Ingalls Way / Lake Ingalls

I was pretty excited for this hike as I had talked to a few people and looked at some pictures prior to my hike. I arrived at the trailhead at 10:30 AM to find at least 50 cars parked there. This was initially discouraging, but I figured what can I expect, it's a Saturday and the end of hiking season.

When I got on the trail I was happy to find some ground foliage in bright pink and bright red. Also I did not see as many people on the trail as I had expected by the amount of cars parked. The trail has the option to split off to go to Long Pass, so I figured this must of helped to disperse people. I was happy with this hike as I felt my eyes were constantly busy with increasing view as I gained elevation. I was also lucky that Saturday was amazingly clear. When I got to about 5200 ft I could see both Rainier, and Mt St Helens in the far background.

The ground was a little frozen, so when the sun hit certain spots the trail became muddy, but nothing too bad. As I made my way over Ingalls pass I dropped down into a field of larches accompanied by Mt Stuart in the background. There is some snow in this area on the trail, but not for too long. This was a very beautiful part of the hike. When I was in this part of the hike my friend said "I feel like I'm hiking through a post card," which really is what it feels like among those colorful larches.

As you continue the trail, there is one more incline to the lake. When I reached the lake there was snow in most places, but rocks stuck through for good resting places. At this elevation it was very cold. I had my stove and made a couple cups of tea to keep warm while I had lunch. The view of the lake was great, as the backdrop of Mt Stuart and other peaks surrounded me. Sadly I didn't stay longer than 45mins to an hour, as I was too cold, even on a beautiful clear day.