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August
29, 2000
The
trail starts steep climbing through the woods and zigzags on the
slope for about 1.5 mile before it evens up for about 0.1 mile.
After crossing two creeks the trail gets steeper again, but your
efforts are rewarded by the views of the White Chuck River snaking
down in the valley and Glacier Peak rising up high. The trail is
heavily used and the last 0.7 mile suffered from erosion. Hiking
later in a season (late August - beginning September) will give
you a treat of the sweet blueberries. The trail crosses a creek
flowing down from Lake Byrne and quickly brings you to the lake
itself. The lake is beautiful with deep-blue water, that is so clear
you can see fish swimming in it. The lake is very popular and can
be crowded during weekends. Campfires are prohibited near
the lake. There are several campsites at the lake, but one on the
south-east shore provides a good view both of the lake and the valley.
From
Lake Byrne the trail continues on climbing at times steep for about
0.5 mile until it reaches a plateau, nicknamed "Siberia" for it
is a very seldom year when the snow melts down completely there
 .
On the way up for some time you will see Lake Byrne laying below
.
To cross "Siberia" look for stone cairns. Leaving the plateau (0.2
mile) the trail quickly descends (0.3 mile / 300 ft) to Camp Lake,
where it meets with Lost Creek Ridge
Trail #646. There are several nice campsites near the lake.
A goat trail leads to the peak (6345 ft) overlooking Camp Lake and
Lake Byrne, the valley and a good view of the Glacier Peak.
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