Skyline Lake
Jan 24, 2009
by
steve_podleski
—
last modified
Jan 20, 2010 04:22 PM
- Type of Outing
- Day hike
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Skyline Lake Snowshoe
- Region: Central Cascades -- Stevens Pass - West
- Agency: Mt. Baker - Snoqualmie National Forest - Skykomish District
- Avg Rating: 3.00
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Skyline Lake
- Region: Central Cascades -- Stevens Pass - East
- Agency: Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest - Skykomish Ranger District
- Avg Rating: 2.60
The forecast for Saturday, Jan 24th wasn’t too promising: temperatures in the 20s and partly cloudy. Did not know what kind of view I would get based on that forecast but the Skyline Lake trail is only 1.5 hrs away from my home. Did not encounter any fog except for the portion of Hwy 2 over the Snohomish River. The drive was sunny until Steven’s Pass where, for the past two weeks, a patch of fog is always passing through. The cold temperatures put a frost coating on the trees. The hike started in the fog but has you gained elevation, the sun came out. There is a snow covered service road all the way to the ridge top but it is steep in some spots. I took a few short cuts to take advantage of the snow covered terrain. The snow has a hard crust which made it more difficult to get firm footing. After less than two hours, I made it to the snow-covered lake where a dozen people were taking avalanche training. They were poking their probes through the snow looking for beacons. I went around the lake to continue to the top of a small peak overlooking the lake and offering great 360 degree views. Even though there was cloud cover, it mostly over 10000 ft because you could at time see Mt Stuart in the south east and Glacier Peak to the north. On the way back, I could not do any plunge stepping down a slope because of the hard crust on the snow.
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Peak with 360 views
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