A selection of shots from a hike on the Summit Trail in Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness, near Lake Chelan, WA

Late July, 2005

All thumbnails lead to bigger pictures, well duh!

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I parked at Field's Point and took the ferry up Lake Chelan.

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Ferry left me at lonely Prince Creek - see the dot of the ferry abandoning me out there?

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Low part of the trail (trailhead at under 1200 feet in HOT eastern Washington) was burned, steep, hot, sunny, and had lots of downed logs, some of them very big ponderosa pines. The huge 2001 Rex Creek fire was an on-again, off-again companion through much of the trip.

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Prince Creek was a relief - I think the water sizzled when I got in.

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After that there were less burned areas, and the terrain was more montane. By the next morning, I was over 4000 feet and a lot more comfortable.

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By lunch second day I was over 7000 feet and remained in the timberline country until the end of the trip when I dropped to Lake Chelan again. Hot for so high (days around 80) but spectacular weather.

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I took a lot of flower pictures - they were amazing! Here's a few.

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The bees liked them too.

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Trail was in good shape in the high country, here crossing a talus slop through Lyall's larches.

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The larches were the most common tree near timberline, mixed with whitebark pine and alpine fir. The many meadows were scenic and peaceful, too.

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The alpenglow at Star Lake was great, right side-up or upside-down!

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Occasionally, tongues of the Rex Creek fire areas reached up into the timberline country, but most of the way I was not in burned areas.

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The wide views in all directions were incredible - here looking across the deep gorge of Lake Chelan to the peaks of the southern half of North Cascades national Park as well as Glacier Peak Wilderness.

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Occasionally I could view Lake Chelan - here the head of the lake is visible about 6000 feet below the abandoned fire lookout at Boulder Butte, about 7200 feet. I was at the lake that afternoon, quite a descent.

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Had to hang around Stehekin Saturday AM for the boat back to my truck, what a fate. Not, actually Stehekin is a peaceful, scenic spot and makes a nice transition to civilization. Here's a local character I ran into a couple miles south of town on the Lakeshore Trail that morning.

Hilliard, August, 2005