Page 15: Waptus Lake

Clouds take on the last glow as night falls on Waptus Lake.

Sunday, Day 9
Deep Lake, 1:15 PM

I shot several photos of some dramatic clouds over Waptus Lake last night, along with a few of our camp so you can get a feel for the glory of the cold wetness.

Clouds reflected in the cold waters of Waptus Lake.

Micki did real well today. From Waptus Lake to Deep Lake it's about 6 1/2 miles with roughly a 1400' elevation gain. So in comparison to what we've already covered, it was an easy day. I carried Micki's pack, so she was totally unencumbered and able to frisk up the trail while Mica and I trudged behind. Plus, the trail was mostly in forest and not very rocky, so it was easier on her paws.

Deep Lake, from trail up to Cathedral Pass. Waptus Lake lies in that valley waaaay in the distance.

We set up camp under menacing black clouds, then took refuge inside the tent before the rain started. I spend some time going over my maps again, then we had lunch inside the dry, semi-warm tent as it sprinkles lightly outside.  The pups had dog food for their extravagant luncheon, while I had Cherry Kool-Aid. I'm thinking about going whole-hog and mixing up some lemon pudding, too.

Tomorrow we will do our 7.5 miles to Fish Lake, and see how that goes. It's a goodly climb of about 1,200' up to Cathedral Pass and then down the other side. The plan is to camp at the Cle Elum River Campground. It'll be Monday, so most of the weekends ought to be packed up and gone.

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