Hello! This is my first post at Washington Trails. Thank you for the venue and the connection. What a fabulous service to those whom enjoy wilderness adventures. Many are aware of the mythological phoenix; rebirth and renewal rising from ash. Another definition, of which I’ve been recently acquainted, exists within the literal meaning of the word: “a supremely beautiful, rare or unique person or thing.” My experience this weekend to and at Rachel Lake, trail #1313 illuminated this definition; both in person and thing. My soul sister Melissa and I started out late in the day given a chopped off road sign: beware-road 4930 is after the one with the missing digit. We began our travels embraced by the warm, delightful day filled with puffy cotton balls in the sky. Our singing duo ventured into the regenerated forest…beauty from destruction, life after death and endurance amongst the imperfection of human beings and our world. Truly inspirational, if seen with new eyes. We wandered to some lovely wild strawberries on the trail and Mount Margaret to our right as the breeze suddenly and gently whispered “no, this is not the way”. So, down again we veered past a resident garter snake basking in the sun and in another mile or so were on our way---hop aboard the optimism train we sang; flutes in tow and smiles matching the sunshine beaming above amongst the gathering, greying clouds (rain had been predicted but we went forth anyway). Rampart Ridge to the left, regally called us near. Along the trail, mystic pools lit by ancient turquoise colored rock gurgled as waterfalls danced in rhythm with the thrush, chattering of sooty squirrels and sound of our heart beats. We ascended steadily up, as the Mountaineers describe, the “cruel mile” climb to Rachel, stopping only when needed to gaze at something remarkable or to refresh our parched throats. Wonderful flow guided us, like the water that at one point, became the only path; but blessings of tread and kind fellow travelers that came before lead our way. No rush, no hurry…simple, graceful, steady determination. On final ascent, the darkened thunderheads released their tears; quenching and cooling the challenges of the day. After a windy sleep, we drenched ourselves in the morning sun, nature’s dryer, surrounded by marmot music and warding off the plethora of flies and mosquitoes that ruthlessly sought the minute un-deet covered portions of skin. However, no bug, rain drop, steep incline or breath of wind could sway us amongst the quiet center within; thus the beauty of this adventure. No matter the what, we were there. Present, accepting of the imperfections that exist in everything, rising from the ash---rare, unique, beautiful moments. Like the phoenix, through all imperfections amongst mountain adventures and in life…still, we may rise. Happy traveling to all in our beautiful Northwest backyard!

Thank goodness for waterproof boots. The trail is definitely being taken over by a stream in parts, it's completely passable, just a bit soggy. This is a beautiful hike! A large part of the trail is in the trees, so it is great for a hot day.

Great hike to a wonderful view. You have to cross a lot of small streams on the trail but all of them have rocks or logs that you can step on. Lots and lots of wild flowers blooming along the entire trail. What a sight. We also hiked part way up the ridge and looking down at Rachel Lake was also an awesome sight. We backpacked and stayed overnight and we couldn't believe the number of people who also camped there. We saw at least 12 groups. I was quite disappointed in the fact that some groups camped right next to the water when you're supposed to be at least 200 feet away. We saw dogs in the water and someone decided to swim in the lake as well. Not pleasant considering the lake is our only source of drinking water. Overall, lake and the hike is great, but it's somewhat overcrowded and I would not recommend it if you're looking for peace and quiet. One final thing -- don't forget your mosquito repellent!

We got an early start to the day, conscious of the fact that a day-hike anywhere along the I-90 corridor in July would be fairly popular. Pulling into the trailhead at by 9, we saw that there were already plenty of folks tackling the trail. Luckily, the trail itself was pretty sparse of hikers. Hiking in the summer, there are three things that herald the arrival of hiking season in Seattle: the removal of ski-attachments on subaru roof-racks, huckleberries, and Korean hikers (as eternal as the swallows returning to Capistrano). On this trip, Jessica and I were witness to no less than 20 Korean hikers in their native habitat and once again, my skin flushed with ethnic pride. Go K-force! One interesting addition to the Rachel Lake trail: water hiking. With a higher-than-normal snowpack melting off, the water has diverted onto trail for the last half-mile or so up to the lake, making for some interesting route finding skills. The water, along with the verticalness of the hike makes for a fun diversion (about 1,600 feet in the last mile), so it wasn't long until we found ourselves staring at one of the prettiest lakes in the Cascades. After lunch, we returned back to our vehicle, thankful we weren't among the masses starting the hike in near-ninety degree temps. Until next time, Ms. Rachel! More details, pics can be found here: http://www.seattlecasbah.com/seattlecasbahcom/2009/07/rachel-lake-part-the-third.html

Going up to Rachel Lake, after the big waterfalls just before the lake, it can be very confusing where to go because water is running right down the trail. The trail has, in fact, become a creek that you’ll need to hike up. Due to the many rocks and roots this is very slippery and you need to go slowly and be very careful, both going down and coming up. Without good hiking boots, I’d think it would be easy to hurt oneself. Glad I had two hiking poles, especially when coming down. Lots of mosquitoes at Rachel Lake. Lots of wildflowers and they are gorgeous. Hiking up from Rachel Lake to Rampart Ridge, once you reach the top you’ll be in a snowfield – look for the Rampart Lakes / Lila Lake junction sign there. Rampart Ridge is around 30 – 40% snow covered, but there are some bare camping sites. Upper Rampart Lake is 85 – 90% covered with ice. South side of the lake and the two gullies going up to the ridge are covered in snow. I started the trip back down from Rachel Lake at 10:15 am on Saturday, July 11 and counted over 100 people coming up, many with only tennis shoes and some with just sandals. Hard to imagine them negotiating the creek/trail I spoke about above.