We really wanted to squeeze in one more backpacking trip before the end of August and decided to head up to Lake Caroline and Windy Pass.

We started out early Sunday morning after stopping at the ranger station in Leavenworth to pick up our permit. Up the icicle, probably less than a half mile up Eightmile road, we saw a black bear cub. I was completely taken aback, out of the many many times I have driven up this road, I have never seen a bear on the road or on any of the trails up there. The moment it saw us coming though, it high tailed it for the hills. It was a super cute sighting and we were very happy to have packed materials for hanging a bear bag.

We got to the trailhead and started out. The trail is in good condition up to Little Eightmile and the trail up to Lake Caroline is a bit overgrown but nothing to complain about. Although I will say it was so exposed going through the burn area and extremely hot, probably in the 90s when we were heading up--so bring the sunscreen and make sure to watch out for falling trees in the burn area. We witnessed one fall as we took the fork up towards Caroline. The weather Sunday was mostly sunny and at one point in time I looked to the sky and its very few clouds and said in desperation, “Please rain!”, and amazingly it rained for a few minutes. Refreshing to say the least.

We ran into about 6 people on their way down and there were a few groups of day hikers ahead of us. When we finally reached the lake, we grabbed a campsite (of which there were plenty) and filtered some water from a running stream and made dinner. Bugs were present at the lake, but definitely manageable. Multiple people mentioned that it was buggier at Little Caroline, which we found out to be true the next day on our way to Windy Pass.

The next morning (Monday) the bugs were a bit worse at Caroline, but we got out quickly and headed up to Windy Pass. The trail was in very good condition on the way up and it was not hard at all and as an added bonus, past Little Caroline the bugs were non-existent. However, I would recommend filtering water at Caroline before heading up to Windy Pass because water on the way up was scarce. Windy Pass was windy (go figure) but so beautiful. You could immediately see Glacier Peak and Mt. Baker and after going up the ridge towards Mt. Cashmere, Mt. Rainier appears as well. It was a fantastic sight.

Upon returning to the Lake Caroline mid-afternoon, we decided to head down to Eightmile for our final night and take advantage of the cloud cover to descend through the burn area. We made it down just in time to set up camp at Eightmile and eat supper. There were absolutely no bugs at Eightmile and it was a quiet evening.

Upon waking up Tuesday morning, the lake was gorgeous, far prettier than I had remembered it being in the past. We started hiking out mid morning and it again was hot. We ran into a few larger groups headed up to the lake to swim and a few people planning on fishing.

Overall, this trip was amazing, despite the hot conditions and the steep terrain. Definitely get an early start and be sure to pay Windy Pass a visit! The views are unbelievable!

This was a great way to kick off Hike-a-Thon 2012. Camped for two nights at Eightmile Lake and spent the second day hiking up to Lake Caroline, Windy Pass, and beyond.

The flowers are mostly done along Eightmile but it will only be a matter of days before the thimbleberries will be ripe. The blooming paintbrush on the steep climb up to the ridge between Little Eightmile and Lake Caroline is gorgeous. Saw a marmot just before Caroline. Hiking up out of the Lake Caroline basin toward Windy Pass, the flowers get even better. The meadows are carpeted with bright pink shooting stars. (Unfortunately the sun was so bright that I couldn't get good pictures of them.)

The views get better with every step. At Windy Pass, the entire Central Cascades surround you, and Rainier, Baker and Glacier appear too. (You might have to continue up the ridge a little before you see all 3.)

There were plenty of opportunities to pump water along the way. One of the last good spots was about 600 feet below Windy Pass. At the pass, you can continue a little along the ridge until you see a snow field below - hike down here for your closest water source.

We followed the bootpath along the ridge toward Cashmere Mountain which eventually turns into a scramble. There are still two or three tiny snow patches before you get to the base of Cashmere but they don't require special equipment. We were hoping we could make it safely to the summit but were running out of time to get back to camp before dark -- so we ended up turning around about 200 feet shy of the summit.

Now for the important part: Bugs were not too bad at Eightmile. We had originally planned to camp at Caroline but made a (wise) last minute change in plans after hearing the bug reports. Believe every word: the bugs are vicious at Caroline right now. I made full use of my headnet while hiking through there. September would probably be a nicer time to camp there. The bugs weren't too bad at Windy Pass but got worse on Cashmere. (Hard to care when you're in the midst of such awesome granite and views though.

On the day we hiked out, it was 98 degrees in Leavenworth. Hot! Lots of families on the trail but I couldn't believe how many people were hiking in with little or no water.

Last year we tried to get to Caroline in mid-July, but were stymied by very slippery snow from the top of the lake basin (though some braver souls made it in). This year, assuming the melt-out happened a bit faster, we prepared for three nights at the lake. We were rewarded this time with the same astonishing variety of terrain -- from the semi-wooded trail to Little Eightmile Lake, to the eerily beautiful silver spires of the burned out forest climbing up toward Caroline, to the pretty lake basin itself. Scratch that last. We didn't actually *see* the lake basin, despite sleeping there for two nights, as it was nearly impossible to see through the clouds of mosquitoes! The curious deer that hung around our camp the first night, and the overly-curious goat that greeted us the first morning didn't seem to be bothered much, but we thin-skinned humans nearly went nuts.

Speaking of the goat... it seemed to be wandering about the campsites visiting everyone. While not aggressive, and still fairly easily shooed away, is definitely something to be cautious of.

We spent a day hiking up to Windy Pass from Caroline, and felt well-rewarded for putting up with all the bugs at the lake. As soon as we were up out of the basin, we left the bugs behind (as long as we didn't pause for more than 30 seconds). Windy Pass didn't quite live up to its name, so our lunch -- despite the astonishing views -- was again somewhat buggy. It wasn't until we followed the unmaintained ridge trail toward Cashmere Mountain that we finally, finally left the blood-suckers behind. And oh! What views! Mt. Stuart is the center of our hiking universe, and it's always great fun to see where he'll pop out. We even were able to identify a few ridges that we experienced last year, thanks to two of the ten essentials (map and a working compass).

The wildflowers below the climb up to Caroline were skimpy compared to last year at this time, but above 5,000 feet we saw all the usual suspects -- lupine, columbine, false forget-me-not (only a couple), and a host of others that Andy remembers but that I presently do not.

After a second night of near-madness from waving away the mosquitoes, we decided to spend the planned third night in relative comfort at our cabin, and high-tailed it on out. We stopped for breakfast on the way back down.

At Little Eight Mile, feeling very proud of ourselves for our accomplishments, we met a young man who asked as about the conditions... for his *trail* *run* up to Windy Pass. Perspective gained. :)

This hike is gorgeous. The climb to Caroline is tough, but so worthwhile, and even with the mosquitoes it's an amazing place to spend a few days, especially if you get up to (and above) Windy Pass to enjoy the views of mountains in every direction. We usually try to go somewhere new, but this hike is so beautiful and the terrain so wonderfully varied that I expect we'll be back.

Note: Dogs are not allowed in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. We met several frustrated dog owners at the trailhead (and up-trail) to whom we suggested Jack Creek or the Icicle Loop trail, both wonderful and dog-friendly trails. And, to the woman with the cuter-than-all-get-out terrier - you are wise to keep close tabs on that one!

Eightmile Lake is a special, wildlife-rich destination. We happily took our ranger station lottery-won camp spot, and headed up to Caroline Lake in the cool of the next morning. We had heard about this beautiful lake, but any section of the trail en route would have been worth the effort.

The wildflowers, in seeps and meadows, between fire-blackened snags and red rock, were superlative, as were the butterflies and birds. We all voted it our year's favorite hike.

Bugs were near-Alaskan grade at Caroline, but not too bad below.