Minotaur Lake — Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016

Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - East

I’ve wanted to hike Minotaur and Theseus for a long time, despite the reports of the arduous climb. Reading reports of the beautiful fall color, my husband and I decided today was the day. We got to the trailhead mid-morning, only 5 other cars were parked there. The initial climb out on the trail is steep, and don’t worry, it doesn’t get better. The entire hike is uphill, marked by climbing switchbacks mixed with steep uphill climbs. The trail in general is in good condition, but is well peppered with gnarly roots and rocks, some acting as a steep staircase. There are a few loose rocky sections where the rocks act as ball bearings, so poles are a necessity on this hike. At the start of the hike you can see and hear a creek cascading to your right. This creek continues downhill and feeds into Rainy Creek. We passed only a handful of people today, and about the same number of friendly dogs. The first two miles are pretty much a strenuous vertical slog, those we passed on our ascent were super friendly and encouraging, promising it would be worth it. The last half mile is the easiest portion, meandering through brilliant meadows of glorious Fall color. There were a few blueberries in the meadows, we ate a few and they were super sweet. If you worked really hard you could gather plenty. Well the payoff at the end was well worth it! The view of Minotaur was fantastic. We took the trail to the right, crossing the creek, and headed up (again) to catch the view of Theseus. Theseus was spectacular. We caught the best view as the sunbeams were popping out between clouds. We ate lunch on a rock overlooking Theseus and spent some time exploring this peninsula. One chipmunk came out to inspect our lunch. A flash snow and rain squall caught us as we were packing up to head down. We laughed as snowflakes got caught in our hair and we scrambled to find our gloves and hoodies. The trip down was certainly faster, but no less difficult, as cloud cover and sprinkles made the rocks and roots slippery. When we heard the sound of the creek we knew we were almost done. I’d have to say that this is a tough hike, moderate to strenuous and not for everybody. For those that do take the challenge, the payoff is well worth it. The views are stunning and the Fall color is just starting to hit it’s prime.