Yellow Aster Butte

Well, our group did go to Yellow Aster Butte and then we kept on going! This was an overnight with Yoyo, J.Gazelle, Cascade Dreams, and Ike. The idea was to scramble Tomyhoi or at least enjoy the route as far as it was fun. It was fairly frightening arriving at the trailhead and finding at least 50 cars parked alongside the road. Well, maybe forty. I didn't count them, but it was a lot. I love Yellow Aster Butte and the lakes below, but I've never seen this many people. Must have been a convention. Anyhow, it seemed like it since most of our group saw at least one person that they knew along the way. Kind of like Mt. Si. Well, you just had to get into the social mood so we did. I've hiked this trail a couple of times, but I had hiked the old trail about a hundred times and I still have mixed feelings. The new route is definitely easier and still very scenic. However, it just doesn't seem right to end up above the lakes and having to back track down the old trail to see them all. So we didn't. We had a quick break at the junction of the trail to the butte and scooted past the lakes and on up toward Tomyhoi. For those who haven't been: the trail into Yellow Aster Butte and lakes is very scenic with views starting about 1 1/2 miles in. It's also well graded and in great shape. Very different from the old beloved trail of much suffering, but great rewards. The trail ends at a junction where you can either descend to the lakes or climb up to the butte. Both are musts and both are friendly. There were lots of people hanging around the lakes and swimming on this very warm day, but only about five tents. Still, this is a very fragile subalpine area and I cringed at all the activity. I'm not sure how many sweaty bodies these lakes can support or how many stomping feet these heather meadows can tolerate, so please take it easy up here. After a short break at the overlook, our little group decided to find a more secluded place to camp so we kept on going up the ridge toward Tomyhoi. The views are even better here and there is a little water, but you've got to work for it. I"d thought about not mentioning this area in my report. I'd thought that maybe it would keep people away from these wonderful meadows and preserve them a bit, but the lakes around Yellow Aster Butte have suffered enough and why should they take all the abuse? So, if you camp here, please, practice all leave no trace principles and stay out of the water. Maybe just soak your toes, but otherwise, any little tarns like these with no in or out flows just can't handle it. Well, that's the lecture for the day. Tomyhoi turned out to be a bit more than Ike, J.Gazelle and myself wanted to tackle that day, although Yoyo and Cascade Dreams polished it off just fine. Just like I knew they would. Stars were fabulous Saturday night and exploring was wonderful on Sunday. Some blueberries were to be found, but not much wildlife except the ptarmigans and marmots. Fall color is beginning in earnest here, especially the huckleberry. Sunday was an altogether different day for us in that everyone was gone out of the basin. We had a very nice and quiet hike out. Dinner at Milano's. Where else would we go?