Spade Lake, Venus Lake & Waptus Lake via Waptus River — Sunday, Aug. 23, 2020

Bittersweet trip for me.  Returning to one of my favorite places in Washington to spread the ashes of my best trail buddy, Landry the trail dog.  We shared a lot of miles on the trail, some good and some bad.  The day we took a day hike to Spade from Waptus in 2014 was maybe our best so it seemed like a fitting place for Landry's final hike.

Early start on Saturday, there were plenty of miles to go and I am always worried about getting a good tent spot, especially on a Saturday.   Shoved off from Salmon La Sac about 6 a.m. and enjoyed hiking the easy trail in the cool morning.  Pretty uneventful trip in and I made good time getting to the creek crossing which was below my knees.  Stopped at Waptus for a bite to eat before heading up to Spade.  The trail from Spade to Waptus is a real bear, especially with an overnight back.  This is the type of trail where hiking ceases to be fun and it is just work.  The first two miles are the worst, pretty relentless grade and just a rugged trail all around.  The grade lets up considerably in the last half but there are still plenty of rough patches and lots of spots where low hanging branches like to grab your backpack and spin you around.  The couple of streams remaining were barely a trickle but still a nice stopping spot to cool off.  It is a long road to get to spade but once you arrive you quickly realize that it was all worth it, the payoff is one of the most beautiful lakes you will find anywhere.

After arriving at Spade I dumped my pack and did a walkabout looking for a good spot to set up.  Pretty sure I scored the best spot there, don't know how it could have been better.  A nice little beach near the outlet stream that has everything you need.  A good 10 minute walk from the main trail but well worth it.  The camping spots here are dispersed and it will take some exploring to find the good ones.  A word of advice, stick to the social trails you find around the camping area.  It is tempting to try to find shortcuts back to the main trail when going back and forth but most of the time I found that I dead ended with a cliff.  There are several other spots to camp along the right (east) side of the lake as you follow the main trail past the group camping area.  Hung out at spade the rest of the afternoon soaking my tired legs in the ice cold water, enjoying the views and had a nice conversation with a fisherman.  Early to bed because I had designs on the summit of Mt. Daniel the next morning.

Took off from Spade about 7 a.m.  My topo map made it look like there was an option of getting to the Daniel east side trail by first gaining a ridge above Venus lake and following that to the established route.  Took the Spade Lake trail which is easy to follow to where it terminates in solid rock where the Venus lake outlet stream flows down.  This was a fun little stretch of rock to climb up to Venus, steep but no real danger.  Having said that I would think twice about doing this in wet weather, you could quickly get into some waterslide action.  Venus lake rivals Spade in it's beauty, it was a special morning having the lake all to myself.  Took a little break soaking in the views and got on with the climb.  From the Venus Lake outlet stream I ascended the slope due east of me, the way was obvious for the most part.  There was no established trail but I did come across plenty of boot prints so I wasn't the first that had this idea.  At times I cliffed out and had to retrace my steps but there was always an easier way to go, I was having a fun scramble and really enjoying the morning.  This was easy class 2/3 scrambling on good rock with plenty of hand and foot holds along with veggie belays.  Nearing the top the grade steepened considerably and the ground turn to the horrible scree that feels like you slide back as much as you go forward when stepping.  This part was no fun but eventually I got through it and gained the ridge top.  Here the views were incredible, three lakes seemingly below your feet and mountains in every direction.  It didn't take me long to realized that I wouldn't be summiting Mt. Daniel this morning, the way was was too precarious.  The knife edge between my point at 6800 and the point I envisioned joining up with the trail involved a very long stretch of climbing with lots of exposure.  It certainly looked possible but outside of the risk I would be comfortable with on a solo trip.  So instead I decided this was as high as I would go today.  Before I left I spread the ashes of my best buddy here on the unnamed ridge high above Venus and circle lakes in one of the most beautiful places I have had the pleasure of standing. I built a small cairn here in memory of my pal and spent a little time remembering all of the fun times we had together before heading back down hill.  I had planned on my climb taking up most of the day but because I had cut it short suddenly I had a bunch of time to spare.  I originally planned on staying a second night at Spade but since my climb had been abandoned I decided to head all the way back to Salmon La Sac which turned into a pretty grueling 18 mile day.  I did not make the summit I intended but to say I had an unsuccessful trip would not be accurate.  Spade lake is a wonderful destination for the adventurous hiker and it would be a a shame to venture that far without checking out Venus which looks like something out of a fairy tale. When I was here in 2014 on a Saturday we did not pass or see a single person all day on the trail or while at Spade Lake.  On this sunny Saturday in late August the total number of people I passed was nearing a hundred, seems like Spade Lake is no longer a secret.  GPS stats below.

Salmon La Sac to Spade Lake way trail at Waptus - 13.5 miles with 1215 gain

Waptus to Spake Lake - 3.25 miles with 2450 gain

Spade Lake campsite to Venus lake - 1.75 miles with 550 gain.  

Venus to unnamed ridge (now named Landry ridge) 1 mile 1300 gain