On this last weekend of summer I wanted to get a quick hike in before having to take care of some "to-do's", and since I hadn't hiked this one in over 20 years I figured today was the day. After getting off I-90 I followed a black Tesla onto FS9030, and unfortunately he didn't slow down when the pavement ended. There's a nasty dip where the gravel starts, and his car came down hard. I thought he was going to pull over and check for damage, but he kept going. The rest of the road is mostly smooth but still has a few places with deep ruts and potholes, and low-clearance cars like his need to take it slow.
I began the hike right at 8:30am, and it was pretty warm even then. The small parking lot was full and so I joined a small number of vehicles starting to park along the road. The trail itself is wide, dry and very dusty, reminding me a lot of Mount Si with its well-worn path thanks to so many boots and paws walking on it. However I did have the trail mostly to myself going up, although there was one group who stayed just far enough ahead of me to hear their conversations but not for me to catch up and pass them. I also encountered a record number of squirrels and chipmunks, although none of them stayed still long enough to photograph.
Talapus lake was clear, and to be honest I think it's the prettier of the two the way it nests in a bowl of talus and trees. It only took me 35 minutes to reach it, so after snapping the requisite pictures I quickly moved on and up towards Ollalie Lake, which was a bit hazy compared to Talapus Lake. I reached that one 35 minutes later as well, and I began to relax and have a snack while trying to take pictures of the dragonflies and small fish in the lake.
And that's when half the entire population of Washington started showing up right behind me. Granted everyone I met from that point on was super-friendly, as were their dogs, but it quickly formed a carnival atmosphere and I left the lake after only 15 minutes. On the way back down I passed an endless train of people and dogs headed up, with some groups well over the 12-person limit. I was quickly reminded why I don't do I-90 corridor hikes much anymore. Unless you really like being around lots of people it's best to do this one on a Tuesday during a torrential rainstorm. When I left at 11:30am the line of cars parked along the road was at least half a mile long, meaning a lot of people had to do plenty of uphill hiking just to reach the trailhead.
P.S. the fall foliage is starting to appear, but so far it's just a few maples changing color. There isn't much in the way of blueberry bushes along this trail.
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