And I’ve been in denial.  I don’t know why.  The past few weekends I’ve gone hiking, and watched the snow move down the mountainsides, and pile up on the trails.  A month ago, it was surprising after most of a year to see a bit of white adorning the highest peaks in the Olympic and Cascade ranges, on those rare, clear days when said mountains were visible.  Now the snow line is less than 2,000 feet above sea level.

I was forced to abort my Snow Lake hike this weekend.  Just reaching the trailhead was quite difficult, and the beginning of the trail was buried under what must have been a foot of snow.  This was fine, I thought.  But plodding through snow is exhausting business, especially when more of it is falling – the one and only time snow in this region is light and puffy, like in Colorado.  It generally holds your weight without any problems, but, when it’s new and not packed yet, you’ll break through every few steps, and have to pull yourself out before continuing on.

Worse, there’s a danger here, because you can’t see what’s beneath your feet.  There are rocks along the trail, and it would be easy to sprain an ankle – making for a hellacious hike back to the car – by falling through the snow in just the wrong place.  This idea sent me back to whence I came.

I have an old pair of snow shoes, thought about them briefly, and decided they wouldn’t be needed.  Especially given that I was trying to reach a place called Snow Lake, I feel a bit like an idiot.

A week and a half ago, we had some gorgeous weather – the sky was clear and we had temperatures in the 70’s. You never know when the weather will turn for the worse here in upper Bavaria, particularly as the fall and winter months approach, so Mia invited Rosebud and me to spend the afternoon at Walchensee, an alpine lake I’ve mentioned and visited several times before. Mia’s brother was also with us. He now lives in the States and was in Germany visiting his sister.

On this particular afternoon, we noticed a lot of cars from Munich – presumably, lots of other people had the same idea we did and wanted to make the best of the fair weather.

Even though I’ve been to Walchensee several times now, I am still impressed by how blue and clear the water is. It reminds me a lot of Lake Tahoe, if you have ever been there. And since the lake is fed by mountain sources, the water is icy cold, even in the middle of summer.

When we first arrived, we found a picnic table and enjoyed lunch in the sunshine. Rosebud enjoyed toddling around, and even met a little boy about two years old. He kept calling her Julia, and his grandparents explained that he lives next door to a little girl named Julia, who is about the same age as Rosebud. It was very cute to see the two of them walking and circling each other. The little boy and his family didn’t stay too long, unfortunately, for I am sure Rosebud would have enjoyed playing a little more with him. His family spoke some Baierisch (Bavarian), which is always fun for me to hear and attempt to understand.

After that family left, we went down toward the edge of the lake.

Rosebud, the typical toddler that she is, wanted very much to splash in the shallow water at the edge of the lake. If the water weren’t so cold, I would have gladly walked with her in the water as splashing is one of the world’s greatest activities when you are one-and-a-half years old! I explained how icy-cold the water was, but Rosebud didn’t believe me. She fussed and fussed! So, I took off her shoes and socks, and gently put her in the water – and only then did she realize what I meant when I said the water was freezing. She cried! I quickly picked her up and toweled off her feet and warmed them up. She soon forgot her desire to splash in the water and was content to walk beside the lake, taking special care to crunch all the leaves.

Here’s a compilation of video clips showing Rosebud walking in the lake. Mia and her brother, Daniel, are also in the video. I was able to get some of the fantastic mountainous background in the second half of the video, to give you a feel for just how beautiful the Walchensee really is. I don’t think I could ever get tired of this natural beauty.

After our pathetic showing the week before, we watched the weather (sunny and 70+ all week), and, expecting much of the snow to have melted, we headed back to Mount Daniel. Boy, were we surprised.

Not by the condition of the road, though – that’s still absolute rubbish.

It was much warmer this time around, so we stopped at Squaw lake for a second to cool off. Dragonflies darted around at the water’s edge.

Something smelled like ass on the trail most of the way up, and we finally caught sight of the culprits. Turns out it wasn’t ass after all, it was Equus.

We hit the meadows on the top of the ridge leading to Cathedral Rock and the pass – what a beautiful sight.

After the pass we headed down the Peggy’s Pond trail. Again. Third time this year, actually. It’s getting easier for Amy, but it’s still tricky in places.

The trail to the pond passes the remains of an old four-sided building. I have looked around online but haven’t been able to track down any information about the history of the site, other than someone called it “Peggy’s Cabin.” Odd that the old girl’s cabin is actually closer to the shitty little puddle we camped at before than it is to the actual pond…

Well anyways, we meandered our way to the ACTUAL pond this time and set up shop right at the water’s edge. It was smooth as glass while Amy pumped some drinking water.

Before the sun completely went down, we popped over into the Hyas Creek Basin to have a look at our prize – the summit of Mount Daniel.

We called it a night, determined to get an early start in the morning. Our route took us up through the Hyas Creek Basin, up the moraine valley and the to base of the Hyas Creek Glacier.

From there, it turned northwest and climbed up several steep sections of talus and scree before we reached an upper shoulder area.

Our guidebook said from here we should cross on to the North side and continue onto top of the Daniel Glacier, but that didn’t look like a good idea.

We decided to descend until we could find a traverse route heading southwest under the East peak, which led us to a snowfield.

Once we pointed ourselves North again we climbed to the top of the ridge and it was just a quick scramble to the summit.

That was cool, but we knew we weren’t on the real summit – it was still West of us, past the middle summit, across the “plateau.”

So we retraced our steps to the edge of the ridge and pointed ourselves down some immensely steep scree at what looked like a climber’s path. Horror (for Amy) ensued, but we reached the path and all was well. I’d be hung if I posted pictures of the terror in her eyes, so we’ll skip that.

The footpath across the summit plateau was crude, but it got the job done.

Once we reached the foot of the West Summit, a quick scramble was all it took to get to the top, where I found the summit registry.

With a sense of occasion, we popped a teeny bottle of champagne that I’d carted up in my backpack. We had Mountain House macaroni and cheese for lunch (Mmmm… ) and washed it down with some bubbly before we got back to the task at hand: pictures.

The wind was picking up as time went on, so we paused for the mandatory summit shot and headed back down.

Our route-finding back down into the moraine valley and Hyas Creek basin left something to be desired, let just say. First up was our icy glissade down the upper part of what used to be Hyas Glacier. Would have been nice to have an ice axe for that…

Below that, we were nearly cliffed out several times. Should have stuck with the original route – it would have saved us at least an hour. Won’t say who chose this route…

It was an awesome trip, and a spectacular way to end the summer of backpacking, in case we don’t get the chance to go again before we move to Jackson, WY.

(Route Guide and Topo Map)

All photos at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/41681734@N04/sets/72157622397043670/

Frustrated by the way our friends always seem to back out of camping at the last minute, I posted a note on facebook inviting anyone who read it to come along on our next camping trip to Lake Ingalls. Unexpectedly, a buddy of mine replied and came along with Amy and I on this trip!

We left Seattle at 8:00am and arrived in the parking lot a little over two and a half hours later. The way is steep, but it’s clear that it’s pretty heavily travelled, both from the number of cars in the lot and the dusty, pounded condition of the trail. After staying left at the junction with Longs Pass trail, we climbed another hour or so and reached the top of Engalls Pass. To the Southwest, through a conveniently located saddle on the next ridge, Mt. Rainier is impossible to miss. On a clear day, you can see Mt. Adams as well.

From Engalls Pass, there are two routes to choose from. Inadvertently, we chose the longest, which continues around the basin to the East. It wasn’t a bad day for a few extra miles of hiking though…

We ended up at the junction on the North side of the Headlight Creek Basin, following the trail to the Northeast and finally arriving at Lake Engalls.

No camping is allowed at the lake, which sucks a lot. We were going to try and poach a hidden spot on the far side, but the route to and from it was more than Amy was willing to take on with a 40 lb pack. (The route up is literally a goat path, up the East side. The only way we found our way down was by following the goat poop.)

After a few hours spent clamoring around the banks of the lake, we headed back down to the Headlight Creek Basin, where the wombles want you to camp.

The next day I got up early (read: I couldn’t get back to sleep in the wee hours of the morning) and walked around to take some pictures. Mount Stuart was draped in a shroud of mist that swirled around it, making for some interesting light.

Amy and I scrambled up to the top of the largest rock outcropping, where we actually found some campsites. We had made our own way almost all the way back to the top of the canyon where we’d come in a day earlier.

We ended up heading back up to Lake Ingalls later that day, after the sun came out. We just lounged on some glacier-sculpted rocks, trying to stay away from the other hikers that were milling around on the shore. Eventually we got bored of the crowd and left.

We spent a chilly night in the tents, and got an early start in the morning. On our way out, we ran into a handful of mountain goats on the trail! …actually, the sort of found us while we were pumping water. Clearly, they were not disturbed by our presence.

Killer views and a friend along that didn’t ditch at the last second! Thanks, Cor.

All photos at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/41681734@N04/sets/72157622165643742/

At the end of July, Rosebud and I went to Tegernsee with our friends. Tegernsee is another gorgeous alpine lake, with stunning crystal clear water. Here’s a map to give you an idea of the area:

View Larger Map

This is the official tourism site of Tegernsee, which has a neat panorama view. The German Wikipedia entry on Tegernsee is also informative (the English page says very little about the area).

As my digital camera was out of commission, I had a great time using my SLR instead. We scanned in the prints, so they’re not quite as nice as an original digital photo would be, but I’m still pleased with the results.

We spent a lot of time at the park, which was an ideal place to let Rosebud play on the grass and watch the people there.

Beautiful park at Tegernsee

People-watching at Tegernsee

I attempted to keep Rosebud’s hat on her, but she preferred it off. It’s funny, because six weeks later, she likes putting her hat on. I think she finally understands the purpose of a hat, to protect her from the sun.

Rosebud and sunshine

Hat on! Apply directly to the head!

Rosebud, sitting pretty

The first biscuit was delicious, but I'm not sure about this one.

We spent most of the afternoon strolling along the lake. It’s a well-known tourist area, and we saw plenty of well-dressed people, fancy cars and the like. And no wonder, as Tegernsee is extremely beautiful. But it’s also a great place to start a hiking adventure, as it is close to the Alps. We saw plenty of tourists wearing hiking gear.

View of Tegernsee, looking south toward the Alps

Along the edge of the lake, there were lots of resting areas, parks and benches, making it a great outing for us. The next time I am in Tegernsee, I’ll probably pack a picnic lunch.

Rosebud in Bloom

This statue was also quite cute, of a little boy fishing next to the lake.

Statue of a boy, fishing

And in this picture, you can get a sense of how clear and pretty the water is.

When we return to Tegernsee, I very much would like to rent a boat or take the ferry out on the lake. There is much more there for me to explore! Aren’t I lucky to be a stay-at-home-mom, as I get to take my daughter to places like these? We would have never dreamed of these opportunities before Rosebud was born.

I have gotten a bit behind in my updates!

Rosebud is teething so we have had a few sleepless nights. Perhaps tonight she will sleep better.
Her first birthday is on Wednesday, which is very exciting! I am not really sure what we will do, but it will of course involve a lemon birthday cake. In the past few weeks, she’s taken a great interest in solid food, so I think she’ll have fun with her cake.

Anyway, the weather has been gorgeous this April – an anomaly, I am told. One afternoon, we went to the Starnbergersee, or Lake Starnberg.

View Larger Map

This lake is a well-loved tourist destination. King Ludwig II, the fairy tale king, spent time at the Schloss Berg (Castle Berg) which is situated on the lake. King Ludwig II was apparently found dead near this castle. My friend Mia tells me it is more likely he was murdered than drowned, because he was known to be an excellent swimmer. I don’t know if we will ever know how Ludwig died, but the theories abound!

We decided to go to the town of Starnberg, as there is a nice walkway and park along the lake. The water is amazingly clear and blue. This is our friend and Rosebud’s playmate, Abi:

Abi feeding the swans

(I see London, I see France… okay, okay, I don’t have a pair of panties to go with the dress! Bad Mommy! )

Rosebud

Playing in the park on Lake Starnberg

Happy Rosebud

It was one of those perfect lazy days, walking around a bit and then sitting by the lake to enjoy the cool breezes. Here’s hoping the rest of the spring weather is as nice!

Side note: King Ludwig II comes from the House of Wittelsbach, which you can read about here.

One of the many reasons why Bavaria is a popular tourist destination, especially upper Bavaria, is because of its natural beauty. It’s a paradise for nature lovers. Within a half hour of our house, you can go paragliding, hiking, climbing, cycling, swimming, sailing, ice-skating, skiing (alpine and nordic), camping, sledding, horseback riding, and I am sure I am forgetting other sports.

We had what felt like a long, cold, snowy winter, but fortunately the weather has really warmed up in the past two weeks. I enjoyed the snow and the cold, but it feels equally wonderful to soak up the abundant sunshine we’ve enjoyed of late.

Our first truly sunny day came at the beginning of April, after weeks and weeks of grey skies. We took advantage of the warm weather by making a trip to the alpine lake called Walchensee*. The Walchensee area is breathtaking. Not far from Walchensee is Kochelsee, another fabulous alpine lake which we visited last summer. Here’s a good factoid: Walchensee is one of the deepest and largest lakes in Germany. I joked that perhaps it has its own type of Loch Ness Monster.

Typical of the alpine lakes, the water is crystalline blue. The color of the water and the clarity never ceases to amaze me! Along the lake are many little fishing houses. Some of them are privately owned, and others offer visitors the option to rent a boat to go out on the lake. In this picture, you can see just how blue the water is.

Fishing house on Walchensee

We mostly walked around the town of Walchensee since I had Rosebud with me, and our friend Jeremy had his daughter Abi with him. Abi (two years old) and Rosebud love playing together. In fact, I am told that on some mornings when Abi wakes up, the first thing she asks is if she will get to spend the day with Rosebud. Here they are, cuddling with me on a bench by the lake:

Rosebud, Mama and our friend Abi

The lake is even more spectacular because of the surrounding mountain scenery.

I liked this sign by the side of the lake (sorry, dogs, as refreshing as the lake is, you are not allowed to go for a swim).

Badeverbot für Hunde - No swimming for dogs allowed

As you can see from the pictures, there was still a good amount of snow left on the ground. The lake is fed by snowmelt and alpine streams. Rosebud was fascinated by the water from one of the streams.

alpine stream, feeding into Walchensee

When we visited the tourist office, we learned that the Walchensee has been featured in paintings and the location has been used for films. Rosebud and I decided to take advantage of the spectacular background for our photo shoot.

Mama and Rosebud on location (at Walchensee)

I really enjoyed our walk by the lake, as did Rosebud.

Mama, thank you for the walk around Walchensee!

There are many more alpine lakes to discover. I can’t wait to see as many of them as I can. I hope to return to Walchensee again, because there are a number of excellent trails for hiking, biking and walking. I believe there’s also a cable car to one of the mountain peaks by the lake. And, come high summer, I hope to go for a swim in the lake even though the water is chilly.

*Language note: in German, der See means lake; if the word is die See, a feminine noun, it means sea or ocean.

The majestic Eagle Cap Wilderness of Northeastern Oregon outside of the town of Joseph Oregon is a well-known destination for backpacking enthusiasts.  I recently returned from a 3-day backpacking trip with my brother.  The hike began at the Wallowa Lake Trailhead and continued to Horseshoe Lake and Moccasin Lake in the Lake Basin region for a total of 28 miles hiked with our 40-pound backpacks.

     Horseshoe Lake at Sunset 

The Eagle Cap Wilderness lies in the heart of the Wallow Mountains in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest and totals an amazing 350,461 acres of wilderness. The Eagle Cap Wilderness is known for its high alpine lakes and granite peaks and ridges. The 6th highest peak in Oregon, Sacajawea Peak at 9838 feet is home here. According to the US Forest Service, hikers can choose from approximately 534 miles of trails in the Eagle Cap. Trailheads are located on all sides of the wilderness, with access from the counties of Wallowa, Union, and Baker. Due to heavy winter snowfall, the area typically does not open until late summer and fall.

The most popular area in the Eagle Cap Wilderness is the Lakes Basin Management Area and this is where we were headed on our hike as it offers the most spectacular views of the scenic alpine lakes and granite peaks. The Lakes basin is home to numerous alpine lakes such as Horseshoe, Unit, Lily, Razz, Lee, Douglas, Crescent, Moccasin, Mirror, Sunshine, Pocket, and Glacier. With all of them known for their beauty, we chose the destinations of Horseshoe Lake and Moccasin Lake for our hiking trip.

The hike to Horseshoe Lake started at the Wallowa Lake Trailhead on the West Fork Wallowa River Trail #1820. The trail begins at the right of the trailhead message board starting at an elevation of 4645 feet and climbs steadily 905 feet for 2.8 miles where you reach the junction to the trail for Ice Lake (I have a photo gallery of Ice Lake at Oregon Foto). At this point you can head up to Ice Lake for another 4.7 miles and 2300 foot gain or just continue on the main West Fork Wallowa River Trail for another 3.3 miles and 490 foot gain until you reach the aptly named Six Mile Meadow at an elevation of 6040 feet. So far you will have traveled 6.1 miles over a very modest gain of 1300 feet. These 6.1 miles cover a rather rough and rocky terrain. Also, you need to maneuver around countless piles of horse crap as these trails are also traveled by people who would prefer to use horses where others prefer to use their own feet.

So far we traveled 6.1 miles from the Wallowa Lake Trailhead to Six Mile Meadow and have another 3.1 miles and an elevation of gain of 1095 feet before reaching Horseshoe Lake. At the junction for Six Mile Meadow you are now on trail #1810. At Six Mile Meadow, it gets a little bit tricky. At two points you cross the West Fork Wallowa River, however both hiker footbridges are washed out (one sign said the bridge was out since 6/24/05) and there are a couple of logs across the river that you need to gracefully and carefully use to cross the river. It isn’t a big deal, but we did need to stop and think about where and how to make the crossing. Once you cross the second point of the river, you can easily pick up the trail again and continue through the meadow a short distance where you will now begin to climb up the trail to reach Horseshoe Lake, which at this point, is approximately 3 miles up and a few switchbacks away. The trail is very rough and rocky and as it was early in the season we had approximately 10 trees which had fallen across the trail and we had to climb over and with a 40-pound pack, this does take its toll on you. Once you are done climbing up the trail you can finally catch a glimpse of Horseshoe Lake and near here you will reach a junction. To the right, trail #1810 (which you have been on) veers to the right where you can bypass Horseshoe Lake and head to Unit Lake or Razz Lake. However, if you want to continue to Horseshoe Lake, veer left (you will be on trail #1821 now) and after about a quarter of a mile of hiking along the right side of the lake you can select the perfect campsite and finally relax and enjoy the views at 7135 feet. It took us approximately 6 hours to hike the 9.1 miles up to Horseshoe Lake, including a couple of breathers and lunch.

After an evening of battling the countless mosquitoes and watching the fish jump, we woke up the next day and decided to take a day hike to Moccasin Lake which is 3.3 miles from Horseshoe Lake and takes you through the beauty of the Lakes Basin. From Horseshoe Lake, you can easily pick up the main trail again where in a short distance you reach Lee Lake which is in on your left. As you continue along the trail you begin to climb up steadily rocky terrain for 1.3 miles where you reach another junction. At this point you can veer right and take trail #1810 to the back-side of Douglas Lake and then further on to Crescent Lake, or you can veer left like we did and hike along Douglas Lake on trail #1810A for another 2 miles until you reach Moccasin Lake.

Moccasin Lake, at 7475 feet, represents the beauty of when I think of a high elevation alpine lake. It is a gorgeous lake and for a photographer, it has all the aspects one could want, high snow-capped peaks, clear blue water, and abundant vegetation and wildlife. The water is pristine and the lake is surrounded by majestic granite peaks including a close-up view of the namesake of the area, Eagle Cap. At a junction beside Moccasin Lake, you can turn left across a scenic isthmus between the lakes two parts where you see a sign to Glacier Pass. This will take you to Glacier Lake if you choose. The trail climbs 2.7 miles and gains 1100 feet through Glacier Pass and then down a short distance to Glacier Lake. From Glacier Lake you can continue the loop back to your car at the Wallowa Lake Trailhead, but it is a 12 mile hike which you can break up by either staying at Frazier Lake or Six Mile Meadow.

We decided that after visiting Moccasin Lake for a few hours and enjoying the scenery, we would hike back the 3.3 miles to Horseshoe Lake where we saw that our original campsite close to the lake was still available. We spent the night and then woke up at 6:00 AM to hike the 9.1 miles back to our car at the Wallowa Lake Trailhead. I believe the 9.1 miles back took about 5 hours including a break for a quick lunch.

I would say that during the time we went, the trails were in rougher shape that in the previous time I backpacked in the area. Due to the late snowmelt things just opened up a few weeks ago. There are about 20-25 large trees which have fallen across the trails that you need to maneuver over, under, or around and that does add to the toll after a while. There was also what appears to be a landslide along the way to Six Mile Meadow with quite a bit of debris and logs to maneuver around, however it looks like the Forest Service was up there with chainsaws to clear the way. The trail itself is very rocky but it is also clear and we had no trouble finding our way. There are hardly any signs letting you know which trail you are on, or where one junction leads to another; it is really up to you and a good map to know where to go.  Also, I refer to trail numbers such as #1820, #1810 etc, however, I do not remember seeing any of the trials numbered or marked in any manner while hiking. We just had a map from a hiking book and did not have trouble figuring out which trails to take or where to head; so once again, we did not have trouble finding our way and we felt confident in where we were headed.

We didn’t think it was too crowded when we were up there. There were maybe 5 people camping at Horseshoe Lake and I would say that the whole time we were on trail we passed maybe just a dozen people at most. Certainly there are times when there are more hikers and campers, and times when there are fewer, but regardless, the Eagle Cap Wilderness is a vast and expansive place and nobody should have trouble finding solitude. In my opinion, there is nowhere else in Oregon that has this level of pristine and majestic beauty. Everywhere you look there is an 8500 foot peak, or an alpine lake. It is simply an amazing place to experience, and Oregonians are fortunate to have it in our state. Although, for Portlanders, it is a grueling 6-hour drive to get to the trailhead, not to mention the countless hours on foot. Yet it is the work and the effort to get to the destination that makes this place special and unique. Any of the hiking trails in the Eagle Cap Wilderness would be considered a top Oregon hiking destination as they all either lead to a glorious alpine lake or up a majestic peak. I encourage you to explore Oregon and make your own adventure.

To Get There:

From Portland, Drive on Interstate 84 to La Grande exit 261. Take Highway 82 and follow the Wallowa Lake signs through Enterprise and Joseph. While on Highway 82 you reach Wallowa Lake and stay on this road until you reach the end of the road with the Wallowa Lake Trailhead on your left for a total of 335 miles. There is a picnic spot and public restrooms in the parking area. A Northwest Forest Pass is required to park. At the trailhead there is a self-registration box for your camping trip, which is free.

There are countless regulations for the Eagle Cap Wilderness to protect its fragile beauty so please check with the US Forest Service for current regulations and also check on trail conditions and current issues that you need to be aware of for a safe trip.