Glasses Lake Heather Lake

We left
from Seattle on a warm Friday morning hoping to beat the heat that was promised for later in the day. Taking Hwy 2 we travelled 4.5 miles past Stevens Pass to the Smith Brook Road ( Road 6700). At about 5 miles follow the main road to the left. At 13 miles take a left onto Road 6701. Follow this for 4.6 miles and take a left onto Road 400 and follow for about 2 miles to road end and the trailhead for Heather Lake. There is an altenate route by way of Lake Wenatchee, but the backroads are in great shape and more scenic. The trail was in excellent shape and well cushioned with pine needles. We did not beat the heat, at 10:00 am my thermometer read 75 degrees in the shade. The first 1.5 miles of the trail are very easy, but then comes the push. At about two miles the trial climbs steeply for 3/4 of a mile. It was a very hot pitch. Even so, the trail remained in good shape. Once at the lake, we discovered nice campsites, but cross the outlet stream and go to the south end of the lake. There are two very nice sites and much more private. We saw very few birds or animals, but happily, saw many frogs. The ground squirrels proved to be a major nuisance and we had be extra careful to keep them out of our food. For the next two days we saw sunny skies and temperatures in the Nineties, but the lake was warm and we spent much of our time swimming. The ""trail"" to Glasses Lake is a scramble and due to some blisters we did not make it there. However, we talked to some fishermen who went and it was worth their trip. They came back with a few very nice Cutthroat trout. The lack of birdlife was somewhat disturbing and the heat could be opressive, but overall it was a great hike. Lastly, we noticed that out of six cars at the trailhead only ours ond one other had their trial park pass. Let's all support our trails and buy the pass.