Gallagher Head Lake

The Seattle area weather sent us east for the second hike of our weekend and we liked Koppen Mountain so much yesterday we came back to do Gallagher Head Lake. Plus, we wanted to snag some more huckleberries on the way out!
We left Bellevue at 720AM and were hiking by 930AM (no gas stop in Cle Elum this trip). Sunny and comfortable, blue skies as we began. The first part of the trail is easy rolling over two creeks on bridges, then begins the climb to Gallagher head lake shortly after the second bridge. Wildflowers surprised us in the meadow - multicolored tapestry of the usual: paintbrush, harebell, monk's hood, alpine aster plus lots of yellows & whites. After the valley, the trail switchbacks up to the lake, which seems much smaller than in the picture from the Alpine Lakes book. We scoped out tracks at the lake edges and then settled in the field across from Esmerelda Peaks for lunch. Scout was in rare form, insisting on playing and pushing sticks at us to throw. A group of mtn bikers came in from Fortune Creek trail and then took off up the hill. Shortly after they left, two 4x4 came in, interrupting the silence with their engines. And then on the way out, we heard dirt bikes revving in the near distance. As we took off down the way we came, we saw the dirt bike tracks in the horse-pounded dust, glad they went before us.
We stopped 30 mins short of the TH to pick more huckleberries, filling our sandwich bags and planning for dessert (huckleberry crisp with ice cream!). After a good pace on the trail, a relaxing lunch break and picking berries, we were back at the car by 245. And then we hit traffic at Cle Elum and crept to the pass. Home by 530. Dessert was yummy!