Day 1: Getting to the Trailhead (aka the crux of the trip) and Spider Meadows
Our annual Labor Day backpacking trip got off to a strong start when Katie realized she forgot her shoes and I forgot my climbing helmet right as we were pulling into the Phelps Creek Trailhead. Sigh. after a three hour round trip back to Leavenworth to buy new gear while navigating the razor-sharp rocks of the road both ways we were finally gearing up (with Katie’s brand-new trail runners and my shiny new helmet) and ready to go. We were pretty far behind schedule so we cruised as fast as we could to Spider Meadows, getting there just as darkness set in.
Day 2: Spider Meadows to Lyman Lakes
In the morning, we enjoyed the morning sun in the meadows and some of the cleanest Labor Day air we had seen in years. It was going to be a good day.
We then shouldered the packs and made the pleasant walk across the meadows before starting to climb steeply up to Larch Knob. At the top of this rocky climb, we were rewarded with some of the most plentiful berry picking I have had in the mountains. Yum!
The climb up to Spider Gap is generally a snow climb on a small dying glacier or permanent snowfield, but this late in the season it was a basically a jumbled pile of rocks with the sad remains of a glacier remaining in parts. We picked our way through loose rubble, eventually hopping on to snow and bare ice for a bit, before climbing more choss up to the gap. The route up to Spider Gap is much more pleasant when snow covered, we discovered!
The view from the gap is inspiring, with glaciers coming down from the north face of Chiwawa, feeding into the Lyman Lakes basin. More choss was on the menu for us, as we picked our way steeply down to Upper Lyman Lake. Once in the basin, travel became much more pleasant. We picked up the well-worn trail and began meandering through beautiful meadows with still-green larches and big views. Bonanza is particularly striking from Lyman Lakes area.
Before long, we were beginning our descent to Lower Lyman, where we made camp in a nice site in the woods near the north shore of the lake. The remaining part of the evening was spent relaxing and exploring the lake. Lower Lyman is incredibly shallow and silty near its shore, so we ended up walking way out into the lake in no more than 6 inches of water, which was a fun experience.
Day 3 North Star climb and return to Larch Knob
The next morning, I woke up early and began hiking up the trail to Cloudy Pass by headlamp. It was easy walking, and it was soon light enough to lose the headlamp. I picked up a bootpath and followed it as it made its way towards North Star basin. Travel was easy and open, with awesome views back down to Lyman Lakes backed by the impressive ridges emanating off Fortress and Chiwawa.
I began a rising traverse at around 6600’ picking my way through meadows and rock outcroppings and generally following the path of least resistance. Before long, I was climbing up to the notch below North Star’s summit tower and making the class 2ish scramble to the summit. Views were awesome, Bonanza was in your face, and Glacier Peak loomed in the distance.
I followed my same route back, plotting a return trip for Dark Peak one day, and was soon back to Cloudy Pass Camp and descended back to Lyman Lakes. There we had breakfast, before heading back up to relax and take in the view at Cloudy Pass for a bit. I think the view looking east from Cloudy Pass is one of my favorites in the Cascades.
Sadly, the time had come to pack up and head back up and over Spider Gap. The climb back up to the gap was hot and loose again, with some blessed snow to cool us down and provide firmer footing. On the other side, the “glacier” seemed to have further deteriorated even compared to the day before, so we stayed completely off any snow, skirting to the side of it the whole way down to Larch Knob.
The knob was fairly busy with other campers, but we found an awesome spot on a ledge overlooking the entire valley that was just big enough for our two-person tent.
Day 4: Larch Knob to the Trailhead
The next morning, we gorged ourselves on more berries at the knob before hiking steeply down to the meadow. It was another beautiful morning in Spider Meadows, and we made sure to appreciate the special place it is before diving back into the woods and finishing out the final 5 miles to the car.
Final Stats: 34.2 miles / 8478 feet of gain
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