Waptus Lake via Waptus River, Spade Lake & Dutch Miller Gap — Friday, Aug. 31, 2018

Overview - 4 1/2 day trip. I hiked from Salmon La Sac TH to Waptus Lake and Spade lake (camped for two nights there). Hiked from Spade over Dutch Miller Gap to Miller Lake (camping two nights there) then hiked out to Salmon la sac trailhead.

Details:

Waptus river trail - long and fairly level (but more up and downs than I expected), dusty most of the way, chewed up by horse traffic with occasional horse droppings to avoid. Nice river views and occasional mountain views, but mostly woods walking. 3.5 hours to Waptus lake at a somewhat fast pace.

Spade lake trail - very steep, dusty, lots of tight switchbacks and blowdowns to step over (but mostly easy to do so). Very little water past the second stream. Spectacular views (Dutch Miller Gap) and Waptus lake open up as you get closer to the lake. Despite the tough trail, I was surprised to see so many backpackers (probably 12 tents or so with two people each) and about 25 people heading up (mostly day hikers) as I headed down after two nights. 2.5 hours at a steady pace from trail juncture at Waptus Lake.

Camping at Spade - The secret is out on this spot. Its a beautiful lake with  plenty of spaces for tents (and some good hammock spots) at the foot of the lake (where you first arrive) and past the scree/rocky slopes, but it felt crowded (probably due to the long weekend). I wonder if it may need to be managed at some point. The hike to gorgeous Venus lake was an easy scramble up a boot beaten and rocky cairn-led path, as well as the saddle above the lake (with great views of Mt. Hinman, Bears Breast Mtn and other peaks).

Spade lake to Miller Lake - from Spade I hiked down to the PCT, along the PCT to the Dutch Miller Gap trail and finally to Miller Lake on Miller Lake trail. The Dutch Miller Gap trail up to the pass is dry from the junction with the PCT up until just below Lake Ivanhoe, so stock up on water at the bridge or stream parallel the path. The trail has great views, lots of switchbacks with a relatively gentle grade. There are a few nice camp spots before you reach Lake Ivanhoe and only a few on the north side of the lake (which gets shaded early from steep-sided walls). The trail at the end of the lake to the pass is a bit rough (roots, rocks and brush) but manageable in the 20 minutes or so it takes to get there. At the pass there are several more nice camp spots near water. The Miller Lake trail is somewhat brushy, but now full of ripe blueberries and huckleberries along the way. 3 hours to Miller lake from Dutch Miller Gap junction with PCT.

Miller Lake Camping - Only about four decent spots for camping, but the lake is gorgeous with steep sided walls on three sides and an open view out to the west, giving it more evening light. Its also shallower than the other lakes I visited, so it was slightly warmer. A few mosquitos at night. Tons of blueberries around the lake. I saw a big black bear at the lake and another hiker saw a cub.