13.5 miles of hiking • 3500' elevation gain •
Late start! The day started cloudy. Got to the trailhead at 2pm, and it was all of a sudden 81° and stinky humid. Thought a rainforest might be a decent refuge. What I'd neglected to find out, maybe I'm the only one who didn't know this?, is that the Soda Peaks Trail is akin to the Defiance Trail for long runs. Ai yi yi...! Thank goodness Harleigh was there to help pull me up the mountainside.
Didn't see another soul the whole way up. Two guys and a couple kids were fishing, swimming, and camping up there. Very nice lake. We walked about halfway around before finding a nice place to have a 5pm "lunch." Harleigh loved his peanut butter sandwich! In fact, it so energized him, I think next time I'll just give him half and save the other half in case he starts wearing out. (Something he's yet to do, while still on the trail!)
After completing our lake circle tour, we continued on up the trail towards the saddle, hoping to find a user trail to one or both of the Soda Peaks. Alas, we hit our turnaround point (6pm) before getting all the way up there, and headed back down. Really didn't want to chance the bugs as night fell, and it was looking a bit like thunderstorms may be moving in.
Grueling, but enjoyable, walk in the woods!
