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.

The forecasters said ""mostly sunny,"" but the sky seemed really gray. Near the Mountain Loop highway, droplets began to appear on our windshield. ""Just fog,"" my hiking buddy, Blue Towel, suggested hopefully. I was not convinced. But when we parked at Barlow Pass, the droplets had ceased and blue sky was appearing above us. We shouldered our day packs, hiked a mile up the road toward Monte Cristo and, a few feet short of the first bridge, located the Weden Creek / Gothic Basin trailhead on the right. This was our first experience with this trail, and its legendary steepness did not manifest for the first half mile, just gentle ups and downs. Finally, the uphill switchbacks did begin. Steep, yes, but fortunately well shaded, since overhead the clouds were vanishing and the sun was becoming more intense. Footing remained good, if occasionally stony. Eventually, the trees thinned out and rock faces began to appear. The trail leveled off, became much more rocky, and contoured around to the left, crossing three narrow canyons in close succession. Earlier in the season, with snow or high runoff, these might be challenging, but were trivial today. After climbing a bit more, we crossed two additional side canyons. One of them, now completely dry, must have been the famous ""King Kong's Shower."" In the spring a refreshing dip, no doubt, but today just a fantasy. The way became steeper yet, and more rudimentary, alternating between rugged trail and easy scramble (""scrail""? ""tramble""?). This went on much longer than we expected then, abruptly, crossed a ridge top and we found ourselves in Gothic Basin. Along the way wildflowers were scarce: the usual remnants of foamflower and pearly everlasting, the odd Canadian dogwood, an occasional daisy or aster, a single gentian, a penstemon, and a bit of heather. Blueberries too were scarce, at least within sight of the trail. In the basin to our left, two small tarns were visible and, a few steps to our right, a larger tarn. But our goal was Foggy Lake, much larger, and a few hundred feet higher up toward Gothic Peak. South of the tarn, two cairns suggested a route around the south side of a large dome and, while we found no additional cairns that way, we did scramble a stony route easily to reach Foggy Lake. Three hours had passed since we left Barlow Pass. (As we discovered on our descent, an easier route, marked by several cairns, is available beginning around the north side of the tarn.) Despite its name, Foggy Lake, in its rocky basin between del Campo and Gothic Peaks was quite pleasantly sunny. In the distance, bits of ""fog"" could be seen, flowing beyond Foggy Pass and creeping up over the southern shoulder of Gothic Peak. This made for interesting changes of lighting and scene (upper photo). The rocks here were fascinating and diverse, with many colors and textures, many showing glacial striations, and some with colorful lichen (lower photo). As a complement, the water of the lake was a beautiful deep green, reflecting the surrounding peaks and clouds. The distant views east also were incredible, with Sheep Gap mountain, and many other peaks in full view. After some exploration, a bit of leisurely lunch, and lots of looking we began our return trip, with some regret. We hope to return again with overnight gear to experience this place at different times of day, and have much more time for exploration. One final note: On this beautiful, almost-October day, we had Gothic Basin and Foggy Lake completely to ourselves.

Ted, Foobee and I thought we'd use Ted's extra day off from work to get up into Gothic Basin. Foobee invited her friend, Spickett, to join us. Ted had attempted to reach the basin back in May. That turned out to be a rather wet trip since it rained most of the day. Ted claims that his backpack drank more water than he did. I'm glad I didn't go on that trip even though Ted said it was quite fun. Anyways, they didn't make it to the basin due to the rain and the snowy slopes. As usual, I rode up the trail hanging onto Ted's pack. Foobee and Spickett dragged Ted and I up the trail pulling on their leashes. Once you hit the switchbacks, be prepared for a climb. The trail is pretty durned steep all the way to the top. Except for the steepness, the trail is in pretty good shape right now. Actually, it is in much better shape than it was back in May. Near the top, we started seeing blueberries. This was quite a problem for Ted and I. Nothing seems to slow us down more than a field full of tasty blueberries. As such, we were well off of our normal pace going up. Once we topped the pass into Foggy Lake, the steep trail was so worth the effort. The rock formations up there are fantastic. We stopped and ate lunch sitting on a rock overlooking Foggy Lake. Once again, Ted forgot to bring some bear chow, so he had to listen to my empty stomach rumble. I decided to just suck it up since Ted had carried me up the hill and probably needed his sandwich to get me back down. While Ted ate, Foobee and Spickett ran around on the rocks having a grand time. After lunch, we headed up the rocks to check out Gothic Basin proper. On the way up, Foobee wasn't paying attention to where Ted and Spickett were heading. She thought she'd take a short cut straight up some rocks, but didn't quite make it. She ended up taking a pretty good fall instead and doing a face plant. She got up, shaked it off and then caught up to us. The scramble up to Gothic is much easier than it looks and really isn't any steeper than the main trail, so don't let it scare you away from the awesome view of the Basin and the lake that it contains. By the time we all got back to the truck, Foobee was done. She's getting a little old for the long and steep hikes. Spickett, on the other hand, was still bouncing around like the young pup she is. We failed to completely wear her out. I think Ted was done too after two days of trail work, a day of paddling the canoe and a day of hiking. What a way to top off a great extended weekend. I'd post some pictures, but Ted had a bad case of cranial rectal inversion and forgot the memory card for the digital camera. We won't mention all the other things he forgot on this trip...

Spent two nights in the Basin. The trail up was in the best shape I've ever seen, but it's still a very rough go. Del Campo was totally devoid of snow and many of the small ponds in the basin were dried up. Very little bug activity in the basin, but any time you stopped on the way up you were inundated with biting flies.

Even in the early morning the trudge up to Gothic Basin was hot, steep, and rough. On the way up the only relief came from the cool streams (more than a trickle but not full strength either) and the almost ripe blueberries. Lonesome hiking on the trail - a couple of backpackers and a few day hikers (though there was a lunch time crowd pacing the Monte Cristo Road). The basin, as shown in the picture, is as grand and picturesque as always. The other picture is what one gets when one sticks a camera down a large log whose center has rotted away (leaving a cylinder of bark and a hiding place for young plants). Five and a half hours of sweat to Foggy Lake and back to Barlow Pass. Trail is in the best shape I've seen it (though that's not saying much - it's still rough and ragged). Only a few bugs but they weren't much bother. Hiked all morning without seeing any wildlife - then I returned to my house to find that an owl had moved in under the gables.