One of the most beautiful trails and earliest outdoor adventures of my recent memory was Snoqualmie Pass’ Melakwa Lake in Washington State.
It was a foggy 8am start, and I was bundled to the brim. I was heading into the mountains! Eight might not seem too early, but it is for the sleepy-eyed, and I hesitate to dampen hiking activity with a schedule. But for some reason, this day was different. I had too many things to accomplish and not enough time — so I made a schedule — and, early rise and packed lunch included, I stuck to it.
I arrived at the Denny Creek trailhead at around 9am. As soon as I got onto the trail, the bright orange “fungus amongus” (Incubus tribute doubling as descriptive rhyme) woke me up. The ferns were also out in full-force; we’re blessed to live in a rainforest out here.
I continued on toward the roaring and looming beauty that is Denny Falls. A friend had suggested this hike (she once sat on its flat rocks and bantered while a friend strummed a guitar), so I was psyched. This waterfall is great, a treasure for little kids! The trip to Denny Falls is a short mile and a half, but my trip to Melakwa Lake would be 9 miles roundtrip.
With the morning mist swept over the hillside, the whole landscape seemed like a summer fairyland as I trudged over the creek and through the woods. I was the first on the path, by all known estimations, and enjoyed everything there was to see. I was told there would be even more waterfalls en route to Melakwa, so I was pumped!
Upon approaching more roar — was it just the I-90 Bridge tumbling overhead? No; it was another waterfall! But where? That was always the question. So much of my time was spent maneuvering off path in hopes to view a new Fall; the 2nd and 3rd Falls are named Keekwulee and Snowshoe.
After passing the 3 Falls, the fog cleared. Maybe it was just waterfall mist, after all. As I hiked the couple miles of rocky terrain and hillside switchbacks, the sun broke through the clouds and onto the valley. It was beautiful! This was the trek leading up to Hemlock Pass, connecting to the Lake. The forest is filled with large, beautiful Hemlock Trees.
A little wooden sign alerted me that I had finally reached my destination. I then sat down on a log and took in the full beauty of the alpine lake. At the same time I ate my energy-rich, prepared lunch of baked yams, strawberries and trail mix. Yum!
At this time, more hikers appeared and continued on around the lake’s edge for further exploring. As I mentioned before, I was somewhat on a schedule, and decided to accompany new trail buddies as they ran back down the switchbacks.
I stopped trailside a few times. This is what I saw!
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