Craig and I had originally planned on a Pratt River through hike combining the MFK road and Exit 45. Those hopes were dashed in a hurry by extreme flows in the MFK. Instead, we decided on a one-way trip from Exit 45 (Talapus Lake trailhead) to Exit 47 (Denny Creek trailhead). We ditched the first truck at the Denny Creek trailhead then sped back to Exit 45 where we finally got started at 9 A.M.
From the trailhead to Talapus Lake the trail is free of snow and any other obstructions. Yet, with the recent rain the trail seemed to be under at least 2” of water and mud the entire way – similar conditions persisted all the way to Pratt Lake. We bumped into Talapus Lake (elev. 3261’) about 30 minutes after starting and quickly found the switchbacks leading over to Ollalie Lake. Talapus Lake is completely thawed.
Patchy snow greeted us just below Ollalie, but not enough to totally conceal the path. When we got to the lake (now completely thawed) at 3766’, we stayed high on the west side and made our way to the north end via a well defined path carved in amongst the blueberries. At the first campsite we came to (on the north end), we used the way trail going up hill to make the link between Ollalie Lake and the main trail to Pratt Lake. The way trail persistently gains elevation and is much easier to find down near the lake. Its exit point up at the trail is difficult to find and not readily obvious. From the truck to this point we used up 70 minutes.
We continued to ascend until reaching the ridge crest at 4225’ and the intersection with the trail going above Rainbow and Island Lakes. We jumped over the ridge and descended to Pratt Lake. Along the way we stepped on only a few patches of snow, but no other obstructions other than the ankle deep mud and water. We made the lake (elev. 3385’) in 110 minutes and were almost surprised to find it free of snow and ice. The weather at this point was turning on us. The temperatures in the lake basin seemed to be quite a bit colder than what we had seen thus far, and the rain began to increase in intensity. We searched in earnest for the old trail leading deep into Pratt Valley, but after 30 minutes we gave up not finding a single trace. Turns out that we were on the wrong side of the outlet, evidently the trail leads into the valley from the west side of the outlet.
We hurried on (going easterly) trying to warm up. Before we knew it Lower Tuscohatchie Lake popped out of the brush, no snow or ice on this one either. A couple dudes camped out near the outlet greeted us as we arrived, but we didn’t stay long and continued up valley. Just after the turn off to Windy Lake, there’s a behemoth of a blow down that would be a real grunt with an overnight pack. We crawled over and continued on, shortly thereafter encountering 2-3 other similarly sized downed trees. As we neared the head walls of the valley we ran into more patchy snow, but actually far less than either of us had expected. From here, the trail gradually climbs up to Melakwa Lakes. This section of trail is free of obstructions other than one tricky section of blowdowns that reminded me of a new game of Pick-Up-Sticks. Here we were forced to hop from tree to tree to make it through, fun. As we neared the two lakes, we got into fresh snow and freezing temperatures. Both the upper and lower lake basins are covered in a foot or two of snow. The lower lake (elev. 4511’) is 85% iced while the upper (elev. 4519’) is about 70% iced.
After a quick bite to eat we exited the lake basin and made our way through persistent snow to Hemlock Pass, elev. 4678’. Descending from the pass, we glissade straight down until we came to a clear section of trail at about 4350’. We walked for a bit and then started running. We ran and ran and never stopped till we hit the trailhead 35 minutes later. The trail up to Melakwa Lakes is essentially clear of snow to about 4300’.
Since people always ask, and for those stat folks out there, this is about a 12-mile trip with ups and downs and you’ll pump out about 4600’ of gain along the way. We hiked this fine thru-trip in 4 hours and 55 minutes and added to that about 45 minutes of side explorations and pit stops. The trip was definitely worth the two car coordination.