4

On Tuesday I hiked back up to Snow Lake and then beyond, a 7.8 mile round trip with 1520 feet of elevation gain.  There I reached the highest point of my trip, at 6400 feet.

Temperatures stayed in a comfortable 60's-70's range.  At night it dropped as low as 45 but quickly warmed up as soon as the sun came up.  I was cozy and warm in my down sleeping bag.

Throughout my trip, I saw a dizzying amount of spectacular scenery.  Around every turn was something that seemed even more incredible than the one before it, and the waterfalls always dazzled me the most.  

I lost count of how many waterfalls I saw.  

On Wednesday I packed up and hiked back to the trailhead, 5.9 miles.  It was all downhill, but difficult because every muscle was sore and tired.  At the end I had hiked a total of 23.4 miles and gained 5620 feet in elevation.

While driving back to Seattle, I couldn't resist stopping for a little more alpine wonder at Deception Falls, along the Tye River.  I don't know what is deceptive about these; they are spectacular!

Here the Tye River hits a wall of solid rock and abruptly turns 90 degrees, a very unusual but natural formation.

And that concludes an incredible trip!
I can't wait until next year!