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Into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness

10K views 44 replies 18 participants last post by  15130 
#1 ·
Over Labor Day I finally made it into the Alpine lakes Wilderness coming from the Eastside. The initial hike in was right around 10 miles with about 5500 feet of elevation gain. We got a late start on day one so we had to camp in a ghost forest at about 6000'. That was truly an epic camping spot. The next day we started the hike into the lake. A faulty GPS unit led us the wrong way. Fortunately we only went the wrong way for a mile or two. Unfortunately we descended 1000' in that time. After we figured out that we were going into the wrong valley we finally climbed back up to 7100' and made our way up to the lake. We were rewarded with picturesque alpine meadows and some of the best fishing I have ever had. The lake was full of fat bright Westslope Cutthroat. The average size was about 12" which surprised me a bit since the lake was so high. The biggest was around 16", enough to a serious bend in a three weight. I also was able to land what to the best of my ability (judging by the marked color difference from the cutts and the white tipped fins) were several golden trout. All in all we did about 22 miles with 7000 feet of elevation gain. Next time I'll pack lighter than 65lbs.
Sky Mountain Cloud Natural landscape Larch
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Water Salmon-like fish Fisherman Fish Fishing
Salmon-like fish Water Fisherman Outdoor recreation Fish
 

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#4 ·
Most of the other fish that I caught were westies but they didn't have the white on the tips of the fins. I'm not a fish expert by any means....I just try to match photos. I know that this is a Golden and it looks very similar to me. Either way the fish were amazing.

 
#6 ·
The top two look like cutts the bottom one is a golden.
 
#7 ·
65#? !!! ? You throw a couple bricks in your pack for good measure? With all the super light backpacking gear these days, there's no reason to carry that much weight. Unless this was some kind of training exercise. Not to mention, that was a lot of elevation gain! Looks like a nice hike. How were the bugs?
 
#9 ·
65#? !!! ? You throw a couple bricks in your pack for good measure? With all the super light backpacking gear these days, there's no reason to carry that much weight. Unless this was some kind of training exercise. Not to mention, that was a lot of elevation gain! Looks like a nice hike. How were the bugs?
Seriously! Anything over 30lbs and I'm not a happy hiker. Did you have a case of beer in there?
 
#13 ·
...All in all we did about 22 miles with 7000 feet of elevation gain. Next time I'll pack lighter than 65lbs.
Yeah baby! You didn't mention how many days you were out. That's the kind of load I was lugging up into them thar hills for a week back in the good(?) old days. But heck, that's nothing.

From an article in the 'Times...
For many years, the Hoh Valley was home to John Huelsdonk, "The Iron Man of the Hoh," a Bunyanesque figure who shot more cougars, cut more firewood and carried heavier loads than any man who had ever lived - to hear the early settlers tell it. Around the turn of the century, Huelsdonk reportedly came upon a survey party while carrying a cast-iron stove he had bought in Forks. Asked if it wasn't awfully heavy, Huelsdonk reportedly replied that the stove wasn't bad "but the 100-pound sack of flour in the oven shifted around quite a bit."

I did invest in some good gear back then; a palatial Stephenson 3R tent (4 lbs) and Warmlight down bag (4 lb summer bag converts to 6.5 lb winter expedition bag; weights include the down-filled air mattress vs foam pad or Thermarest) were awesome for winter mountaineering and both could convert to be used in desert heat at the lightest weight possible. My recent backcountry fishing day trips with an Outcast Trinity prompted my buddy to get a "backpackable" 'toon and now he wants to do some overnight stuff before the season ends. With a bad hip I'm concerned about the weight of overnight gear (I think of Walter Brennan with every step). My Stephenson tent still works great and bivvies or his Megamid are options. But my body is getting old and I am seriously considering a shelling out the $460 for a Clark NX-250 Jungle hammock to use anywhere below timberline with my Warmlight bag or my Early Winters bag with a Space Blanket in the lining that together ought to weigh pretty close to 6lbs.
 
#15 ·
I hike into the Alpine lakes wilderness when I was in my forties, It was my first big back packing trip since I was a kid. It's a hell of a march and if I did it again I'd take more time. One thing to remember is they only allow a limited # of campers in at a time and you have to get a permit from the ranger station. That being said it is by far my favorite hike I have ever done. It's other worldly, and if your able you should do it once. We came in from the Icicle Creek side and it's about 11 miles to Leprecan lake where we set up camp. The cuts would hit anything buggy and the fishing was good. Lots of goats and little peak to scamble up,it's an absolutely jewel and should be treated as such. I had a borrowed ill fitting pack, way to much gear and a full sized fly rod. Even with all of that it was well worth the effort.

Enjoy,
but treat with reverance
 
#19 ·
Salmon-like fish Fish Oncorhynchus Fisherman Water

i'd say no, but i'm not sure what it is myself. looks like a cutt-bow with westy genes. but i'm no expert. the spots are very spaced ahead of the tail like a westy, but otherwise it reminds me of some wild bows i catch regularly. still, the red band is not very pronounced, and the white fin tips are there also. not sure what you've got there, but it's lovely.
 
#34 ·
on the other hand i caught this very dark bow from a log jam on the same stream and couldn't help noticing it's fins.

View attachment 18548
I think this is a coastal cutt from a tannic stained stream. I have one such stream in my annual routine and the fish look just like that. The upper jaw extending past the eye plus spotting over most of the body are the clues. That pink/brown rainbow-ish stripe is also common on coastal cutts.
 
#24 ·
I caught fish like this down in kern just like that one
 
#25 ·
I like that dark one you got don't you love wild trout doesn't get any better
 
#29 ·
Got him in a lake outlet high up in the mountains on the east side. It's a golden I think this guy said he takes fingerlings up there.
 
#31 ·
That's what a outlet is its between to small lakes.
 
#32 ·
The bigger one is from a different place
 
#36 ·
Those all look like coastal cutts from tannic stained water to me. On the other hand, when coastal cutts and rainbows hybridize, it gets really tricky, and there could be some rainbow in those fish. My strictly amateur eye makes me think the fish in your lower-right photo might have some rainbow genes. I could easily be over-ruled by one of our resident fish biologists though.
 
#38 ·
Those all look like coastal cutts from tannic stained water to me. On the other hand, when coastal cutts and rainbows hybridize, it gets really tricky, and there could be some rainbow in those fish. My strictly amateur eye makes me think the fish in your lower-right photo might have some rainbow genes. I could easily be over-ruled by one of our resident fish biologists though.
i'd love others to chime in as well. the fish in the upper left and lower right are the same fish. i have assumed they were bows and i am still inclined to think so. i posted a couple of these on another thread that preston chimed in on and so far no one has suggested cutts but you, but that wasn't really the question on that particular thread. i could easily imagine them as cutt-bows if an expert suggested it, but i still think the overall feel of the body, mouth, and coloration is that of a rainbow. these fish are small but out of this world beautiful and i haven't personally seen others like them in any washington stream but the one i caught them in. might have to head back out there again tonight!

btw, lugan, while we're at it - this fish also came from the same stream but was much larger. seems like a bow to me also, what's your impression?

Watch Fish Fisherman Fishing Brown trout
 
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