On a warm and sunny Sunday, Kar and I decided to reconnoiter the Mildred Lakes way trail with the two pups. The washout on the road looked little changed from our last visit to the Hamma Hamma, about two years ago. We parked there, crossed the washout, and headed up the pleasant, carless road - about a 3.5 mile trip to the trailhead. Violets, a red currant and a few paintbrush were out along the road, and we had fine views of the rushing Hamma Hamma, lava cliffs towering nearby, and snowclad Pershing and Jefferson as we neared the bridge at road's end. After lunch here we headed up the trail - again not much changed in the past two years, a couple easily negotiated trees on the trail. Until just beyond a mile we came up to the big avalanche chute full of knock downs. The flags on either side were easy to see in the midday sun, and with leashed pups we decided to descend to the boulders below to find a way across. It's not a problem with a little patience. There was snow on the other side and a returning party reported 3 feet of snow in the valley on the other side of the little ridge just ahead of us (still about 2 miles from the lakes) so we turned here and headed back. A most pleasant walk. Trillium and orchids were definitely out along the trail about halfway from the trailhead to the avalanche chute.

The washouts on the road to the trailhead have been leveled out, allowing access to the trailhead. You will not need a four-wheeler to get there at the time of this report. Many hikers up at the lakes - day hikers and backpackers. At the land-slide one mile up the trail, there apparently has been a re-route of the trail below the tangled mess of trees. I wish I'd known that on the way up. Crossing over the blowdown is a little 'hairy' and time consuming. Look for markers. Bee activity was high and the deer flies hungry. Blueberries all around. I was stung twice and heard from another group of hikers one of theirs' had been stung also. I think a nest had been kicked up because these (bee attacks) instances happened in the same area - about a hundred yds. past the blow-down. Weather and fishing were great. It's a pain of a hike (this coming from an 'out-of-shape' individual. I swore 15 years ago I'd never do it again. This was my fourth visit. I still say it every time I go up there. Have a good time.

Yeah, Mildred Lakes is a pretty tough prospect right now. I used the first part of the trail to get on Mt. Pershing. As you may already know, the Hamma-Hamma road is washed out about 4 miles from the end/trailhead. I got around this by packing a mountain bike. The trail is seriously washed out about a mile in, see previous reports and heed their warnings. I flagged the trail on both sides of the washout (avalanche path) with pink tape. Beyond the washout, I left the trail and headed up country, so I can't speak to it's condition, except that there's a lot of snow, and that the trail register seemed to indicate that someone made it to the lakes within the last week. Good luck!

The Hamma Hamma road is in great shape right up to the washout at 10 miles. I parked there with about 12 other vehicles, and hiked the road to the trailhead (about 4 miles). My curiosity was piqued by a lone set of tire tracks on the road, and sure enough, at the Putvin Trail Parking lot (about 2 miles beyond the washout) there was a Mazda SE-5 pickup with high traction tires and a fair amount of clearance underneath. It would appear that with some vehicles, drivers can get through. But with the vigorous flow through the washout, there aren't any guarantees about getting the truck back down. The walk on the road was great - with no vehicle traffic it's quiet, and the roadside vegetation gets a break from the usual summer dusting. Flowers were best along the road on this day - twin flower, daisies, paintbrush, foxglove, bunch berry, an orange lilly just getting ready to bloom, and many others I can't name without a handbook. The Hamma Hamma was roaring under the bridge at the road end, well worth the trip for the views up and down valley here. The four miles on the road took only an hour, so I had visions of a brief visit to the Lakes. Optimism waned at the register, where earlier hikers left sundry laments about losing the trail, bushwacking, landslides, and so on. In particular, none of the entries mentioned reaching the lakes. The first mile of the trail was just fine, same as in previous years, plus a couple of blow downs that were easily negotiated. Just beyond 1 mile, the trail disappears beneath a pile of downed trees that marks the edge of the landslide. I dropped down about 50 feet and found a place to work across the slide (about 60 yards wide) - this has to be done CAREFULLY because the trees that make up the ""surface"" of the slide are in many cases balanced precariously so it would be easy to break an ankle or worse in here. The pile of trees is insulating the snow underneath, and there's no telling what kind of problem the hiker might fall into when this snow starts to give under the weight. On the far side of the slide I lost the trail due to snow cover. Met another party descending the snow gully above the slide - they had reached the ridge, located the trail there and descended to the creek crossing near the 2.5 mile mark. They reported snow all over the trail down to the creek, high water in the creek, and no ""safe"" log for getting across. Since I was on my own, and they were the last party coming out, I decided to turn around rather than risk a tumble into the creek with nobody around to help. The return trip on the road was pleasant, though, with more flower viewing and great vistas of Mt. Bretherton.

Mildred Lakes Starting Elevation: 2000 ft Highest Point: 4100 ft Lake Elevation: 3812ft Total Distance: 10 miles The Mildred Lakes trail is a non-maintained trail that tests the mettle of each person who attempts the hike to the lakes. To get to the trailhead, drive along highway 101 just north of Hoodsport to the Hamma Hamma River Road. Follow the road to a ""T"" and take the Right. Follow the gravel road to a dead end, just across a bridge (which spans a deep river canyon). The starting elevation is 2000 ft.. Even though the trail is non-maintained, the first mile has had a lot of the logs and branches cut and clipped back. Beyond that, the trail is substantially worse. Footing is a constant challenge and care must be taken due to the slippery roots all along the trail. Follow the main trail up the first ridge. It is easy to lose the trail, so look for orange blaze tape markers. The trail winds it’s way up and over two ridges, the first is easier than the second, but still a challenge. From the top of the first ridge, beautiful views of the Hamma Hamma River valley as well as Mt. Pershing are to be seen. Rockfall from Mt. Pershing is common and not a problem, but a bit disconcerting. The trail continues down the other side of the ridge to a stream. Day hikers often turn around here. The trail continues on across the stream, for those who dare. You can cross on a slippery log or wade the shallow waters - we walked the log across and waded on the way back… After this crossing, follow the trail north to another stream crossing. Cross the stream and follow the trail along a hillside. The trail traverses for several hundred feet and then ends at a small gorge. Down-climb using roots for support and climb up the other side. Here is where the work really starts! The trail continues up and up with only a couple areas wide enough to even try to camp. Lots of slippery roots and moss covered rocks and logs make footing treacherous! The trail is steep and periodic scrambling is required to cross steep, rocky sections. Once you make it to the top of this ridge, the trail is level for a few hundred feet and a good place to take a break! From the top of the ridge, you can see several peaks including Mt. Cruiser, Mt. Lincoln and Mt. Pershing. The destination is up the valley, just short of Mt. Lincoln, about a mile and a half away. After a break, start down the other side of the ridge. Follow the blaze markers! It is real easy to get lost right through this area. After climbing down a ways, the trail starts to move more or less horizontal. The area now being crossed is fairly marshy and would be a mosquito haven most of the spring and summer! There is standing water everywhere. Follow the trail as it meanders between and around pools of water, in a generally westward direction. Eventually you come upon a larger pond. This is the first of the formal Mildred Lakes. The trail continues around the lake and is well worth continuing to the bigger of the lakes. Footing is still treacherous and some log crossings ""hairy"", but doable. At the other end of the lake, cross yet another small stream and following the trail the final half mile to the main lake! There are not all that many camps available, but that shouldn’t be too much problem considering the work necessary to get to the lakes. The views are spectacular, far better than the views at the smaller lake. Right across the lake is Mt. Cruiser and Mt. Lincoln. It rained that night, so the hike back was a bit more interesting, but much the same, just reversed. All in all, the trip was a strenuous one with beautiful views and lots of challenges to overcome. Good advice for this trip is be in good shape, bring bug juice and stop to look around. Looking around while hiking will cause falls. Count on it! The total distance is 10 miles round trip.