We had planned long ago to do the High Divide hike in the Olympics with Catherine & David this weekend, but life intervened and we just weren't able to make that early Friday afternoon-to-late Sunday night time commitment. We opted for a quick, easy, one nighter, and somehow the group grew from 4 to 9. It was a lovely time to enjoy the outdoors and the company of so many friends. Cheers for friends who play outside with you!
Surprise Lake is off Highway 2, about 10 miles past Skykomish, a 5 mile (each way) hike with 2,700ft of elevation gain. Definitely not bad when you're only doing 5 miles each day. The trail was through some amazing woods, though with few views on the way up. The lake was large, clear and beautiful, though also with few views of surrounding mountains. The crowds were thin, and there were lots of camp sites right on the shore. We didn't get out of West Seattle until almost noon on Saturday and picked Chico up in Kenmore on our way up. Catherine, David, Sonja, Ben, Brad & Mike had left earlier that morning and secured a great camping spot! The three of us made our way up to the lake and successfully located the rest of the group. We swam, cooked, stargazed, strolled, and enjoyed the evening.
Weather was perfect, and the next morning we slept in and took our time with breakfast and coffee before making our way back down. I'm in SoCal again for the week, before we depart Saturday for Maui. Hooray!
Surprise Lake is off Highway 2, about 10 miles past Skykomish, a 5 mile (each way) hike with 2,700ft of elevation gain. Definitely not bad when you're only doing 5 miles each day. The trail was through some amazing woods, though with few views on the way up. The lake was large, clear and beautiful, though also with few views of surrounding mountains. The crowds were thin, and there were lots of camp sites right on the shore. We didn't get out of West Seattle until almost noon on Saturday and picked Chico up in Kenmore on our way up. Catherine, David, Sonja, Ben, Brad & Mike had left earlier that morning and secured a great camping spot! The three of us made our way up to the lake and successfully located the rest of the group. We swam, cooked, stargazed, strolled, and enjoyed the evening.
Chico's dive
Matt's leap
Brad cooking
Mike's gourmet dinner
Matt & Chico
Sonja & Ben - visiting from Chicago
First light on the hilltop
tent city - 4 tensts + a bivy
gourmet coffee courtesy of Sonja
Weather was perfect, and the next morning we slept in and took our time with breakfast and coffee before making our way back down. I'm in SoCal again for the week, before we depart Saturday for Maui. Hooray!
Chico, Matt, Cat, Sonja,Ben
switch! Mackenzie in the middle
Goodbye, Lake Surprise
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