East Fork Foss - Necklace Valley — Friday, Sep. 23, 2016

Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - West

I have only done one other backpacking trip before this (West Fork Foss to Big Heart Lake) but this one was truly incredible and my favorite so far. My boyfriend and I decided to go after work Friday the 23rd and hike up to Ilswoot to set up camp. He had done this backpacking trip before solo and promised himself that he would set up next to Ilswoot because he missed out on that spot last time. I have to say we got a late start because of work, so we weren't out and beginning our hike until 2:30pm. It was a long trek to Ilswoot and it was very difficult because it was raining and cold. The fall foliage was gorgeous, but we were soaked, tired, and dying. It was a very difficult trek to Ilswoot and was very dark by the time we arrived, but the site was worth it. This is definitely not a hike for the faint of heart, and good waterproof boots are required for a happy trip. We were soaked, cold, and tired, and decided to set up camp for the night (it was dark and very difficult to set up camp when one is blind and frozen), so we busted out the head lamps and did the best we could. We ate some chili mac (YUM) and hung up the food away from camp and settled in for the night. We didn't see anyone on our way up, and we had the entire spot all to ourselves. The next day, we were rewarded with gorgeous weather and beautiful views of gorgeous Ilswoot (Photo #1). The color of the lake is truly incredible. We had picked the perfect camp site. We ate some breakfast and took a day trip hiking up to La Bohn gap with the dogs. The way was rocky but was marked clearly with cairns. At first, we couldn't see the cairns, but we just took the safest looking direction that avoided the snow, because we did not feel comfortable climbing up on the snow with the dogs. We finally made it to the top, which looks like an entirely different planet and hike with the rocky views (Photo #3), but it was so so so cool. We walked along the ridge and had some adventure time. We came to the edge of a cliff and looked down and could see at least two different lakes and some gorgeous mountains. I wish I had an idea of what we were looking at (photo #2). We looked at a map but it was hard to tell if we were looking at the same thing. We sat and took a break, let the dogs nap a little bit, and my boyfriend fired up the jet boil and we made some instant coffee at 6,000 ft. It was delicious and warmed us up, because it was pretty chilly up there. I recommend Starbucks via mochas...they are phenomenal when you are cold and tired. We also ate sour patch kids and trail mix. Yummy snacks of deliciousness. We then walked the opposite direction and followed the ridge line looking to see if we had a view on the opposite side. The views of the surrounding mountains was absolutely incredible. We were just wandering around at this point and soaking in the beauty and solitude. We had the whole upper portion of the hike to ourselves with not a soul in sight. It definitely made us feel small (Photo #4). Again, I'm not sure what we were really looking at, but it was breathtaking. I strongly recommend doing this hike if you are fit and enjoy some great views. We spent the majority of the day up here exploring with the dogs and taking pictures. We hiked back down and made some dinner and got ready to go to bed. It was nice to just chill out and hang out by Ilswoot for the rest of the evening. In the morning, we woke up, ate some breakfast burritos, and hiked out. We saw quite a few people as we were hiking out, including some mushroom hunters and a couple of guys who were beginning their trip on Sunday (lucky- you won't see anyone!) and everyone was very nice and friendly. Overall this was an awesome trip and a lot of fun. I would gladly do this again. It is not an easy trip though, so you have to know your physical limits and what you are capable of. Hiking boots are also strongly recommended. The days were nice but the nights were INCREDIBLY cold (I'm a very small person who is always cold), so bring warm clothes. This was an experience that I won't soon forget. It makes me excited for more backpacking next summer. Happy hiking! :)