Tank Lakes, East Fork Foss - Necklace Valley — Wednesday, Sep. 10, 2008

Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - West

Accompanying me on this trip were Yoyo and Phlemy. The trail to Necklace Valley is pretty much as reported previously, but maybe not as horrendous as some think. There are muddy, rooty, and rocky sections in the last three miles, but there is lots of good trail too. However, it is steep most of the way. The stream crossings are all good with stable logs and handrails. Pretty posh in my opinion! However, we were plagued by clouds of mosquitos! God, will they ever leave this year? The trailhead had many cars and we saw tons of people coming in and only a few going out. Still, we didn't see hardly any camps in the valley. There must be lots of cubby holes to put your tent in. Next day, we moved camp to Tank Lakes. This is an exceptional area. Very scenic and not overused yet. I'll not give any info on how to find it as I'd like to keep it that way. Those who are willing to find the way and trudge up the way trail will no doubt respect it and treat it well. This area is very much like the Enchantments, but without the crowds and fantastic views of Chimney Rock, Overcoat, and Summit Chief, along with lots of other peaks. Phlemy and Yoyo took off to scramble Otter Point and the next day, Hinman, but I had to languish in camp nursing my persistent foot problems. Oh well, I can't think of a better spot to spend the day with the lakes all to myself except for a very curious Pine Marten to keep me company. The report from my buddies was that La Bohn Gap is very tough and somewhat risky to descend. Hinman was a pleasant rock scramble until the summit ridge when it turned into a mess of shifting rock plates. Both were exhausted when they returned, but we managed to stay up late that night looking at the huge sky full of stars while listening to Phlemy play her violin while Yoyo did some contra dancing on the smooth granite slabs. Very nice.