“Let’s go backpacking!” I said one day to my best friend and partner in crime - my husband. Most of the time he is quite agreeable with my ideas, which is noteworthy for the sole fact I average probably at least 10 of those a day. Not all of them come to fruition right away and some are just… not that great, but we’ve done lots of dispersed camping this year and do our best to stay fit so backpacking seemed like a natural next step. This year I am obsessed with Cascade Mountains in Washington State, specifically the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area. The plan was to drive to Marmot and Jade lake trailhead area and camp (night 1), leave early and hike to Marmot Lake (night 2), go to Jade and hike around it, then back to Marmot (night 3), then return home Sunday.

On the labor day weekend when we planned our trip, Oregon was on fire and we stayed home. The air eventually cleared and forecast showed a beautiful weather for the first week of October so we jumped at that last window of opportunity. We had hardly any light weight, suitable gear for backpacking. I googled packing list for backpackers and we began assembling our set. After several trips to REI and to a friend’s house, we were set with a borrowed tent and couple of other small items. We figured big purchases can wait until we know for sure backpacking is the “fun” type of fun, or perhaps “it’s fun, will never do it again” type.

Oh boy, was it the former! Other than obscenely spectacular views, stunning fall colors, huckleberries everywhere you reach and absolutely perfect weather, the serenity and simplicity of life charmed us from the start. The limitation of “stuff” we brought with us made it for fewer choices and simpler pleasures. Backpacking gave us the most valuable commodity of our modern day - time (oh, and did I mention the huckleberries??)

Our first night was near the trailhead to get an early start. The following morning adrenaline got us out of sleeping bags at 6am (and we are not early risers!) and…

*We happily headed to the Tucquala Meadows Trailhead*

We walked the first 2.5 miles and arrived at a stunning morning fog over Hyas Lake where we took some photos and I took my boots off, noting a blister forming in the middle of my foot. Cute city boots with thin soles were my worse decision that trip. I clearly haven’t put much thought into my footwear and paid the price. Lesson learned!

*Looking at blisters and a view of Hyas Lake, WA*

We continued for another mile and then began to ascend. It wasn’t dramatic, just up and up... Being moderately fit, we would normally walk/hop/jog most of such hike and consider it a pleasant workout. Having backpacks on our backs made all the difference. When our legs started burning we decided to slow down and enjoy the nature around us rather than rush to the top as we normally do. We eventually made a stop for some snacks near fallen trees that allowed us to rest out backpacks higher up so we didn’t have to lift them when putting them back on. We picked a perfect spot and we were not alone!!

*Birds were so tame, this one sat on my hand, clearly looking for his share of our snack!*

We pushed further uphill and arrived at a beautiful meadow, exploding with fall colors and huckleberries galore! This significantly slowed our pace again but we could not pull ourselves away from the fruit. So different than store bought or farmed. Each of those small berries pleased with a rainbow of flavors, and colored purple everything on its way (namely our hands and clothes).

*Some serious mushroom business, this is Aminita mascaria, deadly poisonous but with style!*

During our hike we crossed many creeks. Waterproof boots would have been nice, it was quite easy to get our feet wet. The beauty of the falls was distracting enough to forget wet socks and blisters.

*One of the many creeks on the way to the top.*

Overall the hike wasn’t difficult or scary, but with backpacks we were quite happy to arrive at last at the beautiful and peaceful Marmot lake. We made in a littler over 5 hours and at 2:30pm there were still few official campsites left. Official, because after some time tents showed in some less expected places. Overall Marmot lake has plenty of spaces for camping without camping on the beach (setting up within 200 feet from shore is forbidden to protect wildlife).

Wilderness campsites felt different also. We hardly interacted but everyone kept volume down, no late night parties, early to bed and early to rise and yet we all shared the ever-present and unspoken awe and respect to the nature around us.. or at least I choose to believe that.

Our campsite was perfect.. We kicked off our boots, and replaced them with flipflops (so happy we brought those!). After setting up our tent and filtering water from crystal clear lake, we cooked our first freeze dried backpacking dinner. We had spicy Pad Thai and spaghetti. Spaghetti was the best of all packets we tried, and Thai left fire in our mouths. (Note to self - stir those dinners really well after adding water. Then stir again, REALLY well.) After dinner we had some lavender tea and rested at the campsite while listening to an audio book. Campfires were forbidden (meanwhile half of California was on fire) so after dark when the temperature dropped we continued the audio book in the tent but quickly crashed after an eventful day. We both slept very well that night.

The next morning we woke up feeling relaxed and well rested. My feet felt much better especially after I applied a blister gel on one of them. We emptied one of our backpacks and put few snacks, first aid kit and water in it, then headed for the full day at Jade Lake. The climb to Jade was relatively steep, but not too scary. It would have been a challenge to tackle with full weight backpacks on, especially on the way down. It seems actually quite easy to get lost before you get to the ascend. We walked along Marmot lake and passed few similar looking, rocky ascends. You must walk all the way until the very end of the lake, then go up. Here is the view from the bottom

*Going from the top down is a bit more intimidating and proved a bit more challenging, but fine without bags.*

Once at the top, the trail got flat and again, the fall colors amazed all hikers, we also passed a few smaller lakes on the way, overall it was “perfectly splendid” ;)

And finally after one mile that definitely felt like at least two, we were rewarded with a breathtaking view of Jade lake. I gasped…!

*Jade Lake - in the background ascend to Pea Soup Lake*

We set up our light weight chairs and had a lovely lunch by the lake sending loud “ahoy!” across the lake to hear the coolest echo ever (one that comes back like a boomerang after a couple of seconds). We also quickly realized that what we thought was a solitude in fact wasn’t - there were few other hikers just behind rocks next to us trying to admire the lake in peace :D. We quickly apologized and ate in silence afterwards (and a little embarrassment). We then hiked around the lake and found a great view of the lake from the top of the hill.

*Stunning beauty of Jade lake from one of the surrounding hills.*

We got a good view at Cathedral Rock and many fallen rocks

After a full day we headed back to Marmot lake in the mid-afternoon. At a campsite, my husband surprised me with two small plastic bottles of wine he took as a surprise, so we celebrated our adventure and happily climbed into our sleeping bags for our final night.

The next morning (Sunday) we didn’t want to rush and left the campsite around noon. Most of the hikers have left by then and we enjoyed hiking down in solitude, stopping for… of course, the huckleberries! The return proved brutal on my poor feet and I nearly crawled the last mile. Outside the shoe mistake, the trip was fabulous and I am sure, one of many we will take. One last look at the Jade lake from the other side..

*Sending now silent ‘Ahoys’ across the lake*

BACKPACKING (our first!) at Jade Lake, WA

ETHIOPIA and its OMO VALLEY - Part I