*** WARNING: Yellow jacket nest on trail, about 1.25 miles from trailhead. I got stung several times on the way up, and on the way down. ***
I hiked this trail on Saturday, but have been busy and didn't get to write a report until now. We got there at around 8am, parking wasn't an issue. There were a few spots left for others to park. There are several potholes on the road near the trailhead, but hey... I saw a Prius at the parking lot.
The trail itself is challenging, think of this as the Mailbox's old trail combined with Pilchuck's trail. The beginning of the trail is like the old trail at Mailbox, it then turns into something like Pilchuck's trail (rocky). I average about 25 minutes per mile on hikes like Mailbox, and Mount Dickerman, but not on Vesper Peak trail. It took me 4 hours to reach the peak, and drank 3 liters of water on the way up. As mentioned on my warning, I got stung 4 times on my right leg below my calf, and 3 on my left leg below my calf as well. On the way back I got stuck another 5 times (same areas) on my right leg, 4 on my left, and 1 on my butt!
Anyway, I read some reports stating concerns about falling rocks and such. I took a bump cap with me, but after completing the trail I don't feel it's necessary at all. I didn't feel like any rocks were going to hit me on my head or anything. What I would recommend is that you bring some gloves, I didn't have any. You may need them once you get closer to the peak, may need to do a bit of climbing/crawling on those big boulders (specially if you have a late start on a sunny day, the boulders will be hot). I didn't see anyone commenting on a place to filter water, so I brought 5 liters of water (3 liter bladder, & a 2 liter bladder) which I drank all of. There are a few streams of running water where you can filter water (2 near the trailhead, a few near Vesper Lake, and Vesper Lake itself). No need to carry as much water as I did, you can bring your filter.
After our break at the summit, we headed down to Vesper Lake for a refreshing swim. The water is cold! but quite refreshing. I saw some guy skinny dipping, and someone fishing. There were a few others around the lake. People were camping near the lake as well. When descending from the peak, take your time. The boulders could be slippery, no need to rush. Same goes for the rest of the trail. I did slipped a few times, but nothing too serious to injure myself. The views at the peak are beautiful, the lake is so pretty, the water is clear and cold. We saw 2 guys climbing up the peak as we were taking our lunch, that was impressive. On the way down we saw several other people climbing another peak (don't know the name of it) which seemed to be more challenging than Vesper.
For me, this is not a hike where I'd expect to reach the summit quickly, although 2 people in our group go there in like 2 hours. I'm not fast, and I'm out of shape so I take much longer. You need to keep your eyes on the trail, stop if you want to look around. If you walk while looking around, you may end up in a bad situation. Take your time, and enjoy the hike. Stay safe!
Comments