Alpine Lakes Wilderness

c. 1995

This, for me, was a tough-luck hike. In hindsight, it was scenic, interesting, exciting, and fun. But while hiking, it was at times pure misery.

I've lost track of what year this trip was taken --- sometime in the mid-90's. This hike was taken with four friends. We began at the trailhead to Lake Caroline and camped there for a night. The hike to the lake was steep and strenuous, made worse by my carelessly-packed and way overweight pack. The setting at Lake Caroline was very nice and alpinelike, but I remember pesky mosquitoes in this midsummer hike.

The second day was to take us beneath Cashmere Mountain and over Windy Pass. While crossing beneath Cashmere on a very exposed slope a thunderstorm blew in. Dodging lightning until we got up and over Windy Pass was an exercise of concern and pure luck. Once we got up and over the pass, the strong winds were blocked and the rain backed off. This section of the hike would likely be, on a clear day, spectacular. The views were open and expansive.

By now, my weighty pack was made even heavier by the soaking rains. It wasn't long afterwards when my tired rubbery feet landed on a wet slippery root on a descending slope. It was amazing how a 190 pound guy with a 60 pound pack on his back could plant a complete forward somersault. Graceful as that acrobatic move was, I was fortunate to not be hurt, at least physically. Just my pride. What a show-off.

But that was nothing. A few miles later, while looking to cross a fastflowing creek where the crossing logs had washed away, I strode off from the rest of the group and found what I thought was a reasonable crossing point. A slip on a wet mossy rock and a short five foot fall landed me flat on my back in the raging creek bed with a now immersed pack holding me down.

Stuck like a turtle on its back. Two friends helped pull me out. By now my pride was mortally wounded, especially when I sat shivering on a wet log a few minutes later in soaked clothes, shaking now like a wet rat.

Hohwell, what can you do? We decided to continue the hike all the way out and forgo camping a second night. It was miserably rainy anyways. Burgers and beers in Leavenworth Washington sounded like a much better option, and we were right it turns out.

The photos on the right were scanned from slides taken at the Lake Caroline portion of the trip. The Windy Pass portion photos were taken with print film, and I have no access to a flatbed scanner. They turned out dark and gloomy anyway due to the stormy conditions.