Ingalls Lake

There were probably 100 or
more cars at the Esmeralda Basin/Ingalls Lake Trailhead. We turned right on the Longs Pass trail and didnt see a soul until we traversed around the corner to Ingalls Lake proper. There were a bunch of folks high up on Ingalls peak, and a bunch of helicopter people were doing some sort of rescue operation or practice over by Cascade and Ulrichs Couloir on Stuart. At one point the people (vicitms') on the ground were shooting off smoke canisters to get the helicopters into the right area. All in all it was an unwelcome intrusion into what should be a nice quiet valley. If they werent rescuing people and were just flying around for grins, it would be really nice if they would keep their noisy #$%^%es out of the upper Ingalls creek valley. There is still some snow in the camping area south of Ingalls lake. Flowers are out big time, and not many bugs.

[Online Editor's note: Personnel at Wenatchee FS have read thisreport and emailed us to point out that they take the restrictionson the use of helicopters in Wilderness areas seriously. The helicopter seen in the report was in fact involved in rescuingan injured climber. The climber was unconscious with a broken femuramong other injuries making a helicopter evacuation the onlyoption.]