at mile 8.1. The trail to this point was relatively easy with a gradual elevation gain of 1200'. The river crossing was a little tricky using a log jam that crossed the river. It did require taking off our boots and wading some. Earlier at mile 5 Snow Brushy creek was crossable on a narrow log, but we chose to wade it in sandals. Also noteworthy was the 2006 fire damage. I have never hiked a fire affected area and the devastation was fascinating to see. Mile 8.1 was also the beginning of the Ice Creek trail, 1405. We noticed that the Pomas Creek Trail at the .9 mile mark on trail 1405 was hard to figure out. We were planning on taking this trail on the way back and were a bit puzzled. The signs were on the ground as the fire had burned them down and the trail was very faint. We continued up the Ice Creek trail and out of the fire area. At this point the views started improving. We saw several avalanche shutes and the valley just got more scenic as we progressed. There were two creek crossings on this trail. The first at mile 2.4 was about a foot deep and we waded it in sandles with minimal difficulty. CAUTION: The second Ice Creek crossing at mile 3.5 of Trail 1405 was difficult to follow. The trail just seemed to end at a pile of rocks. It turns out that a very big log in front of the pile of rocks is a bridge across the river and the trail picks up on the other side. there is an easy .5 miles after that to the excellent campsite at the end of the Ice Creek trail; there is also a small creek hop or wade in this last section. First day totals: 11.8 miles and 2400' of elevation gain. Friday 8/29/08 This day was set aside to day hike to Upper Ice Lake and back on trail 1405.1. This trail is easy until you hit the end of the valley at about .5 miles, at which time the trail turns up steeply (an understatement). The mile to Lower Ice Lake took us over two hours to reach. The trail up the valley wall is steep, but it is in grass and the traction is pretty good. No promises about traction if this section gets wet. Lower Ice Lake was our first stop for lunch. The boys with us (13 and 14) played in the lake while we ate. The trail to Upper Ice Lake is not well marked, but if you follow the Green Trails map for the area the trail route becomes clear. The hike from Lower to Upper Ice Lake went surprisingly quick and before we knew it we were looking at the Lake and Mount Maude behind it. There were several snow fields over the trail, but they were easy to navigate. We enjoyed the views and had some snacks. The weather started to turn, so we started back down to base camp. We passed a Ranger who was heading up to Upper Ice Lake for the night at this point. Totals for the day: 4 miles and 1,700' elvevation gain. Saturday 8/30/08 The weather cleared over night and we woke up to 30 degree weather. Today's trip would first carry us 3 miles down the Ice Creek Trail, which went quick and easy. We then turned onto the Pomas Creek Trail (1453) and our fortunes turned to something a bit more difficult than we had anticipated. The first 2 miles of the trail proved an adventure as the trail faded in and out and was overgrown in many places. watch the trail carefully and look for the notches on the trees that mark the trail. At the creek, it took us about 10 minutes to find the trail again. At Pomas Creek the trail begins a slow tortuous climb (3 miles, ~3,000' elevation gain). The faint trail and the steep incline slowed our progress to under a mile per hour. About 3/4 mile from Pomas Pass you pass the treeline and the trail is easier to follow and views are incredible. The last mile to the pass is at the end of the valley and , like the Ice Lake trail, turns up steeply on a grassy slope. After the pass, the trail becomes treacherous. It narrows to less than a foot wide while crossing a scree field with a very long drop to the valley below. If you are not comfortable navigating this type of trail do not try and attempt it. We nicknamed this portion of the trail the ""trail of death"". After a 400' climb to 6,700 feet the trail finally crosses the ridge again and slowly begins its one mile drop into Upper Larch Lake. The views at this point are beyond description... absolutely incredible. Totals for the day: 8.5 miles, 2,400 feet, and 8 hours to hike it. Sunday 8/31/08 I woke up at 5:30 at our Upper Larch Lake campsite. A nice buck was wandering around camp and I was able to watch him for about 5 minutes. Our camp was on the peninsula on the west side lake. It also was the site with the pit toilet, a nice touch! We packed up camp by 830 and headed down the Larch Lakes trail (1430). The drop down to the Entiat River trail is about 2 miles and 2,000 feet. My old forty-seven year old knees hurt and my feet developed ""stopping"" blisters. We chose to take the Entiate river trail rather than the hiker trail to Myrtle lake. This is because the Entiat River trail is much faster to hike and we were ready to finish as soon as possible. Be advised that the foot bridge of the Entiat River on the Larch Lake trail (1430) is a wade in about 2 feet of water. The footbridge has been was washed out. All in all a great four day trip. Totals: 34 miles and 5,500 feet.