It's larch season! Friday was looking pretty good so I decided on a loop hike at Lake Ingalls. The plan was to hike to Lake Ingalls, then head over to the Ingalls Creek trail, and come back up Longs Pass.
I got a late start. There were a fair number of vehicles at the TH. I tried to register but there was only one tag left. I wrote on a slip of paper and dropped it in the box. Got started at 08:00. It was pretty cool and I was still in the mountain shadow. I had a mid layer on, but within a mile, I had to strip it off. It's pretty much a relentless climb and I was heating up fast. By the time you get to Ingalls Pass, there be larches! And oh so golden! I took some photos and kept on climbing. I arrived at the lake at 10:20. I wanted to get to the north side and had decided on the east route. I got to a point and was not confident I could make the climb so I had to backtrack quite a bit and try two different routes before I made it over to the north end (see map). It took me almost an hour. Then I finally had a leisurely, hot lunch.
At 11:50 I continued on Ingalls Way. On GaiaGPS there is a high route to Stuart Pass. I attempted this and it as pretty much a scramble. The trail is practically non-existent. But I made it. Then I headed down the Ingalls Creek trail. This trail is overgrown in parts but no impassable. There are several blowdowns but they are also easy to navigate over or around. I also filtered some water from Ingalls Creek. I got to the junction with Longs Pass trail at 13:45.
So from there, approximate elevation 4900 feet, you go straight up to Longs Pass, elevation 6200 feet, in 1.1 miles. It was a pretty brutal climb. The first part of the climb is not very well marked. There are some blowdowns. At one point, I went off the trail and ended up heading up the wrong drainage. I had to bushwack laterally to finally get back to the trail. But all the pain was worth it. Golden larches everywhere! And they were just about to hit peak! I saw some chartreuse green larches but most had turned golden but had not dropped any needles. This is the time you want to go.
I made it to the top of Longs Pass at took a snack break at Longs Pass. The return trip is a gentle downhill on a well maintained trail which met up with the Lake Ingalls trail. I was back at the TH at 16:40. Total distance hiked was 12.1 miles. I was very hungry so I made something to eat and drink before I headed back home.
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