Lyman Lakes, Cloudy Pass, Image Lake - Aug. 1-3, 2019
This was one of the first backpacking trips I did in 2019, which really seems like easier times now. I had just passed my qualifying exams and took two weeks off to hike in the Cascades. I convinced my friend Bryce to go on a three-day out-and-back trip from Phelps Creek to Lyman Lakes and then Image Lake. She also brought along her dog Arlo (a border collie mix) and we all had a great time checking out this beautiful part of the Glacier Peak Wilderness.
We were supposed to meet in Sultan at 5:30am but I overslept. Oops. We got to the trailhead around 7am and headed off on the gentle trail through lush forests and meadows. Our plan for day 1 was an ambitious one: we would hike 21 miles over several passes (Spider Gap, Cloudy Pass, and Suiattle Pass) and then up to Image Lake for camp. Then we’d spend two days leisurely hiking back to the trailhead.
The trail up to Spider Gap was narrow in places but otherwise very well-defined and established. By the time we reached the permanent snowfield on the south side of the gap, the snow was slushy and I can’t remember whether we used microspikes or not, but I don’t think we did. The view from Spider Gap is tremendous and austere. Gray and red rock in the immediate vicinity, teal glacier-fed lakes in the basin below surrounded not be vegetation but more rock, and lush grasses, heather, and dense forest just a little bit beyond the Lyman Lakes basin.
The other side of the gap had less snow cover despite being north-facing. And the exposed rock was loose and crumbly. We slowly made our way to the upper lakes and took a very long break to let Arlo play in the water. After that, it was onward again down to the lower lake, crossing Railroad Creek, and then up to Cloudy Pass. We noted the nice campsites at the pass with great views of Spider Gap and the lakes and then continued on. Suiattle Pass was a 700 ft descent followed by a gentle 100 ft ascent and more gentle descent on the other side.
We were very exhausted at this point and hoping to make it to Image Lake for sunset. Those prospects were dimming by the minute. As consolation, the entire Miner’s Ridge trail is gorgeous alpine meadow with amazing views of Glacier Peak, Fortress Mountain, and Chiwawa Mountain. I didn’t take very many pictures on the trail but it was a treat to be able to walk that area with the sun setting. Once we got to the lake, we had trouble finding a campsite even on a weekday and had to hike down a couple hundred feet below the lake before getting finding an open site. The bugs were atrocious and we had to hike back up to the lake to get water.
Socked in views at Image Lake.
As if to add insult to injury, the clouds moved in overnight and I wasn’t able to take any sunrise photos of the lake. The image of Glacier Peak reflected on Image Lake is a very classic Cascades view that I’d been hoping to see on this trip. We slept in a little bit and then made the leisurely 5.5-mile hike back to Cloudy Pass where we were able to snag prime campsites overlooking Spider Gap and Lyman Lakes.
I did some exploring up the ridgeline leading to Chiwawa Mountain while Bryce lounged at camp with Arlo. The clouds had cleared and we had spectacular views all around. I guess if I had to do this trip again, I’d 1) build a rest day into the itinerary to account for weather since photography is such an integral part of hiking for me 2) spice it up by doing a loop with Buck Creek Pass and High Pass. I’ve already been to the latter locations, but not having to do an out-and-back hike is always a treat.
The hike out was easy and uneventful. Definitely planning a trip back to this beautiful place soon. I’m interested in climbing Cloudy Peak, Fortress and Chiwawa, as well as Dumbell and Greenwood, but even without any summits, I think this area is one of the classic hikes of the Cascades that you should be on everyone’s list.
