East Fork Foss - Necklace Valley — Thursday, Jul. 4, 2013

Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - West

We started out with overnight packs and two dogs at about 1pm. There were several other cars in the parking lot and three other groups waiting to fill out permits so we were a little wary. The bathroom at the trailhead was the cleanest I’ve ever seen through! The first five miles are beautiful and pleasent with multiple shallow stream crossings that were easy to cross without getting feet wet. They were great for keeping the dogs hydrated. You follow the river most of the way as well. The log bridges were in okay shape and were easily crossed. There are camp sites sprinkled out for the first 5 miles, many of which were right by the river and easily accessible. Two of the groups made camp down by the river with plans to day hike up to the lakes the next day. We really took our time with pictures and chatting and made 2mph along this section. This alone would make a nice walk in the woods that is worth the drive. The scramble up started without mercy and the cairns were helpful for moral-that yes, you are supposed to go right up these rocks. We are young and in decent shape, but with our packs the next 2-3 miles up were difficult. It’s not quite Mailbox Peak, but if you didn’t enjoy that hike I would skip this one. There are a couple of areas of respite, but in general you get to work for your prize. Bug spray was helpful here! The bugs were pretty bad. Jade lake was amazing and clear. The two best camp spots were taken. By this time it was getting cold and there were some spots of snow on the ground. To get past the lake we had to take our shoes off and walk along the lake shore – ouch! There are many trails to the other lakes that are easy to follow, but a topo map was nice for peace of mind. The trails were all very muddy, and most had become streams for the melting snow. Several stretches of snow had to be crossed and we did them in boots, but cramp-ons/spikes would have been helpful. We explored Emerald, Opal, and Cloudy lakes quickly-all of which were clear, hiking another couple miles before going back to a secluded camp site we had seen. The next day we passed a lot of people on the trail, and were very glad we came the day before. It seems that this hike and the camping spots get on long weekends. I’d post pictures, but we left the camera on top of the car… if anyone sees a black camera in a black case shoot me a message  Thanks!