Beautiful, sunny weather melted snow quickly even over the three days we spent camping at Opal Lake. When we arrived Jade, Emerald, Opal and Cloudy Lakes were mostly frozen and that had changed dramatically on the way home. East Fork Foss River crossing was wet as the water is high. The trail up to Jade Lake is snow-free. Past Jade Lake there was a significant amount of snow with tiny sections of trail few and far between. Use caution as it is easy to find yourself standing on a snow-bridge over a creek without realizing. We found Necklace Shelter, Emerald Lake and finally Opal Lake fairly easily using our GPS to keep near the trail. We saw a few Pikas, a couple tiny fish, and lots of bugs. We camped between Opal and Cloudy Lakes for two nights and only saw one other backpacker.

We started out with overnight packs and two dogs at about 1pm. There were several other cars in the parking lot and three other groups waiting to fill out permits so we were a little wary. The bathroom at the trailhead was the cleanest I’ve ever seen through! The first five miles are beautiful and pleasent with multiple shallow stream crossings that were easy to cross without getting feet wet. They were great for keeping the dogs hydrated. You follow the river most of the way as well. A couple of blowdowns provided some fun to climb around. The log bridges were in okay shape and were easily crossed. Trillium were blooming all over the place. There are camp sites sprinkled out for the first 5 miles, many of which were right by the river and easily accessible. Two of the groups made camp down by the river with plans to day hike up to the lakes the next day. We really took our time with pictures and chatting and made 2mph along this section. This alone would make a nice walk in the woods that is worth the drive. The scramble up started without mercy and the cairns were helpful for moral- that yes, you are supposed to go right up these rocks. We are young and in decent shape, but with our packs the next 2-3 miles up were difficult. It’s not quite Mailbox Peak, but if you didn’t enjoy that hike I would skip this one. There are a couple of areas of respite, but in general you get to work for your prize. Bug spray was helpful here! The bugs were pretty bag. Jade lake was amazing and clear. The two best camp spots were taken. By this time it was getting cold and there were some spots of snow on the ground. To get past the lake we had to take our shoes off and walk along the lake shore – ouch! There are many trails to the other lakes that are easy to follow, but a topo map was nice for peace of mind. The trails were all very muddy, and most had become streams for the melting snow. Several stretches of snow had to be crossed and we did them in boots, but cramp-ons/spikes would have been helpful. We explored Emerald, Opal, and Cloudy lakes quickly-all of which were clear, hiking another couple miles before going back to a secluded camp site we had seen. The next day we passed a lot of people on the trail, and were very glad we came the day before. It seems that this hike and the camping spots get on long weekends. Hiking poles were helpful on the way down. I’d post pictures, but we left the camera on top of the car… if anyone sees a black camera in a black case shoot me a message :) Thanks!

We headed up to Skykomish for a sunny day of hiking on the East Fork Foss River Trail. Had not been on this trail in 8 years. There is a new restroom at the trail head parking lot. The trail starts out on an old logging railroad grade for the first mile. There is an old log bridge across Burn Creek that is in bad shape and will need to be replaced in the not too distant future. The creek is really roaring now from the snow melt up above. After leaving the railroad grade the trail makes small ups and downs on the way to Five Mile Camp. There are a few small creek crossings to make while rock hopping. While hiking on the cedar planks across a wet area, watch out for a couple of loose ones that teeter. This is about 1/4 mile past Alturas Lake. We hiked through a couple of fern forest areas where the bracken ferns are 6 feet tall. When we got to the section of the trail where it goes along the East Fork of the Foss River, we met three young Forest Service Rangers out checking the trail. They told us they will have more trail help this summer due to getting some grant money. So the Skykomish Ranger District will have an 8 person trail maintenance crew to work on trails. There is a view up the valley of Mt. Hinman. We had lunch and turned around at Five Mile Camp where there are some old mining relics lying around from a mining operation that was proposed up at La Bohn Gap. No mining was ever done. On the way back out we met a father and son back packing in and carrying brushing tools. Only saw one animal the whole day, one frog. We heard birds chirping but never saw any. Not one squirrel or chipmunk was seen or heard. It was pretty quiet except for the roaring of creeks and the river, plus two Navy jets flying down the valley. Some flowers are now out. For the most part, the trail is in good shape. Only a few mudding areas. Makes for a nice forest hike on an uncrowded trail.

The East Fork Foss is running high and fast right now. I was there almost a year ago to the day (June 18, 2011 and June 17, 2012), and it was not difficult to cross the river at the big log. This year the water was up to the height of the bridge and a large pool was blocking the access to walking to it. I was able to make it with no water in my boot wearing my OR Gaiters and gortex boots and moving fast. My friend took of his shoes and socks and was thigh high in water. I have heard this called 5 mile camp. We were there in 90 minutes, not an unheard of pace for us in day packs. The hike up into the valley is a climb. It was snow free for aways. Here my pace slowed significantly. I would say I hiked an hour before I saw consistent snow. You will bushwhack a bit through a lot of overgrowth, and you will get soaked if it has rained or is still holding onto moisture. We hit patches of snow, but nothing too bad. The snow became consistent past the Nesby footbridge. The snow level was lower last June. We were not able to make it to Jade Lake. After climbing through snow, and crossing on a snow bridge, my best guess for where we hiked to is here (+47° 35' 33.75", -121° 15' 58.13"). I just tried to use google maps to map it. Give it a month, and hopefully it will be melted out.

We left Bellevue at 8:45 and were hiking by 10:15. One other car at the trailhead, a family of 4 backpacking in for an overnight at the 5 mile camp. We were focused on a 2 hours in, 2 hours out, hoping for 8 miles roundtrip as we get back into our hiking routine. Forecast of mid 50's with 20% chance of rain in Skykomish, which meant mid 40's and drizzle at the trailhead. The trailhead has a vault toilet and picnic table, neither of which we remember from the last time we did this hike (for me, it was likely 2003, Bill did it in 2006 with our old dog, Jake). The trail is in good condition, with no blowdowns blocking the way (thank you WTA!). Several creek crossings, all easy, and the log bridge over Burn Creek is sturdier than it looks. Since this was a wet hike, foot placement was careful! Lots of wildflowers: trillium (mostly bloomed and drowned out by now), Canadian Dogwood, bleeding heart, a few calypso orchids, bluebells. Fiddlehead fern patches popped up frequently after 2 miles or so. We turned around at a campsite on the river after 2 hours. We didn't get to the big crossing. It was raining, and after a quick PBJ sandwich, and a big gulp of water, we decided to keep moving. Funny thing, neither of us remembered the terrain as it was - we remembered a big valley with a big cliff off to the left as we hiked in. Maybe we are just slower, and that was ahead of us. And today was socked in pretty good. Nonetheless, it was beautiful, with lots of old growth and remains of the big ones logged long ago. We were back at the car by 2:30, and after a mostly dry hike out, it started raining again, as we were trying to get Scout dried off and ourselves changed into dry clothes. Go figure.