East Fork Foss - Necklace Valley — Saturday, Sep. 14, 2013

Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - West

Since we knew we were in for a long day (~18 miles) we got up early and started out at the trailhead a little before 8AM. The parking lot was already half full, which we suspected were over night backpackers. The weather conditions were perfect for this hike. The first 5 miles are fairly easy, with a few up and downs and good tread and mostly in the forest. On this segment there were quite a few varieties of mushrooms. At 5 miles, there is a nice campsite and a good place to rest before the tough section of this hike. After crossing the Foss River on a log, you have to negotiate a boulder field, so look for ribbons and cairns to lead the way. Then the steep climb begins, up and up. Though mostly shaded there were a few sections where when it was exposed it got quite warm with the sun beating down on us. You do cross by a few creeks so if you have a water purifier some nice cold mountain water hits the spot. About half way up you cross a memorial bridge over some cascading falls (very beautiful) and the way gets rockier and steeper. You finally see the light of day when you get to above treeline and at mile 8 come upon pretty Jade Lake, where we stopped to have some lunch halfway along the shoreline. After this rest, we ventured on the other lakes within the vicinity. There is an emergency cabin about 0.6 miles from Jade Lake that would work in a pinch should a storm approach. To the left we saw Emerald Lake and further ahead Opal Lake where we called it a day (9 miles). We turned around and rested on a rock slab that unfortunately my friend slipped on some wet moss and started to tumble down. She caught herself but in turn received a few big bruises on her elbow and hand while trying to catch herself. We ate the rest of our lunch here, in the silence of the wilderness as nobody was near us. Now we always preach that we enjoy the quiet solitude of being out in the woods but what happened next is something that probably will never occur again while hiking. Loud sounds started to echo over LaBohn Gap and all of a sudden 3 fighter jets flew right over us, probably not more than a few hundred feet right though the gap...it was surely a sight to behold and amazing. It was about 2:30 and we knew we had to hike out 9 miles so we headed out and made the long trek back. We couldn't exactly go fast on the way down as the trail is half rocky and steep down in places. Trekking poles are recommended on this hike. We saw a few parties going up while we descended, all carrying overnight gear. This was mainly a scouting hike for us as we too would like to return and camp overnight at one of the many lakes here. We finally got back to the car at around 6:30 PM, so all in all it was over a 10 hour day but well worth it. We definitely will be back, though at a much leisurely pace and staying up there for a few days as there are so many way trails to explore.