Hyas Lake #1376,Tuck Lake #1376.1,Robin Lakes #1376.1
Aug 24, 2006
- Type of Outing
- Day hike
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Hyas Lake
- Region: Snoqualmie Pass -- Snoqualmie Pass
- Agency: Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forests, Cle Elum Ranger District
- Trails: Hyas Lake (#1376)
- Avg Rating: 1.83
- Be Aware Of
- Mudholes
Returned to a favorite spot for one night with my brother Boist and his friend.
The trail to Hyas lake was as flat and wide and horse poopy as ever. There were a few nasty mud holes toward the north end of the big lake. The switchbacks before the Tuck junction are eroded -- lots of rocks and roots -- but at least it's well graded. The Tuck trail is the Tuck trail. I suggested on the way down that the name be replaced by another word that rhymes with ""Tuck"" that one ends up frequently exclaiming while taking that trail.
Despite this being my second time, I was again confused by the mess of trails at Tuck while trying to hit the trail up to the Robins. We mistakenly took what turned out to be a side trail down to Tuck's Pot (Slogan: ""Have a toke of Tuck's!""). We eventually found the correct route after crossing the logjam at the top of the stream connecting the two lakes.
The first day was unseasonably cloudy and COLD. It was the coldest day of August hiking I have ever experienced. Completely unexpected. Daniel was hidden, and once we got to the Robins, low dark clouds started swooping into the basin. In a related story, it was very windy. Setting up camp and eating dinner were a challenge, but the down bags were still plenty warm enough, which is of course the crucial thing. The upside? No bugs!!
The next morning everything changed. The sun was out in force, and although there was still a breeze and it was still rather cool, it was not nearly as blustery. In the late morning hours, I took a trip up to the top of Granite Mountain. I started on the trail that heads up the ridge between the upper two lakes. It's a well-worn path, but for some reason it doesn't take you to the summit, but rather to a shorter bump at the end of that ridge. To get to the actual summit, I had to descend steeply to a snow covered pass and then sidehill up toward the 7140-foot point, which was a spectacular spot. Stuart looked like a huge knife from that angle, Mt. Rainier and Glacier Peak towered over seas of clouds, lakelets surrounded the spot in all directions, and of course Daniel still loomed across the valley.
On the way down, Boist, who had only backpaced a couple of times, said he wished we were staying there another night. This was something coming from a kid who had insisted on only 2 days for our trip. His friend, a first-time backpacker, was heard saying ""Backpacking rules!"" and ""I don't think there's anywhere else in the world I'd rather be right now"" while on the the way from Robins to Tuck. A backpacker is born! A successful trip indeed.
FINALLY, we mistakenly left our water pump at Robin Lakes. If you found it, please email me at jontoren@hotmail or call 206-721-2567. Thanks!
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