Dave's PhotoJournal for May 13th

I stopped by the North Bend Ranger Station, and asked for some recommendations. While I was there, I bought a book on hiking trails around Snoqualmie Pass that I've been meaning to buy for a couple years, and a piece of software that has hundreds of Topo maps for the Washington Cascades that was 60% off.

The ranger suggested either the Little Si trail or the Talapus Lake / Olallie Lake trail. After reading about both of them in the book, I decided to do the Lakes trail, because it isn't known for great views, thinking I'd save the Little Si trail (and the Mt. Si trail) for a nicer day, when the views would be better.

Did the hike, and later, went to the Blue Star, where Carol was having her birthday dinner.

View of the weather from my apartment. Can't see the mountains, so who knows what the weather's like over there.

Just got my car washed over the weekend. If I go to a trail that I have to drive on forest roads to get to, it probably won't be clean anymore. (I did, and it wasn't.)

The book and software I got from the ranger station.

The forest road leading to the trailhead splits. I took the right fork.

Parking lot at the trailhead. Since it's Tuesday, and it's only halfway through May, the trail wasn't very crowded. The trailhead is off of exit 45 from I-90, which is a little ways before the summit.

Mountains seen across the I-90 valley from the trailhead parking lot.

You can only use this trail if you're a hiker or a llama.

A little ways up the trail.

While the trail was switchbacking up the hill, there was a little spurt that led to this big pile of boulders.

The view from the big pile of boulders.

Lots of little creeks along the trail. And probably more than normal, since it's springtime, and all the snow is melting.

Ah, the first bit of snow on the trail, about a mile up.

More snow on the trail. This was shortly before getting to Talapus Lake. Later, about halfway between Talapus and Olallie Lake, the entire trail was covered, and the only way I knew where the trail went was from the dirty footprints of people who came before me.

The creek just before I got to Talapus Lake.

Talapus Lake, in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.

A look at the hill across the lake.

Another view of the lake, before I left and headed onward to Olallie Lake.

Sign just above Talapus lake. The trail to Pratt Lake splits further up, and continues 7 or 8 miles to its destination.

Olallie Lake, still completely frozen over.

Looking the other direction over Olallie Lake.

A little bit of water showing.

Looking up at the trees surrounding Olallie Lake.

Arriving back to the parking lot, at right about 5 pm.

More view from the parking lot.

One more picture of view from the parking lot.

Forgot to take any pictures of Carol's birthday dinner, but Carol and Jeremy did notice that the McDonald's flag across the street was upside down, so they advised me to take a picture of it, which I did, although it didn't turn out that well.

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