Scouting Out Rachel Lake

Looking west, across Gold Creek.

4 PM, Thursday
July 30, 1983 – Day Five
Rampart Lakes

We just got back from Alta Pass. At least, I think that's where we were.  The map has Alta Pass located where Park Pass should be.   I think.  Anyhow, we were at a pass below Alta Peak.

Those guys I met on the way in were wrong!  It would be strenuous and very time-consuming, but there is definitely a route there.  One would have to lose quite a bit of elevation down towards Gold Creek to avoid traversing a dangerous snowfield with cliff bands below, but it most definitely could be done.

(By the way, here's an interesting historical note for you. Up at the headwaters of Gold Creek, below the new section of the PCT climbing towards Park Pass, lies the site of a mining claim that was worked by David Denny, one of the founders of Seattle!)

We left camp at 11:45 AM under patchy blue skies sprinkled with gray clouds.  I took my time, stopping frequently to snap pictures. I figured this was the last time that I would be here – at least on this trip.

I would like to go to Park Lakes, maybe on Labor Day or even on my birthday.  (If I could work out a three-day weekend with UPS.)   Maybe I will spend my September vacation week working out the route from Spectacle Lake to Lila Lake.

All-in-all, it was a very pleasant little day hike. Our task was to find the trail down to Rachel Lake and follow it down to find suitable campsites for three tents.  (My incoming pickup party is going to be a tad bit larger than usual.)  We never did find the trail but followed game trails and found a route that was not too difficult.  But it was messy and frustrating because of the mandatory back-tracking to find the route of least resistence.

I found a passable route between two cliff bands that was sort of exciting for a while. We got safely down to the lake and poked around until I discovered where the trail started.  Swell!  I figured we would just follow it back up and go ‘home’ the easy way.

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