Entiat River #1400,Cow Creek Meadows #1404,Larch Lakes #1430,Larch Lakes Hiker Only #1430.1,Garland Peak #1408

Larch Lakes indeed. Still geographically challenged, it took a 3 a.m. departure time and tons of coffee to get to the empty Cottonwood trailhead parking lot by about 10 on Friday. Fortunately, the Entiat River Road is paved till about 5 miles from the end, and takes it easy after that, so at least the war of nerves with primitive roads was avoided. Nevertheless, it took another hour to shake out the cobwebs, pack, and get packing.

The Entiat River Trail (#1400) is a mixed use freeway for hikers, bikers, motorcycles, horses, ox-carts, and you name it. Some forms of transportation may be excluded, but I'm not sure what. Luckily, it was just the trail and me. Cloud cover and frequent sprinkles tracked my progress. At about 3.5 miles, I turned left on the Cow Creek Trail (#1404) to cross the river on the bridge, rather than ford it further upstream. Shortly after the bridge, one encounters modest Myrtle Lake, and a right fork at the next intersection keeps you on #1404. After a muddy stream crossing and a short uphill, I turned right on the hiker's only connector trail (#1430.1) for its mile-long run North, threading brush, and rock-hopping a few streams. #1430.1 deadends with the Larch Lakes Trail (#1430) at an unmarked junction: left is East and up.

The Larch Lakes trail wends its way along the North side of Larch Lakes Creek. About halfway up, you reach the bowl beneath the lakes, and a view of the waterfall outlet from Lower Larch. Then it was switchbacks in the rain. In my rain gear, I think I got wetter from sweat than the elements, and I wondered how hot it must get in summer. With the larches' encouragement, I topped the last switchback and stumbled down to the lake, the clouds, and the stunning larches. Snow cover started at Lower Larch, and was nearly continuous in the upper basin. I trudged through the last stretch in 6-9 inches of snow to perhaps the only established snow-free campsite, close to the isthmus of Upper Larch and the lakelet at the Eastern edge of the basin. The gray skies, the rock walls, and every larch watched as I set up my tent to take a nap.

My 4 p.m. alarm clock arrived in the form of two hikers. Lex and Larry(?) looked cheerier and a lot less exhausted than I felt. Although I offered to curtail my renowned partying ways, they decided to backtrack to a more peaceful site at Lower Larch. Thus awakened, I donned three layers of pants, and five layers of shirts/coats, and began living up to my reputation. I sensed mildly reproachful looks from the larches through cocktail hour, dinner, and after dinner drinks, but by nine, the stars had taken back the night, and the sky was a sea of constellations.

Half of Upper Larch iced over at night, and while the morning was wonderfully clear, the sun didn't start thawing things in earnest till about 9. For my brunch walk, I traced the way between Upper Larch and the lakelet along the Garland Peak Trail (#1408), across the snow on the South side of the lake, and up the hillside to the East. The path was evident in bare spots, but often presented itself as a dip in the snow. I would have had trouble had it not been for the footsteps of some intrepid hiker from a few days before. Once the hillside is gained, the larch-decorated views to the lakes are splendid. A little further, Milham Pass and the peaks of the Chelan mountains took the stage. The views continue on as the route skirts the shoulder of Fifth of July Mountain on past the Cow Creek Trail (#1404) intersection. However, at this point, the snow was about 1-2 feet deep, so I turned around before the pass at the South side of Fifth of July in favor of an afternoon stroll to the West.

Back at camp for a late lunch, I discovered I had a neighbor, or neighbors, if canines count. I also met Hoofr & Co., who had day-hiked up from Cottonwood, equipped with an impressive set of cameras and an eye for the larches. We marveled at the day. After lunch, it seemed fitting to visit the setting sun on the ridge to the West. Backtracking about a quarter mile, I caught the Larch Lakes Trail (#1430) again, and headed Northwest. Even with the snow, the trail through the woods was pretty clear, mostly because Larry(?) and Lex apparently had paved the way. The path became faint in the snowed-over meadow at about 6100 feet. After crossing to the South side of the stream, I picked it up again as a groove cutting roughly up from the Northeast to the Southwest. Shortly thereafter, the footprints reappeared and provided a welcome navigational crutch. I came upon Larry(?) and Lex and the setting sun just as I topped the ridge. Lex already had taken several hundred photos, and I added a few of my own. They continued down, while I followed their footsteps through 1-2 feet of snow to the 6700 foot ridgetop above Pomas Pass. What a view. Scattered brilliant larches lit the ridge. To the North through the gap at Pomas Pass, the white-capped Spectacle Buttes. To the West, the expanse of the Chiwawa River basin, and Clark, Buck, Fortress, Chiwawa, and beyond. I thanked each mountain and headed down to dusk, dinner, and a panorama of larches and stars.

Sunday morning in crisp weather, I packed up, exchanged regards with Larry(?) and Lex at the lower lake, and retraced my steps down. Although I saw a few uninformed deer along the 3 hour hike out, I only met two people--a curious pair of orange-clad hunters on motorbikes, about a mile from trail's end. Ordinarily, I'd post a few pictures to make others envious, but if envy becomes you, you might check out the photos of Hoofr or Lex (Wentworthphoto.com). You'll wish you were there.