East Fork Foss - Necklace Valley, Tank Lakes — Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012

Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - West

The trail starts off with minor gains and losses.... and stays that way... for quite a long time! Then... Right as you think you can't take anymore... UP! and UP some more! The calm before the storm (aka the valley hike) Overall the trail is in excellent condition- there are a few areas that you will touch minor vegetation but it is almost not worth mentioning (just be sure to avoid nettles if you go off trail) The climb up: The trail was excellent and had minor mud patches before Jade Lake. Nothing to be concerned about. I would HIGHLY recommend hitting the climb before the sun has a chance to warm it up. Otherwise you are in for a brutal climb. Drink lots of water. Necklace Valley hike: There is more mud here- the USFS is currently up there working their magic (anyone want to bring a few extra snickers bars for them? :) ) They are doing an amazing job- re-routing the trail and making lovely steps to help us enjoy the scenery up there. Tank Lakes Ascent: I will keep my language clean... Ooh my goodness. We hit the Tank Lake scramble during the mid afternoon heat. It is fully exposed and I got burned (I was wearing sunscreen...) We hiked up near the river and then climbed the spine- not necessarily the recommended route... the spine is a lot easier to follow... But it was just incredibly hot and it tired us out quite well. Snow begins at the top of the climb but does not require anything technical... just be sure that the snow you are standing on doesn't have a cavern/lake below. Follow the Cairns through the whole ascent- they help a lot. Tank Lakes was not crowded at all- there were 3 parties of 2 (Friday night), we passed quite a few people on the way down that had a destination of Tank Lakes... so it varies greatly depending on the day. The easiest way to keep the trail in your sights is to follow the spine up- it is definitely a difficult climb... but it has the most cairns to follow. There is a water source in the valley below the spine- so that helps if you run out of water/ want to cool down (it is a decent drop/cliff to get there for most of the way up though) Getting to Tank Lakes requires good route-finding skills, a good map/GPS with good maps loaded, and lots of water. Stay hydrated and be sure to stay protected from the sun. Remember to be safe! It is quite the climb and you are exposed to the elements for the entire way up. If anyone wants more information about the hike- I can provide more specifics via comment responses. Ooh... and the bugs are insane. :)