I picked up Yetiman in Everett and we took our mountain bikes up the mountain loop hiway past Granite Falls to Barlow pass, arriving there just before 9 am. I left Daisy home for this one.
A quick roll down to the trailhead just before the bridge over the river, and we were on our way up the Weden creek trail. It starts out fairly flat and just parallels the river, then starts heading steeply up and begins switchbacking. I had to take it pretty slowly as the humidity was very high and the breeze was slack. Eventually we broke out of the trees and came to a small waterfall in an open area, the first of several. The trail started to get rougher and rockier, but also much more scenic. I really liked how there were plenty of things to see along the whole trail's length, not just at the end. We saw: giant trees, moss gardens, rocky waterfalls, deep valleys, surrounding peaks dusted with new snow, and some fall colors.
Then the fun begins, as the trail starts up a rocky gully with many scrambly places. Each time we came to a really tough-looking spot, we found a decent way up using cracks in the rock and/or veggie belays. None of them were as bad as they first looked, but were still an impediment. After that section is some more plain-old steep and rocky trail, and then we reached heaven.
At the first entry into Gothic basin we were entranced. Polished granite slabs were everywhere in all directions. Small reflecting pools made for some great pictures, and there was plenty to explore. After a lunchbreak, one of about five ""lunches"" we ate that day, we headed to the left off the trail into the basin and got a nice look down on emerald Weden lake nestled in it's rocky cleft, thousands of feet deep. Nice camps over thataway. Then we checked out the waterfall running through a deep rocky gorge over there. Next it was up and over a series of rocky high points to Foggy lake. It just kept getting better and better.
We sat for a while, maybe an hour, on a high point overlooking the lake and part of Gothic basin, and partook of some hot buttered rum, not from a thermos but made fresh using my campstove. We needed it, for the weather, while mostly pretty nice, was occasionally misty, windy and brisk. We bundled up pretty good during the rest breaks. But then the sun would come out, and it would OK again.
At 6 pm, after five hours of delightful surroundings and explorations in the basin, we bailed down the trail, so that the tough parts would be done in the fading daylight. By 7 pm were on the traversing section safe and sound, so we took a break to let it get nice and dark for the headlamps. We got back to the bikes at 8:30 and made quick work of the mile back to the car. I've always avoided this hike due to the toughness factor, and it was pretty tough, around 8 miles of hiking (plus 2 of biking) and my estimate of 3,400 ft gain/loss round trip plus explorations. But the rewards far outweighed the effort.
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