A True Gold Medal Performance - The Olympics! LaCrosse Basin, 8.5.21 - 8.10.21, Part 2 of 3
“For every bear that ever there was
will gather there for certain because
today’s the day the Teddy Bears have their picnic” - Teddy Bear’s Picnic
Part of the challenge of this trip was the amount of miles and elevation gain required to even get to the where we wanted to be. The first two days were “approach days” but on our third day we hoped to hike up into the high alpine to Marmot Lake where we planned to base camp for three nights. Once there we would switch to our light days packs and do some exploring in an area considered by many to be the most beautiful spot in the Olympics. So far we’d been blessed with great weather. It had been mostly sunny and clear, warm but not too hot. The afternoon we had arrived at Upper Duckabush the camp was packed. There was a group of maybe a dozen taking up the bulk of the camp space and others had arrived before we did. We ended up in the last spot and it turned out to be fine as it was closest to the river for filtering water and away from the group. That evening three SAR folks arrived and showed us a photo flyer of the missing woman. They also tied white ribbons to the signs by the entrance to the campsites that were for her in case she wandered into the campground. It basically was asking her to contact the ranger station somehow if she saw it. We would see these ribbon messages in various spots along our hike.
DAY 3: 3.6 MILES, 1,650’ ELEVATION GAIN
Our luck with the weather ended at 5AM on Day 3 when I heard the patter of rain drops on the roof of my tent. We had another stiff climb ahead of us to Marmot Lake. The rain was really more like a misty drizzle so we were able to pack up without getting our gear wet. On the trail at 7:45AM, we immediately had to ford the Duckabush River. This was an easy rock hop before the path pointed uphill. It misted, drizzled or rained the entire day and there was simply no way to keep everything dry. We hadn’t felt like gaiters were necessary but our boots and hiking socks got soaked. So did my hat, pants and shirt (from humid sweat as much as the rain). Since we were soaked anyway there was not much need to wear our rain jackets. After about two and a half miles we came to another ford of the Duckabush, only this one was deeper and flowing faster than down lower. For this one we had to change into water sandals and do an actual ford. It really wasn’t too bad or particularly dangerous but added a little excitement to our drizzly day.
After the second ford we once again climbed in earnest. Luckily it was only another mile or so but we gained about 1,200’ along the way. At 11:30AM we arrived at the outlet to Marmot Lake. A little fishing around led us to a small ridge above the lake where we found a site with room for both tents and there we set up shop. My feet were pruned to the point of pain and I was soaked. We got the tents up fine and the rest of the afternoon it would alternate between drizzly rain and cloudy sunshine. I wanted to dry out my stuff but every time it seemed like the rain was stopping I would hang my wet stuff over my tent, rocks or a short tree, only to have the rain start again and resoak everything I had out. Despite the weather conditions, Greg was excited to be up at Marmot and wanted to go check out O’Neill Pass which was just over a mile away. I opted to chill in my tent and he made it to the pass and back in short order.
As the day approached dinner time and evening, the sun burned off much of the cloud cover and it started getting sunnier. It really wasn’t hot enough to dry everything out but it helped. Our camp on the ridge was a great spot. On one side we could look down on Marmot Lake which had a cool looking island in it. On the other side we could now see two huge peaks right across the headwaters of the Duckabush. One was called Mt. Duckabush and the other Mt. Steel. Between the two was a high hanging basin with waterfalls falling into it, very picturesque. We ended up have a great dinner spot right at the edge of a big cliff dropping down towards the river with great mountain views.
Marmot Lake
Our base camp on the ridge
The sun trying to burn off the clouds
Finally clear! The view from our “kitchen"
Mt. Steel
Mt. Jupiter and the Duckabush River Valley
DAY 4: 3 MILES, 500’ ELEVATION GAIN
Marmot Lake is a wonderful spot but it is really just the appetizer before the main course. Even higher, two other spectacular places await. We awoke to clouds swirling all around but at least the rain had stopped. We even got enough sunshine to dry out almost everything before heading out for the day. One half mile above Marmot Lake is a junction. The trail on the right leads to LaCrosse Basin and Lake LaCrosse. The trail on the left goes to another beautiful lake called Heart Lake, though some maps list it as Hart Lake. In addition to their famed beauty, this area is known to have a large population of black bears. It was one of my hopes that we might spot a bear during this trip.
Climbing above Marmot Lake we began to get views across to Mt. Steel and Mt. Duckabush as well as the Duckabush River Valley. Views were very limited however due to low clouds and fog rolling in and out. It was actually very mystical like what you would imagine the moors of England would be like in The Hound of the Baskervilles. Views would come and go, features would be clear and then fade into obscurity. Along the way, lovely stands of Beargrass dotted the hillsides. I was on high alert, knowing bears frequent the area. I even had my 300mm zoom lens attached in case I spotted one off on a hillside.
At the junction we veered off onto the Heart Lake Trail which gently meandered through parklands of white quartz and granite boulders intermingled with various wildflowers. Soon we came around a sharper bend in the trail and entered into the lake basin. Just ahead I saw two hikers which turned out to be a couple of guys we had met at the trailhead before the trip. I waved and they pointed to our left. Almost instinctively I knew they had spotted a bear. Greg and I turned to our left and after just a second to allow my eyes to adjust to the thick mist, no more than thirty yards from us stood a large black bear. His full body was sideways and he was looking right at us. His fur was so shiny and silky looking and he was a stunning sight to behold so close to where we were on the trail. I instantly dropped my hiking poles and reached for my camera but bears usually want nothing to do with us humans and before I could get even one shot off he had turned and began to waddle off in the opposite direction. I got a great shot of his butt and that was all, but that one instant where he was fully sideways with his head turned right towards us will forever be etched in my mind. He was absolutely beautiful.
The two guys were on their way out after having spent the previous night up there. Once they left Greg and I had the entire lake to ourselves. Heart Lake is deceivingly large. It sort of has two big parts that wrap around a bluff in a bit of a “U” shape. Where to go first? We decided to check out the path along the lakeshore that led to the outlet stream. Just before we reached the end of the lake I spotted our bear on the hillside beyond the outlet. He was going to town on the myriad of blueberries that grew all around the lake area. We slowly worked our way to the outlet and with our zoom lenses we were able to get a bunch of photos while he munched away. He would strip the berries right off the branches and then slowly work his way across and up the hillside. We must have watched him for over five minutes before he eventually made his way up and around the corner on the far end of the lake. The entire thing was just incredible to see. We had no fear of the bear whatsoever. The wind wasn’t blowing in his direction so he probably couldn’t smell us (just as well!) and he wasn’t close enough that we had to alert him to our presence.
Once our bear was gone we climbed a little knoll above the lakeshore and ate our lunch. It was still pretty early in the afternoon so we explored a bit more. We opted to follow a path called The Heart Lake Way Trail. This trail is a shortcut to the O’Neill Pass Trail which is what some people use to access the area from the Enchanted Valley. We followed it up to the top of a sharp ridge. We had written and first hand accounts that the other side that leads down to the O’Neill Pass Trail is super steep, and sketchy, requiring what is called “veggie belays" to hang onto just to descend. In the end we chose to go back down to Heart Lake the way we came in. Back at the lake it was time to say goodbye to our friend the bear and head back down to our camp at Marmot Lake. What had started out as a little disappointment that the mist was shrouding our big views finished with sheer joy and exhilaration at having been so incredibly close to such a powerful and beautiful animal. That may have been the most incredible wildlife sighting I have ever experienced.
One corner of Heart Lake near the outlet
The bear grazing on the hillside beyond the lake outlet
Fattening up for the winter
My best ever bear photo (so far!)
Coming back down to Heart Lake from the way trail
Appropriately named Beargrass with Mt. Duckabush in the mist
We had barely (bearly?) gotten back to our camp when Greg spied another black bear crashing around in the bushes down by Marmot Lake. He was a little further away from us than the Heart Lake bear but we still got some good shots of him. Two bears in one day! Gotta love it!
Read on for Part 3 of 3!