Overall, fantastic trip to a lovely pair of lakes with lots of grouse sightings and gorgeous Gladys Divide views.
Day 1 - It was sunny and clear skies when we started hiking. On recreation.gov it looked like there would be a couple other groups at camp but not too crowded, yay! I have heard how popular this trail is in the summer. We got an early start for the best choice of camps and left on a Thursday about 9:30 from the parking lot. Within the first mile we saw two couples on the Staircase Rapids Loop and one solo backpacker higher up on the Flapjack Lakes spur trail. The first four miles to the junction was easy with two good flowing water sources between miles 3 and 4 approaching the junction. Fill up here if you're low on water. The next source is located about half a mile up at the last switchback before you turn and head north for a long traverse across the hillside. There was a nice log to sit and rest on and a path to the water. The stretch headed north had a couple blowdowns that were mentioned and more boardwalk than I expected. No water access to Madeline Creek but the bridge there made for some nice views and cooler temperatures. Once you turn east the trail quality decreases and the blowdowns were more challenging to navigate. Some sections required careful foot placement because there was little to no compacted tread left or you were hiking along a very narrow path through a washout. Next good water source is at Donahue Creek just shy of the junction with Black & White Lakes. There's a nice campsite below the junction.
We took a right at the junction to head towards Flapjack Lakes and what seemed like more than half a mile up even steeper, rockier, and rooty trail conditions. About halfway up from the junction there's a lot of waterfalls to rest and recover beside; some have better access to water than others. We arrived at the lakes after hiking about 5 hours and tackling the five or so blowdowns we encountered. We took a left at the sign announcing the lakes and camped at the first camp on the right along the upper lake. We explored the other camps and found that the next best camp was at the far end of the lower lake and has a view towards the peaks. We ultimately decided we would rather be closer to the toilet. Two other groups arrived later in the afternoon and into the evening. After dinner we walked out on the strip of land in between the upper and lower lake as far as the outlet of the upper lake that feeds the lower lake. We were in PJs and opted not to cross the loose logs that straddled the outlet and would come back the next day. On our way back to camp we saw one mama grouse with a baby. They were camouflaged so good that my hiking partner didn’t see them.
Day 2 - We day tripped up to Gladys Divide and about halfway up to Mount Gladys. The trail to Gladys Divide could use some improvement but the view was worth it. There are three or four blowdowns, some places that there's no tread just loose dirt, and the first quarter mile or so the blueberry bushes are getting close to overgrowing the trail. The obstacles weren't terrible, just more than expected for a mile and a half trail. We saw some cool geologic features in the massive boulders, a few wildflowers lingering, and another grouse roosting in a bush along the trail that was flushed out when we passed. At the divide we spied a boot path to the left and followed it to see if we could get some views looking down on Flapjack Lakes. We hiked as far as a pair or tarns on the right. The views were beautiful. We turned around because we didn't have lunch packed with us and we had only planned to hike to the divide so we felt it was better to come back later for a summit when we were better prepared for a longer trip.
Back at camp we ate lunch as the winds started picking up and the smoke started blowing in. We had originally planned to hike to Black & White Lakes as an afternoon trip but since we spent more time at the divide, we decided to pass on the pair of lakes and take a nap instead. After waking up, we did a short day hike around the lower Flapjack Lake so we could check out the group camp site. On our loop we saw our fourth grouse near the group camp. Avoid the group site if you have more than three 2-person tents. There's certainly not enough space for a large group but there is a bear wire. No toilet nearby the group camp. We continued to follow the trail around the lake which looked like it doesn't get a lot of regular use. There was a couple of blowdowns, nothing too difficult. We walked out to admire the views of the surrounding peasks on the peninsula. No camping is permitted on the peninsula. However, it was clear that previous backpackers had camped here before. Large rocks were partially buried in the middle of what appeared to be several former camp spots, presumably to discourage people from setting up tents in this beautiful setting. I can see why this area would be very appealing to camp. If you're interested in swimming, the peninsula would be good access. At the lower lake outlet there were a jumble of logs to cross and the flow was minimal. The campsite at the far end of the lower lake with good views does have a bear wire but no toilet close by that we saw.
The evening rolled in as the winds continued. The gusts must have been close to 30 mph. We were able to light our stove and filter water in between gusts which came every few minutes. There was so much dirt, dust, and ash flying in the air that we had to cover our eyes, mouths, and our food so it didn't get into them. We retired for the night around 8pm with the winds still gusting. The wind continued through the night and into the morning blowing in lots of smoky air. My hiking partner heard a tree come down near the inlet of the upper lake at night and after that couldn’t fall asleep. What a night!
Day 3 - In the morning we got up around 6:30 with the winds still gusting away. The quantity of dirt, dust, and ash inside our tents, on our sleeping bags, and in our footwear was mind boggling. And this was with our tent flies zipped up completely. We packed up our tents and made breakfast in between the gusts then hit the trail around 8am. Once we were out of the lake basin the wind gusts subsided thankfully. Watch where you put your trekking poles near the sides of the trail near the junction with Black & White Lakes. There's a hornet's nest in the ground. I got stung a couple times on the way down. Other than that, it was an uneventful hike back to the trailhead. Lots of backpackers headed up to Flapjack Lakes for the night in the heat and smoke. We arrived back at the trailhead around 1:30pm to a completely packed parking lot.
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