Lake Ingalls — Saturday, Nov. 8, 2014

Snoqualmie Region > Salmon La Sac/Teanaway

Spent the weekend by getting out of Seattle after work Friday, spending the night at Twentynine Pines Campground, waking up, and driving the 9+ miles up to the Lake Ingalls trailhead. Got there around 8am with only two other cars in the parking lot. Temps were probably in the upper 30's, but the weather promised clear skies and highs in the 50-60's. Over the three hours it took me to get all the way to the lake, the ground was still pretty frozen from the night before and only in a few places was there enough accumulated ice to make my footing slippery. This was my first visit to Ingalls, so when crossing the basin and climbing the rocks up to the lake, I got lost a few times looking for signs of the path or footsteps from the previous day. The other two hikers from the parking lot weren't far in front of me and I followed their tracks most of the way. In the boulder fields, other hikers have set up cairns (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairn) which help mark the trail. I set up a few myself when I was out of eyesight from the last one. Maybe that helped other hikers, who knows. The larches have long since lost their foliage for the season, but have covered the ground in bright gold needles, which added a little color to the patchy and muddy snow. When up at the lake, the weather forecast did not disappoint: clear blue skies and nice, warm sun. I got to the lake around 11am and spent the next almost four hours lounging in my hammock, taking tons of photos, and circumnavigating the lake. I caught sight of one lonely mountain goat up on the hillside, but it never came down to visit with the hikers. Beginning around 12:30pm or 1pm, more hikers started trickling in, with a majority of people arriving around 2pm or later. I thought this to be pretty strange with daylight ending between 5pm and 5:30pm, which didn't leave a lot of time for enjoying the lake. On my way down, I saw a few groups of hikers setting up camp in the designated campsites, which allowed them amazing views of Mt. Stuart. The hike through the basin was much muddier after all the foot traffic and the warm sun all day. Not impassable, though. All in all, a perfect first trip up to Ingalls and definitely one I would do again, but next time would be an overnight stay with friends in slightly warmer weather.