Tuck and Robin Lakes — Monday, Jul. 20, 2009

Snoqualmie Region > Salmon La Sac/Teanaway

July 20, 2009: Robin Lakes - "Hellish paradise" Earthly paradises always seem to include the unforseen fine-print. I had last been in the Robin Lakes area three years ago. Now residing in faraway Pittsburgh, this place was at the very top of my list of places to see, whenever I next made a summer visit to Washington. When I think of Washington I don't think volcanoes, I think lakes, particularly of the alpine variety. They draw me to them like catnip to a cat, a juicy bone to a dog, or warm flesh to mosquitoes. On a short 4 day trip to Seattle, I decided to finish off my trip in style with a hike to Robin Lakes. I wanted to spend as much of the day as I could in the high country, so I left the house at 2:30am and was on my hike by 5:30am. The flat first few miles, past Hyas Lake, went smooth and easy, as did the next uphill mile to just shy of Deception Pass. That was it for smooth trails. A sandy, crumbly, generally yucky trail took me steeply up to Tuck Lake. (The return trip on this section took even longer because of the loose, slippery surface.) I always feel a bit sorry for Tuck Lake. It's quite beautiful, but suffers a bit in comparison to the higher Robin Lakes area. I had intended to do justice to it this time around. Unfortunately, here is when hell buzzed its way into paradise. A swarm of mosquitoes focused themselves on the only warm body around. Reluctantly, I decided that I'd have to spend more time at this lake, if I had it, on the way back. The 1 mile from Tuck to the Robins is one of the steeper ones around, but I hardly noticed it. The boulder strewn mess shy of Tuck Lake was replaced by a ridge constructed of granite slabs, painted with heather and other delicate flowers. Mount Daniel posed on one side, while better and better views of Tuck Lake appeared on the other. The only fly in the ointment was a mosquito. Or two. Or maybe a thousand of them. Those stupid so-and-so's had left the friendly confines of Tuck Lake and made me their bestest of buddies. Finally the seething, roiling mass that was me, inside my little bubble of flying friends, crested a bump in the ridge to gaze on the Robin Lakes basin. That sight is as good as it gets. Anywhere. Lower and Upper Robin Lakes are stunning blue splashes amidst the purity of white granite and even whiter snow. I stood there, slapping absent-mindedly at the mosquitoes and settled on an optimal route through the basin. Deviating slightly from my original plans, I headed down to the south-western end of Lower Robin Lake and up the slope on the far side of the lake. I went up on granite pillows, amidst snow patches, until I stood on a small dome shaped sub-summit of Granite Mountain. I then worked my way along a ridge, on sometimes crumbly steep terrain, past more snow fields and assorted mountain goats, until I reached my high point of the day - Granite Mountain's 7,144ft summit. By now I was felling mosquitoes by the hundreds, or was it thousands? The little beasties just sneered at my efforts, undeterred by this piffling bit of adversity. They had a buffet and they intended to get their money's worth. I swaddled myself in my rain jacket, including the hood, pulled my hat brim low, and donned my gloves. The little devils still found holes in my defences. Sweat pouring from every pore, feeling like an idiot...but, I was still in heaven. Such was the magnificence of my balcony in the sky. Eventually, I resumed downward progress and dropped down the gentler northern ridge of Granite Mountain to the north end of Upper Robin Lake. Small tarns everywhere; just too many to all be visited. I contented myself with a nice sampling and hiked past snow-melt streams through precious basins, until I had circled all the way around Upper Robin Lake and was back at the Lower Robin. I blew a kiss to the lakes, wondering when I could manage a return, and started on the long descent back to the car. I was leaving paradise - unfortunately, hell followed me all the way back to the car. It was with great satisfaction that I dispatched the 10 intrepid souls that actually joined me in the car. The tables reversed, I waved cheerily at the hungry mob outside the car and drove off. Cumulative stats: - Distance: 17mi - Elevation gain: ~6000ft - Hiking/photography time: 14hrs - Total trip time: 20hrs Postscript: I don't know about the rest of you but my brain seems to freeze when I am being hounded by mosquitoes. I hate these little pests. Additional photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shahiddurrani/sets/72157621787015846