Lake Stuart Backpacking: 4 June 2022
The weather this year has really been interesting, we are still experiencing tons of snow at elevation, and we have had a significant amount of rain as well!
This clearly has impacted the backpacking planning for 2022. My hiking partner and I have been planning multiple trips based on weather, snow conditions, road conditions and trail conditions.
For example this weekend was supposed to be a summer car camping trip, testing out my new paddleboard, and hoping to catch some fresh trout, instead the weather predicted rain all weekend.
We did notice that due to the snow conditions, a large number of Enchantments permits were available, and using Mountain forecast we were able to plan a backpacking trip with tight weather windows. This was a risky plan, but we just could not miss an opportunity to snag the permits ..lol We got a Stuart Permit, and knew rain would be present, but there would also be small windows of cloud.
The road to Stuart Lake trailhead is open, and suitable for most 2wd vehicles. The trail up to the junction of Colchuck Lake is clear of snow, and has only blowdown, its in great shape, with a few muddy spots.
Once you get to the junction, and continue to Lake Stuart, there are patchy snow, deep postholes, and risky snow bridges, with lots of fast flowing "undersnow creeks" Careful traversing is required.
Also, we counted 39 blow downs to the lakes campsites. The trail nearing the lake, pretty much a small creek, so be prepared for waterlogged shoes unless you are using mid boot waterproof and gaitors.
We also found large bodies of stagnant water, which allowed the mosquitoes to be out! Hence bug spray is necessary.
We only saw one group leaving the lake that had camped overnight, with rain all three days. We saw 2 groups day hiking, one set seems to have missed the Colchuck turn, and wanted directions to the "thru hike" I had to ask if they were joking or genuinely lost!! Apparently they were lost, we directed back and explained that from Horseshoe lake there is no "thru hike" and that the hike they were looking for was the junction about 2 miles back. I hope they made it safely.
I am so glad we setup up the rain shelter, as it allowed us to cook and eat in a lovely dry area, and with the fog rolling in over lake, it provided quite a surreal, gloomy backdrop!, I will certainly remember this fondly. Now, in saying that, this was "type 2 fun" cold ( 32f and below with a chill of 5 ), wet ( we had rain constantly falling from 4pm all the way to 7am ), so I can say I am happier now :)
We quickly packed in the rain, (the bluesky lasted for about 10mins, then the rain started again!)
We knew thunderstorms were predicted at around 12pm, hence we wanted to be off the trail by 11am.Coming back through the slush snow, and navigating the flooded path, blow down, which required significant effort to climb over or go around, especially with a 35pound backpack was torturous!
We met tons of day hikers and backpackers on the way back, hopefully they planned well!
One of the things I love best about this type of adventure was, we basically camped at an Alpine lake with now other backpackers nearby!! How lucky was this!?? Colchuck is a great lake, and I love it, but this experience was kind of uplifting :)
It makes you really think about your luxuries at home, the warm shelter, hot water, no bears!
Oh my hiking partner did see the back of a medium sized animal walking away from the site in the early hours, we know it was not a deer, as it had a more fury / fluffy coat, and was quite fat, possibly a big dog, but we do know dogs are not allowed, we did not see and other hikers around. so who knows....
Of course, I do enjoy a nice meal after a trip like this, off to https://heidleburger.com/ it was ! With a cheeseburger, curly fries, tator tots and a banana shake, we were in heaven. We always have great service there, and the burgers are great, this time the curly fries were slightly over done, but everything else was excellent!
The drive back to Seattle was entertaining, with thunderstorms, heavy rain, sunshine, and tons of traffic on i90..
The cleaning of gear begins, washing and drying the tent, shelter, then wiping down and airing the sleepbag, mat etc is a must. We spend a ton of money for this gear and you want to ensure its in the best shape, and always ready for the trip!!
Happy Adventures !!
Trail: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/lake-stuart
General gear: https://lighterpack.com/r/o07mnp ( I customized these lists based on the conditions ) example no ice axe for this trip.
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