Dutch Miller Gap, Williams Lake, Chain and Doelle Lakes, Mount Hinman, Pea Soup Lake, Mount Daniel, Cathedral Rock, Scatter Creek, Lake Ann, Lake Ingalls & Lake Stuart — Saturday, Aug. 1, 2020

This is a trip report for a west to east traverse I did of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. I started at the Dingford Creek Trailhead, made my way to the Dutch Miller Gap trail then on to Williams and Chain Lakes, climbed Mount Hinman via the SW ridge.  From the summit of Hinman, I made my way cross country to Pea Soup Lake, ascended Mount Daniels via the Lynch Glacier, then it was on to the Cathedral Pass TH were I walked the Salmon Le Sac road to the South Scatter Creek Trail followed this to the junction with the Lake Ann Trail which I used until I reached the SW ridge of Fortune Peak.  I then ascended that mountain, dropped down to the Lake Ingalls Trail, followed that trail around the lake to Stuart Pass and then via more cross country travel, I ascended to Goat Pass (I think) near the west ridge of Mount Stuart.  From there, I traversed below the Stuart and Ice Glaciers, found the climbers path to the North Ridge and made my way finally to the Stuart Lake Trail. I had intended at this point to then finish up with the thru hike of the Enchantments but time constraints and other factors drove my decision to end the traverse at the Stuart Lake TH.  This was easily one of the most challenging routes I have ever done but also one of the most incredible journeys I have taken and it really showcased some of the most amazing portions of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness!

At the end of the report is a link to all the photos I took of the traverse.  It is a rough, unedited album but having four available pictures doesn’t really do the trip justice.

So that this trip report is of a somewhat manageable length, I won’t go into too great of a detail for each trail but will try to highlight important parts of each trail and section.  I will say that I do not recommend this route unless you are an experienced hiker, scrambler, navigator, and mountaineer.  This one pretty much demanded I use ever tool in my outdoor toolbox to complete.

The road to the Dingford Creek trail is the roughest I have seen it.  There are four or five washouts that are pretty significant.  Fortunately the worst one which is about three miles from the trailhead, has a way to sneak around it to the left (as you drive to the trailhead) but I would be very hesitant to attempt this drive in a passenger sedan.  The lowest clearance vehicle I saw at the trailhead was a Forester. 

Started my traverse at 6 AM and made quick work of the seven or so miles of road walking. I thought about dropping down to the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie Trail for a more “aesthetic” trail experience but decided against it mostly for the sake of making some good time to start the day knowing I had a long 36 hours ahead of me.  

Within two hours I was at the Dutch Miller Gap trail.  I had seen three “Mountains to Sound” trucks at the Dingford Creek TH and there was a large camp set up at the old Dutch Miller CG so I was hopeful that they were doing some trail work on this trail but that was not the case.  While the trail is in decent shape, there are some blowdowns to get around and some very brushy sections that treated me to an early morning shower from the shoulders down.   I was able to cross the Crawford Creek crossing using logs and rocks and avoid further water on my feet.  After the crossings, the trail is in good shape to the Lake Williams Trail. Plenty of water sources through this section.

The trail to Lake Williams has some blowdowns but nothing major.  The crossing of the outlet was a bit tricky but you can manage to stay out of the water if you are careful.  I tried to pause and enjoy the views to the south but the mosquitos were relentless around the lake so I kept moving and looking around as best as I could.  I lost the trail towards Chain Lakes on the north side of the lake but just keep heading towards the forested section on the NE side of the lake and the old mining tunnel should pop into view.  From there, the path is evident on the left side of the tunnel and with some tight switchbacks it leads you up through the patch of forest and dumps you off in a boulder field.  Cairns mark the way from here.  I stuck to the snow as much as possible as it was quicker travel.  Chain Lakes is still probably about 50% covered in snow but there are also large slabs that are melted out that could be utilized as campsites.  Then it was on to La Bohn Gap and the base of the SW ridge of Hinman.  This climbers path is well marked with cairns, but I did have to climb higher up the ridge than usual to avoid some lingering steep snow slopes.  Along the ridge, it eventually flattens out a bit and is mostly snow covered still but the slope is low angle enough that I didn’t feel the need from my crampons.  I love this area as all around you is a world of rock, rugged peaks, alpine tarns and given the distance from the nearest trailhead, a whole lot of solitude.  I crested a ridge and after a short steep snow climb, found myself on the summit of Hinman.  To the south, Bears Breast, Summit Chief, Chimney Rock and others dominate the view.  To the east, the formidable west side of Mount Daniel and just below it, Pea Soup Lake was evident.  Tumbling down from the lake was the East Fork of the Foss River.  This was my next section.

I dropped down off Hinman to the large gully between the two mountains.  Most of this remains snow covered and the slope is fairly steep as you approach the gully. I cautiously made my way down this into the gully and then moved quickly through the gully bottom as it was very evident that rockfall was common here.  Was I found a good line, I began the ascent to Pea Soup Lake via mostly choss and the rock slabs.  This area is just surreal with the water falling over the slabs for hundreds of feet and the mountains surrounding you in near vertical relief.

After this climb, you are faced with Pea Soup Lake, Mount Daniel and the Lynch Glacier and Hinman behind you.  It feels otherworldly!  I took a bit of a breather here as the bugs were not as aggressive and took a look at my line up Daniel.  I know this was on of my crux sections as I would have to navigate the glacier solo if I wanted to complete my traverse.  Fortunately, there is a rock rib that leads to a snow finger that knocks the majority of the ascent out before you arrive on the glacier.

I finished up the ascent of the glacier quickly and made the short scramble to the summit of Daniel.  Again, like Hinman, the views are amazing in all directions and you can’t help but feel thankful to have this amazing wilderness area so close to home. To the east, I could see the brooding hulk of Stuart and felt a bit nervous knowing I still had that much distance to cover.

The descent of Daniel was quick as I stuck to the snow in the basin on the east flank of the mountain opting to not stay on the SE ridge. I had just run out of water so was glad to get some running water sources in the bowl below the mountain and very happy to once again, be back on trail and moving quickly.   Nothing major to report between Peggy’s Pond and the Cathedral Rock TH other than it was feeling pretty hot!

At the Cathedral Rock trailhead, I took a twenty minute break waiting for some cooler temps as the sun began to dip.  Then I began the three mile road walk to the South Chatter Creek Trail.  A big thank you to those who offered to give me a ride and to those who offered me cold beers from their campsites!  Grateful to have others ready to reach out with a helping hand!

At the South Scatter Creek trail, I decided to call it a day. Though I wanted to eat up some more mileage, there were good spots to bivy for the night here and I had a reliable water source.  I stopped here at about eight PM and was up the next morning at four.

The Scatter Creek trail is a bit rough, has some blowdowns and brushy sections.  There is a water source near the Lake Ann trail junction.  I was very glad after getting on the Lake Ann trail that it was finally daylight as this trail is in pretty rough shape.  I lost the trail a few times in open meadows and it is particularly difficult to find the trail in the section below Scatter Benchmark.  Once you near Fortune Creek trail it becomes easy to follow again and is in good shape all the way to Lake Ann.  I should note here that while the trail, or lack of, was frustrating at times, the views were not.  The sun was lighting up the surrounding peaks with alpenglow, the meadows were full of wildflowers and behind me, I could see just how far I had traveled as I looked upon Daniel and Hinman.

The basin that holds Lake Ann is fantastic, though the mosquitos became a factor again I neared the water.  From there, it was back to cross country travel as I opted to take the more direct line over Fortune Peak to Lake Ingalls then stay on the trail.  At this point, I could see I was moving slower than anticipated so after the class 2 ascent of Fortune Peak, I checked my phone and found I had reception.  Given this was easier to use for communication than my inReach, I messaged my partner and made arrangements for her to pick me up at the Stuart Lake Th.  I just wasn’t going to have enough time to complete the Enchantments at the end of my day.

Having made that call, I felt a bit less pressure to move quickly and in hindsight I had no idea just how slow things were about to get!  I scrambled via rock and snow down to the Lake Ingalls trail.  In front of my, Stuart absolutely dominated the view and I was really getting a sense of how this traverse was offering up some of the highlights of this wilderness area and I still had some dramatic landscapes ahead of me.

This was my first trip to Lake Ingalls and wow!  Now I see why it is so popular!  I also didn’t expect quite so much scrambling being needed to get around the lake but that’s all part of the fun!  Again, the bugs were so persistent that I couldn’t really stop to enjoy the views for long without getting swarmed.  Most of the snow is now gone in this area though as I only had to cross a couple of small patches to get along the lake.

Once past the outlet of the lake, I was gawking at the meadows at the head of the Ingalls Valley, Mount Stuart, the Teanaway and at the same time, not looking forward to the ascent via boulder fields to Goat Pass on the west side of Mount Stuart.  There is no way around it, this was a tedious exercise in boulder hopping up about 1,300’ with a lot of caution as you check to ensure the rocks you are on are solid and won’t move on you.  Typically I can move fairly quickly through this terrain but the last 42 miles were starting to take their toll on me and the day was starting to warm up.  This was the beginning of hours and hours of travel where I average less than one mile per hour.  Not something I am use to!

But all the work was worth it as I topped out on Goat Pass and looked down upon the north side of Stuart, the Stuart Range, the Enchantments in the distance, Horseshoe Lake and Lake Stuart far below… it all took what little breath I had remaining away. Few people get to see this side of the mountains as the price of admission is so steep (no pun intended) to get these views.  I took a breather here, soaked it all in and then began to pick my way across this extreme terrain.

Traveling on slabs, snowfields, choss and talus, I made a traverse across the north side of Stuart.  I really don’t have the words to describe this place.  The bulk of the mountain rises so steeply above that it gave me vertigo looking up at it. The glaciers cling to the mountain with the Ice Glacier being particularly noteworthy with hundred foot high seracs looking like they will topple at any moment.  Water flowing from the snout of the glaciers, plummets off the cliff faces to the valleys below.  I have never felt so awestruck and insignificant in my life.  This is exactly what I imagined this area to be like and why I have for years been hopeful that someday I would get to visit it.

I continued to slowly make my way down towards the base of the north ridge of the mountain. Knowing that given the popularity of that route I should find a climbers path leading to it.  After making use of a giant snowfield to make good time, I was at the base of the ridge and admiring many well constructed bivy sites.  I looked up along the ridge and couldn’t help but feel a huge amount of respect for those who ascend via the route.  Way above my pay grade!

Then it was a long descent on a faint climbers path through choss to the valley floor.  I was good to go or so I assumed.  I figured it would be a rough path through the forest to the Stuart Lake Trail.  I was wrong.  What followed was a solid two miles of boulder hopping in the heat of the day.  I was already feeling like I was running on fumes and having expected to finally be able to “relax” with easier travel, only to see that this was not the case put me mentally in a bad spot.  But, though it has been a while, I have been there before.  I tucked the suffering away, concentrated on getting from one cairn to the next and let the Type 2 fun happen!

It took me two hours to go a mile and a half.  But, what sweet relief I felt when I clambered through the woods and suddenly was on the Stuart Lake Trail!  Before me was a freeway to the finish line! I found my second (or fourth) wind and cruised the trail, covering more distance in a little over an hour than I had in the last five hours! It was also a bit of a shock to the system to have gone so long without seeing anyone to being on a very popular trail as I passed the Colchuck Lake junction.   But everyone was very friendly and courteous on the trail.

I finished up at 5:45 PM, exactly 36 hours after starting at Dingford Creek.  Trip totals were 55 miles with about 18,000’ of cumulative gain.  I haven’t calculated how much of the traverse was off trail but it was a significant portion of it.  I am still a bit disappointed that I didn’t get the Enchantments section in as they would have really been the cherry on top but there’s always next time.  I must say that of all the trips I have done, this is probably the most rewarding.  Not only in the landscape traveled and the sights seen but in putting the pieces together and creating a journey that you know likely very few have done.  Also, the suffering fades and already I am thinking how to extend this traverse to really get a full immersion of this amazing piece of wilderness!

Now, a bit of rest and on to the hike-a-thon!

More Information on this Trip Report

• https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZrwbVQUdsnjmwCFW8