The Tapto Lakes Tour, Planning For The Big One
I usually don’t send out advance information about hikes but the upcoming backpack trip the first week of August is such an epic undertaking that it warrants a preface to the story. First of all, this trip has been my number one “trips I must do someday” ever since I first read about the area we are heading for. The approach had more distance and elevation gain than any trip I have ever attempted which is why I kept putting it off. With age slowly chipping away at my abilities, the time has come to make this one happen.
My dear wife, being smarter than I am has decided this trip sounds too hard so a new team has been forged for this special event. Of course Neighbor Greg is going. I’ve really only known Greg for less than ten years but I would venture to say that I’ve logged more trail miles with him than any other person I’ve ever hiked with. Also along for the ride is Mike (the Mountain Goat) Kent who was my mentor back in Colorado when I first decided climbing mountains sounded like something fun to do. He was the one who led me up Maroon Bells on a trip when we climbed four 14ers in seven days and still ranks as maybe the most amazing backpack trip I’ve ever done. The fourth member of this team is my dear friend Harry Baumgardner who as far as I know has never backpacked in his life. While a trip of this magnitude might be biting off way too much for a normal human being with no experience, Harry is not your normal human being. He is strong as an ox from years of construction and he is wired slightly more on the energetic side to be polite. He will have no problem keeping up. A group of closer friends I could not ask for and the chemistry between the four of us will be great.
So the trip will require seven days to complete and cover somewhere around sixty miles. The amount of elevation gain is hard to say but is easily over 6,500’ . Our route will take us over Hannegan Pass, then up and along the entire length of Copper Ridge, way down to the Chilliwack River, up Brush Creek to Whatcom Pass, even higher to the main event, Tapto Lakes Basin and even a 14 mile side trip along the Mount Redoubt High Route, affectionately known as “Sublime Ridge” for good reason.
So stay tuned friends and family. Send us your healthy thoughts and I will report back to you, hopefully with some amazing photos after our return.