September 30, 2022 - Granite Mountain Revisited - 8.6 miles, 3,800' gain: My first trip up Granite Mountain was back in 2015, just before the blog was started. It was a much younger, and at least in my case, a much more fit crew back then. I don't even remember the grade as something to note while the little one in the picture is now a mountain climber/skier in her own right.
This time it was a solo hike with the hound (aka the pull unit) on a weekday and we were treated to some spectacular weather and fall colors. I never got to spot the owner but there were even mountain goat tracks that shared the trail in the big "meadow".
After you climb up from the blueberry meadows and through what is probably a pretty swampy area in the summer, you finally earn the 360° views at an old fire watch. In the WTA reviews of this hike I learned the shelter is due for a new roof and llamas were originally drafted to carry the shingles up but that fell through and much stronger hikers than myself took up the challenge of packing up the bundles.
* One hiking note if you are doing this one with dogs in the early fall, it was very dry after the first mile so packing extra water for the pups is recommended. Especially if the dog is responsible for pulling you up the mountain.
October 5th, 2022 - Snow Lake Revisited + Gem Lake - 10 miles, 2,200' gain: I was spoiled with back to back hiking weeks and decided to revisit Snow Lake (2016 fishing excursion) but also venture beyond to Gem Lake and maybe the Wildcat Lakes if time allowed (which it didn't). The trail starts in the Alpental ski resort parking lot and compared to the previous week, takes a very relaxed climb up into the rockier stuff. The large parking lot gets surprisingly full even on a fall weekday so if you are in the hunt for solitude, this is not the spot.
However, sometime enduring the crowds is just what you need to do to enjoy the epic views that WA has to offer. On this day, Snow Lake was stunning from all angles:
Right along the shore of the last picture were nice sized trout feeding, something I'll have to take advantage of on the next trip (its a little less than 7 miles round trip to reach this point). The trail follows the lake shore until you hit the outlet and then you slowly climb away to reach Gem Lake. All the views along the way are still looking down into the Snow Lake basin.
Gem Lake is maybe a tenth the size of Snow Lake and sits in a modest little hole. Maybe not a destination for its views alone but it filters out a good percentage of the hikers so we shared this lunch spot with one other dog and three other people.
I didn't have time to push on for another 3.5 miles (and 1,800' gain) to check off the Wildcats and still make daycare pickup so that will be another motivation to stay in trail shape for next fall.