This was probably my last backcountry trip for the season, so I'm glad we picked such an incredibly beautiful spot! It was certainly not a walk in the park, but we were rewarded amply for our efforts with the incredible beauty and serenity of the Alpine Lakes.

Previous trip reports warning about Cle Elum Valley Road aren't kidding - this road is pretty nasty. We were happy to be in a rented SUV and not in our own little car, which would probably have taken about twice as long to navigate all the potholes and ruts. Fording Scatter Creek also seems like it would be an issue for low carriage vehicles. We camped at Tucquala Meadows on Friday night and hit the trail early Saturday morning.

The first four miles or so wind their way flat and fast through the forest, skirting Hyas Lake and affording views of Cathedral Rock and Mt Daniel. Then there are some switchbacks to bring you to the junction with the Tuck and Robin Lakes trail.

From here the trail stops f%$*ing around and heads pretty much straight up the side of the hill - a dusty scramble tangled with loose rocks, tree roots and the occasional fallen log. It was hot work on a sunny day and a challenge with a backpack, but well worth it! Just before you hit Tuck Lake, there are some escarpments off to the side of the trail offering lovely views of the Cle Elum valley.

We stopped for a quick snack on the shores of Tuck Lake. There seemed to be a quite a few people already camped here, as well as a lot of mosquitos, which alighted on us as soon as we dropped our backpacks. Luckily we had our bug spray at the ready.

The privy at Tuck Lake is definitely in, ahem, end of season condition - full to overflowing and the seat is broken. Try to pack out your toilet paper with you, as it doesn't seem to reliably stay put in the pit. When I arrived there, a bunch of it had been blown into the surrounding forest. I extricated what I could and packed it out with me.

It's a minor challenge to find the trail that goes from Tuck to Robin Lakes. There seem to be a lot of little social trails right by Tuck that just peter out into nothing or end at the lakeshore, and you have to go back and find the right one. No big deal, though - just keep the lake on your left and Tuck's Pot (the smaller waterhole) on your right and you'll eventually pick up the trail, which from about halfway along the length of Tuck is well-marked by cairns.

It's a steep, rocky and exposed path to the Robins, with some scrambling required. You'll definitely be breaking a sweat on a sunny day. Gorgeous views all the way of the jagged peaks along Cle Elum valley, if you have the energy to reverse momentum and look behind you.

Eventually we reached the edge of an escarpment and Robin Lakes suddenly came in view - two pristine, deep blue sapphires set into the jagged grey-white granite of the Alpine Lakes wilderness. Absolutely breathtaking. The wildflowers are almost gone, apart from a few valiant stands of lupine and daisy, and flecks of red and yellow are slowly starting to permeate the landscape.

We found a nice flat campsite by the smaller of the two lakes and spent an hour or so relaxing in the sun before heading out to explore the Granite Mountain potholes. We followed the main trail north past the larger of the Robin Lakes and then did a bit of scrambling to get to some rocks that gave us a good view of the potholes and Lake Leland - probably an hour and a half side trip from Robin including gawking time.

By the time we got back to the lake, many more parties had turned up looking for campsites. While the basin never felt overly crowded, some folks were pretty loud. Sound travels up here guys, use your indoor voices :)

While making our evening meal, we watched the sun set over the Cle Elum valley. It was clear enough to see the alpenglow on Mt Rainier, just behind Cathedral Rock, which was lovely. We were also visited by a couple of mice who seemed very determined to join us for dinner - secure your food while you're up here and keep an eye on it when it's out!

Once it was completely dark, we lay on some flat rocks next to the lake and spent some time stargazing. It was a perfectly clear night, with little to no moonlight, and the night sky was full to bursting - Milky Way aglow and shooting stars galore. I haven't seen that many stars since I hiked the Inca Trail in Peru. Transcendental stuff.

I woke up early Sunday morning and watched the dawn colours play on Mt Daniel's snowpack. While eating breakfast we saw a mountain goat grazing on the rocks at the southern end of the lakes. He was thoroughly disinterested in us.

After a power nap in the morning sun, we scrambled the peak directly in front of the lake. It's definitely worth the climb - there is a commanding view down to all three lakes and of the surrounding peaks and forests. It was a little hazy due to the ongoing forest fires in the area, but still spectacular. The scramble took us about half an hour each way, plus time at the top admiring the view. Other folks we talked to at the lakes said it took them closer to 45 minutes or an hour.

We cooled off from the climb with a quick dip in the lake (brrrrrr!!) before shouldering our packs and heading back to civilization.

LOST!!!! Garmin GPS between Tuck and Robin Lakes. If found PLEASE return. rtarnold6@comcast.net

ACCESS ROAD NOTE: The unpaved portion of the access road (FS 4330 or Cle Elum Valley Road) is potholed and in *very* poor shape. Speed: count on about an hour to go about 10 miles with a four-wheel drive or higher clearance all-wheel drive vehicle. Low-clearance sedans are not recommended.

First things first... Do not underestimate the "bumpy" road to the trailhead. It is absolutely horrendous. Rural Nigeria called and they want their road back. I saw a total of 1 out of perhaps 100 vehicles near the trailhead that had only two-wheel-drive. (Assuming a Honda Fit is 2wd). It's not so much the potholes, but the jagged rocks that make up some parts of the road that have taken years away from my Subaru's life. I saw two vehicles that turned around part way in. (okay, one was a lexus, but you get the point). The vehicle ford was the least of my worries. 12 inches deep I'd say. If you are up for the drive, you should REALLY want to hike in this area.. I probably wont be back to the area unless I coax a friend into driving :)

Moving along... The hike, ah yes the hike. The trail is wonderful along the lake and up toward Deception Pass. It's a little past wildflower season, but we are full-force in mosquito season. After the turnoff for Tuck/Robin, it tilts upward. Forest folks don't take their chainsaws up here because it's so darn steep, so expect many young as well as old, rotting blow-downs. Once at Tuck, the trail braids up and down around the right side of the lake, between the two main lakes and starts up towards Robin. I originally planned on staying at Tuck, but there were about 20 late-teen early 20's kids partying, kind of taking away from 'the beauty of it all'...

The trail to Robin is usually just as steep, but has a few sections where you really have to watch your footing, and using hands is necessary. My pack was maybe 22lbs, so it wasn't too bad. Coming back down, it rained a little bit and the granite turned into somewhat of a slip-and-slide.

I would label the hike to Robin Lakes as strenuous. (To get an idea of what strenuous is to me, I climbed Mt. Baker two weekends ago, Mt. Rainier three weekends ago, and commute 20mi per day by bike M-F.) Getting to Robin Lakes is harder than, say, Ingalls Lake, Rachel Lake, Margaret Lake, all of the lakes near Snoqualmie Pass, etc. Think Mailbox Peak but with less elevation gain, and slightly steeper.

Anyway, back to the hike... It would have been fantastic, had it not been for the mosquitoes. A few of the buggers stuck me, even through a coat of that 100% Deet Jungle Juice from REI. Swarms, I tell you. The beauty, however is outstanding.. No better view of Mt. Daniels I'd say. I saw probably 15 mountain goats, all at Robin Lakes.

I continued in the morning to Granite Potholes, then over to Granite Peak, behind the lake. I turned around shy of the top because of a little rainstorm and woeful me without my raincoat. The trail to the top is essentially a continuation of the Robin Lakes trail.