Well here ya go, WTA! Another unsanctioned hike to an unlikely destination, with a wee bit of bushwhacking thrown in. Maybe I should get with the program and jump in line with another report on Lake 22 - ("OMG! There was water on the trail! And you have to step over a tree! But the lake was beautiful..." ) Or maybe Barclay? - ("OMG! You have to step over a tree! And there was water on the trail! But the lake was beautiful...") Nah...
Instead, in keeping with my winter hiking theme of long boring road walks, you get a report for Drunken Charlie Lake! It's been on my radar since I saw it on one of my Google Map fly-overs, so I thought I would get to it before the mountains open up. No info on WTA, but I seem to recall a mention of it on NWHikers under a "Most Disappointing Hike" thread. I don't know about that, but it was certainly underwhelming...
Rather than bore you with the details of a two hour road walk, I'll skip to the lake. Take 5200 uphill at the intersection of 5200/5300. Pass a clearcut on the right, then a gravel pit on the left. Next, stay left on the main road at the "Y". A quarter mile later, the road skirts the lake on the west side. You can't see it, but you'll notice an opening through the trees. Take a well defined bootpath 30-40 yds. to the lake.
Well ... meh. Nothing to see but a wall of trees on the far side. A lot of trash, though. Looking across the lake, there are several large boulders at waters edge. I took a faint bootpath around the shore (or just followed the trash), and found a nice sittin' spot on the rocks on the far side. A cool rope swing, too - although I don't know if I'd swim there. Not much of a water-flow through the lake, so the water is pretty murky.
So the lake is just OK, but with such a long, boring road walk; the reward is not worth the effort. Maybe if you biked it - the roads are nice. Saw two cyclists today. (one so far back that we were both surprised to see each other.) Won't be back unless I'm riding, but it was still a good adventure. And I've been waiting awhile to see that headline - "Drunken Charlie Lake".
Comments
Muledeer on Marckworth Forest / Drunken Charlie Lake
Keep 'em coming Mato! I love your trip reports about boring road walks to unpopular destinations. I keep printing them out, hoping to go on one eventually.
Posted by:
Muledeer on Apr 22, 2019 09:16 AM
mato on Marckworth Forest / Drunken Charlie Lake
HA! Yeah, I'd pass on most of them myself. I actually don't like to hike, so the road walks are killin' me - I like to explore. But I think I'm overdue for a walk that doesn't start out on a road...
Posted by:
mato on Apr 22, 2019 06:49 PM
dugfresh on Marckworth Forest / Drunken Charlie Lake
I biked up here on saturday looking for a geocache. Bushwacking to the far side of the lake I found all that trash. Since geocaches often contain trash bags.. I picked up about 10pounds of bottles, cans and various garbage. One of the bottles contains a plant growing in it that survived the trip.. its now sitting on my desk at work and hoping it continues to grow.
Posted by:
dugfresh on Nov 18, 2019 07:28 AM
mato on Marckworth Forest / Drunken Charlie Lake
For sure, biking is the way to do it. And thanks a million for packing out the trash! That's a long haul! And, now you can tell people you got your plant at Drunken Charlie Lake. (which I'd love to know the story behind the name...)
Posted by:
mato on Nov 18, 2019 04:52 PM