Located just nine miles from Highway 2 but seemingly a world away, the Alpine Lakes High Camp are an excellent basecamp for backcountry trips year-round. The huts are rustic and off-the-grid, but are still cozy and welcoming enough for large groups and families. I’ve been wanting to stay in one of these huts since I learned about them years ago, but choosing which season to visit was a tough decision.
Read MoreSeemingly endless days, crystal-clear alpine lakes, and golden sunsets, it’s finally summer in Washington! I know technically it has been summer for well over a month, but winter holds on in the mountains of Washington. Snow clings to the slopes and ice lingers in alpine lakes well into July some years. I usually try to wait until the end of July to go on backpacking trips with alpine lakes for a destination.
Read MoreIn August 2018, Alex and I visited the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and backpacked to the impossibly blue Jade Lake. Unfortunately, during our time in the area, smoke from nearby wildfires blew in overnight and completely shrouded all of the mountains in a dense haze. The views were still beautiful, but we knew that we would have to return one day to see the area without its cloak of smoke.
Read MoreTank Lakes is one of those places that I’ve been dreaming about visiting for a couple years, but something has always gotten in the way. This summer I made it my goal to make it to this tough-to-reach yet wildly scenic spot in the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.
Read MoreIn early October Alex and I decided to go larch hunting. Every fall I have seen posts about "larch madness" on social media but I had never had the pleasure of seeing these vividly yellow trees myself. With the weather forecast to be absolutely perfect, we set off to hike the 18 mile trail that connects the Colchuck/Stuart Lake Trailhead to the Snowy Lake Trailhead and traverses the Core zone of The Enchantments.
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