We won a permit to a corner of the Enchantments we had not yet visited.  The previous trip report warned of epic mosquitoes but we choose to take the opportunity of the permit.  The road to the trailhead is a bit bumpy but any car handle it.  There was plenty of parking for a Tuesday.  We departed the trailhead at 8 am and had a quick snack at Little Eight Mile Lake before heading up the several switchbacks leading up to Lake Caroline.  I was the only one of the group to wear shorts.  The trail up to Lake Caroline is quite brushy.  If you have sensitive skin, I would consider long pants.  You will think you have summited several times but alas they are false summits.  Once you reach trees again you are not far from a steep, albeit short, descent into Lake Caroline.  We scoped out all the campsites and choose one on the far side on a large rock.  It fit 4 tents for our group of 8.  It definitely has the most open view of the lake as well as the towering talus slope to the side.  We were treated to Marmot whistles pretty regularly however it was too far away to see them. We had a very unusual encounter with a coyote.  He/she was a beautiful animal however sadly did not have a fear of people.  Despite all 8 of us standing on the rock the coyote continued along the shoreline and then began moving right past us to attempt to raid our camp. We shooed it off and made sure all food was properly stored.  The second day was a real treat when we set off for Windy Pass.  I highly encourage everyone to do it if possible. The 360 degree view was crystal clear and we could make out many distant mountains.  Unfortunately we did not see any goats however we did come across one adorable Marmot.  I was concerned when I saw an unleashed husky dog.  It was also a bummer to see that the chipmunks and squirrels have apparently been fed as they did exhibit the typical traits of being fed by humans.   The bugs were bad but definitely not horrible.  I have certainly encountered worse however we did cut our trip short by a night as one gentleman in our party had large welts from being bite by mosquitoes and biting flies.   Don’t let the bugs stop you from seeing this corner of the Enchantments.

Think of your worst mosquito experience, and multiply that by 10. That is how bad the mosquitos are at Lake Caroline right now. I have been to many alpine lakes with terrible mosquitos, but this one took the top spot for mosquito breeding grounds.

I didn't camp here, I was just passing through as I climbed Cashmere. But I am sitting here right now with hundreds of bug bites all over my arms, legs, and back just from walking past the lake (I wish I was exaggerating). My first walk thru, I set a record for most mosquitos killed with one swat which was 8. Sure enough, I beat that record later with an 11-kill swat. That was just one slap onto my arm, and 11 mosquitos met their demise.

If you want a grand time of hiding in tents and getting eaten alive, I highly recommend staying at this lake in July. Otherwise, wait until August and things should hopefully calm down.

The rest of the hike was beautiful though, lots of wildflowers, butterflies, and other wildlife along the way. 

Spent two nights at Lake Caroline on Friday and Saturday.  We had the Lake all to ourselves both nights (probably because the mosquitos were so bad).  The hike up to Lake Caroline is fairly steep. The foot bed is clear and nice, with just a couple of muddy spots, but the trail is very brushy with large bushes that you have to push your way through in places  We were expecting mosquitos, but the mosquitos at Lake Caroline were some of the worst we have seen, (and we have camped plenty in July mosquito season).  We wore head nets, long pants and long sleeve shirts and used bug spray, but still got bit a lot.  Definitely needed a strategy for the long drop toilet...mosquitos were really swarming there.  We hiked up to Windy pass on Saturday.  The wild flowers were putting on a great show between 8 mile lake and Lake Caroline, and there were even more on the way up to Windy Pass after Little Caroline.  Recommend a walk along the ridge line after Windy Pass going towards Cashmere Mountain - great views the whole way.  If you decide to camp at Lake Caroline with the mosquitos, I recommend the camp site that sits on the right side of the trail as you pass the lake.  It's a spacious site with room for more than one tent and you have access to the edge of the cliff looking over toward the Pass and Cashmere.  Sitting on the edge, there is a good stiff wind which was the only place we could find relief from the mosquitos. 

Trout Creek Trail 1555: Trail is smooth, logged out and OK for stock until just short of junction with Eightmile/Trout Creek Trail.

Jack Ridge Trail 1557: The Trout Lake side of this trail is overgrown, with many downed trees requiring climbing. The Jack Meadow side of the ridge has clearer tread but both require some navigation skill.

Eightmile/Trout Creek Trail 1554: Water is 6 inches deep at the ford near the junction with Trout Creek Trail 1555 and the east side of the ford is blocked by logs. A log walk bypass is available 20 yards downstream. There are numerous blowdows in the area, making this section of trail difficult to navigate. Trail is easier to follow at higher elevation approaching Windy Pass, but a few downed trees remain. There is no snow on Windy Pass. Between Windy Pass and Lake Caroline, the trail is smoother and more well defined, with few downed logs that are easy to negotiate. Between Lake Caroline and junction with Eightmile Lake Trail 1552, there are steep sections and some brushy overgrowth.

Eightmile Lake Trail 1552: This trail has a few downed trees and some muddy sections. It has significant elevation gain but is not difficult to navigate.

All expected water sources are flowing for each of these trails. All lakes are full. Mosquitos are out and moderately dense at Trout Lake and quite a nuisance at Lake Caroline. Flowers seen along this route are at higher elevations, with the best display of lupine, paintbrush, and aster in the meadows above Lake Caroline. There was no snow on this route, but there were small patches of snow in the meadows immediately below Windy Pass.

This was my first trip to this less-visited corner of the Enchantments, and I wonder what took me so long. So many wildflowers, wildlife and epic views that just kept getting better. 

There are some blowdowns on the trail that required me to awkwardly straddle a few big logs. The section after the turnoff from the Eightmile trail is very brushy. As I headed up I told myself I needed to check for ticks; as I headed down in a downpour, I tried to think of a time I had ever been so wet. 

A lot of wildflowers are blooming on the Eightmile trail before the turnoff and along the climb up to Caroline (so many pink paintbrush!). Those and the ever-expanding views helped make the climb more bearable. Lake Caroline and the campsites are completely melted out and the privy is in good shape. I didn't stop at Little Caroline, but from the trail it looked like there was still some snow there. Trail up to the pass passed through some nice meadows with burbling brooks and whistling marmots. That trail and the pass itself were snow free. There were a trio of marmot greeters at the pass that were almost the highlight of my day. Two other hikers spotted a goat along the ridge en route to Cashmere Mountain, but I didn't see it.

I saw less than 25 people during 17 miles of hiking, and most of those were two groups heading up to backpack at Caroline and some day hikers hitting the Eightmile trail after a rainstorm.

#WashingtonTrailsDay