Blanca Lake — Saturday, Aug. 21, 2010

Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - West

Flickr: http://bit.ly/blanca-lake It was cloudy for the most of part, so not much visibility of nearby mountains on our way in. The hike to the lake was pretty straightforward, no surprises of any sort. Mud holes in a few spots, but nothing showstopping. I brought insect repellent with but didn't need to use it, as the temperature dropped quite a bit after our descending down to the lake. When we got to the pond right before the 600-foot descent, I was shocked and a bit disappointed thinking the pond was THE lake. I then thought to myself: "My, this looks completely different from the pictures I've seen. Is this it? But where is the glacier?" It wasn't long before I realized that the trail continues on to the right side of the pond, and thus began the descent. The lake was larger than I had imagined, and it was by far the prettiest of all the lake hikes I have done. The Columbia Glacier is situated on the north end of the lake, about 1 to 1 1/4 miles from the north lake shore. To get on the trail from south end of the lake, it requires crossing on the river log. I wouldn't mind traversing to the glacier had I not bring the dogs with me, being that one of them is not a swimmer and would probably have panicked. On the way back to the trailhead we were able to get a great view of the Glacier Peak. I highly recommended this hike to anyone who enjoys beautiful lake hikes!