Sometimes, hikes are fun. Other times, you spend several hours cursing aloud as you trek up and up and up -- cursing whoever thought such a steep trail through the forest was a good idea, cursing yourself for doing this voluntarily -- then suddenly, you're on a ridge, and you find yourself cursing aloud because human brains aren't designed to behold such perfection.
Then you get distracted from all the cursing by ripe blueberries.
This pretty much summarizes my trip up to Monogram Lake. 😅
Other relevant details:
- My GPS clocked everything a bit further than listed in the WTA description. 5.4 miles each way to the lake.
- There's a yellowjacket nest under some tree roots, right on the trail, around 0.4 miles in. They swarmed as I stepped near, and thankfully I backed away without getting stung. You can get around the nest by climbing on some downed trees to the side of the trail.
- Bugs were present at the meadow and above, but hardly a bother. I never put on repellent, and got only 1 mosquito bite in 3 days.
- The blowdowns described in February have all been cleared. Thank you, trail workers!
- Blueberries are ripe and delicious on the ridge! There are many more that aren't ripe yet, so the next few weeks are gonna be goooooood.
- Wildflowers are glorious right now.
- In the middle of the route, there's a very bush-whacky quarter mile. I did that section with my arms in the air, because I had short sleeves, and got one nettle sting. It would've been way worse with shorts -- make sure you wear pants!
- I tried to go around the left side of the lake to reach the saddle and get a glimpse of Little Devil Peak. Someone had put up pink flagging tape, presumably leading the way, but it seemed to be from seasons past and some flags had meandered. At some point, I just couldn't find my way through the dense downed trees, so I turned around.
- I saw only a few other parties the whole trip, and half of them looked pretty beat. (I'm sure I did, too -- ha!) This is a tough hike. Water, snacks, water filter, and trekking poles are a must. Take breaks. Thankfully, most of the hike is in the shade, but it's still a doozy.
- I hiked out through the exposed area (the climb from the lake and along the ridge) at 8:30 in the morning, aiming to beat the heat, and it was still hella hot.
I hike a lot. I've done 1000' in a mile. But I've never sustained 1000' per mile for over 5 miles. Holy crud. My quads were burning within minutes on the way up. My knees ached on the way down. I'm not sure my hair has ever been so sopping wet with sweat. I had planned to spend my first night at the lake and second night at the lookout, but hahahahaha, that was ambitious. Instead, I stayed both nights at the lake (which I had permits for; the lookout isn't in NCNP, so it doesn't require a permit) and enjoyed a day swimming and lounging before hiking back down.
Was it worth it? I think so. Would I do it again? Probably not. But if you're the kind of introvert who doesn't mind some type 3 fun in order to spend 48 hours not speaking to another human being, then this hike is for you! There were 2 visitors to the lake on my rest day (who were quiet and kept their distance) and 1 other camper (hidden around the lake; I hardly glimpsed him) so it mostly felt like I had the lake to myself.
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