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Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
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When we went to Talapus
Lake, the parking lot was overcrowded. Steve's car
nearly bottomed
out in the grassy area that was available. Another
spot opened up and we were ready to go, but in the
confusion I left the guide book in the trunk of the
car.
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The
day was crisp and cold but the sun was bright and we
warmed up quickly as we walked along the trail. We
chatted about memories of other hikes, walking up hill
and when the trail split off, following the sign that
pointed toward the closer of the two lakes. |
By the time we reached
the lake we were ready for lunch. We ate sandwiches
and fruit for a sweet, thirst quenching feast. When
we were done, we continued on but discovered that the
trail ended part of the way around the lake. We headed
back along different trail than we had used to get
to the lake but it headed in the same general direction.
Then we headed down the hill along what appeared to
be the main trail. |
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| After a while nothing seemed familiar. The trail was
too steep and I wondered if we had gone the wrong way.
We asked the first group of hikers we passed whether
they were coming from the parking lot. They said that
they were and so we kept going down the hill. Still it
seemed wrong and we wondered amongst ourselves whether
there was a second trail to the parking lot. I had looked
through my pack in vain to find the guidebook. |
| Finally another hiker passed and we asked specifically if this was
the trail to the Exit 45 Talapus Trailhead parking lot. |
| He said, "No, it's the trail to the Exit 47 Pratt Lake Trailhead
parking lot." Then he inquired whether we had flashlights with
us, because the sun was getting low in the sky and we had a long way
to walk back to the right trailhead. |
| The climb back up that hill was long and steep enough to have me panting.
When we reached the top of the hill, we realized that we should have
taken the less used trail. At that point we relaxed a little and as
we passed various landmarks we had seen on the way up, we mentioned
that fact to each other. |
| We estimated that we had walked nine miles that day, including the
long hill to Pratt Lake. When we opened the trunk to the car, the guidebook
was exactly where I had put it in a moment of absent-mindedness. The
description in the book mentioned that there were many interconnected
trails in the area. |
Getting lost was a little bit unnerving, but even if we had had to
spend the night out we had a flashlight, warm clothing and snacks.
It was all part of the fun. |
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Be Aware
Navigation:Crisscrossing
trails require careful attention to avoid getting
lost or taking a long hike back to the car
Muddy terrain:
The trails can be wet and muddy in places depending
on time of year.
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