I didn't think it was going to be that hard. After all, I'd been training and this was my third backpack of the season. The hardest part is that Leavenworth was 100F that day and the trail started not too far out of town. Mark, his girlfriend Amy, and I started at the Chatter Creek trailhead at 10:30 a.m. It was already hot. The trail was steep and brushy. We took a break near a creek after hiking for only 45 minutes.
After that the breaks continued to be frequent. The trail was relentless. We knew we had a fair amount of elevation gain but I chose to not think about it until we were well on the trail. Chatter Creek begins at 3000'. Lake Edna is 6700'. There's about a 400' descent then a 700' ascent from a saddle way up the trail.
The wildflowers and scenery were gorgeous on the way up. We hiked, took breaks, took pictures, drank all our water, were grateful to get to the saddle, lamented the descent, then eventually wondered if we missed a turn when we were still not at the lake after 45 minutes. The trail disappeared in the meadows then reappeared. A final down log nearly stopped my forward progress but then a final hill top and we were at the lake. Elevation gain: approximately 4100'.
The bugs were relentless until a storm rolled in and the wind howled for a few hours. It didn't rain, which was a major blessing. The wind quieted down in the middle of the night. I got up and looked at the amazing stars. Nothing like a clear sky away from city lights.
Just before dawn I heard hoofprints near my tent. I couldn't tell whether it was a goat or deer. Then some chipmunks came out to rustle around in the shrubs. Mark started making coffee around 6:30. No more sleeping.
After breakfast we packed up and started the long descent into Index Creek. We came across a crew of volunteers who were surveying the campsites along the network of trails. They were college students from the east coast. We continued the 2000' climb out of the creek to a pass that divided the creek drainage from Carter Lake. There was somewhat of a descent down into the lake basin. We took a lunch break there until it suddenly started raining.
The rain only lasted a very short time. We had another 1000' to climb to the highest point on the whole hike. The trail was very steep, out in the open, and the footing was loose. Amy took breaks in the shade whenever there was an opportunity. I made it to the saddle first as I was feeling pretty good in spite of the previous day's effort. It did my heart good to gain the saddle and see beautiful Lake Augusta below. Mark and Amy arrived at the saddle shortly after I did and we walked down to the lake together.
There were fewer bugs and the lake was darn cold but we all chanced a swim anyway. After setting up camp, filtering water, there was time for a nap before dinner. Our elevation gain for that day was around 3300' so a nap was well-deserved. The lake was so clear we could see trout swimming. Goats were up high on the side of Big Jim Mountain on the north side of Lake Augusta. There was only one other tent up there, which probably isn't surprising since it was Sunday. The meadows didn't look trampled, as if the lake doesn't see many visitors. It's a minimum of 8 miles in and 4000' of elevation so the crowds likely choose less daunting destinations.
Night fell and the lights from the town of Cashmere were visible down the drainage. That was pretty cool. Plus the stars came out. It was incredibly peaceful and quiet. I slept much better than the night before with the wind and animal noises. Here are the pictures (mostly of wildflowers).