Rainy Pass to Stevens Pass, 1979 - page 22

Lake Valhalla

Earlier on in the trip there really hadn’t been that many lakes along the trail. I'd had to go off several miles to get to Lyman and Image lakes. This Lake Valhalla was really jammed into this cleft under Lichtenberg Mountain and the trail skirted its shore. I didn't have time to stop; I just took a quick drink, snapped more photos, and dashed up the last ridge.

The trail then drop down into a meadow, rounded the shoulder of the mountain, dropped into more little meadows and finally came out onto a limited access road.

Since Valhalla was only 6 miles from Stevens Pass (and it was all downhill) I figured to make the pass in two hours, or by 6 PM. I was there at 5:45 PM.

Access road leading to Stevens Pass

It was raining as I reach the café. I saw Marj's pickup and thought, ‘Hooray – they're here!” But they weren't in it, nor in the café. Then I saw the note on the windshield saying they had gone up the trail to meet me.

Crap! I couldn't believe it. I knew there was no way I could've have missed them. And they hadn't even left the truck open so I could stow my gear. I put on my wool pants and down jacket and sat down in front of the café, which was now closed. I wasn't about to chase up the trail to try and find them – not with 19-miles already under my feet today.

A young couple came over to talk to me. They'd just bought this old bus and driven it up to the pass where they'd obtained seasonal employment at the ski lodge. They said Marj had asked about me at the café. Then they told me that if no one came back for me I could stay in their bus. That was nice; at least it meant I'd have a warm, dry place to sleep.

But at 7 PM, Marj and Micki and the rest of the troop came rolling into the parking lot. It seems they had gone up the wrong road, finally ending up at Skyline Lake. After a quick look around, they beat feet to get back to the pass by 7 PM. As the rain began to fall more heavily we piled into the truck and headed back to town.

– End adventure!