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Amongst Alpine Lakes

Talapus and Olallie Lakes, WA, USA - September 12, 2021
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Encompassing area close to 400k acres, The Alpine Lakes Wilderness got its name from the 700+ mountain lakes found amongst the majestic rocky peaks and densely forested hillsides of the central Cascades. With about 50 official trailheads and 600+ miles of backcountry trails in the area, we managed to find a trail to see 2 of the many lakes along with some solitude time.

Amongst Alpine Lakes. MemExp Blog. Rohan Goel The last glacial retreat in the Alpine Lakes area began about 14,000 years ago and was north of the Canada–US border by 10,000 years ago. Uplift and faulting in combination with glaciation have been the dominant processes which have created the tall peaks and deep valleys of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area.

Amongst Alpine Lakes. MemExp Blog. Rohan Goel Being late into the season, it wasn't the most clear day to trek but the clouds descending on us like fog sure made the hike much more beautiful.

Amongst Alpine Lakes. MemExp Blog. Rohan Goel A wild Nandita spotted, trying to make her way on the hike

Amongst Alpine Lakes. MemExp Blog. Rohan Goel Lucky to witness some early fall colors with a serene misty backdrop.

Amongst Alpine Lakes. MemExp Blog. Rohan Goel Never missing a weird photo-op opportunity haha

Amongst Alpine Lakes. MemExp Blog. Rohan Goel And here we reach our first lake - Talapus, tucked in a bowl between Bandera and Pratt Mountain. But hey, we're not rookie hikers so we pushed through another mile to reach ...

Amongst Alpine Lakes. MemExp Blog. Rohan Goel ... wooded shores of Olallie Lake resting beneath the slopes of West Granite Mountain and Pratt Lake Saddle.

PNW being PNW, the weather quickly started to go bad with plethora of clouds setting in!

Amongst Alpine Lakes. MemExp Blog. Rohan Goel The most special part about the hike was probably the secluded time we got and it felt like having the whole wilderness to ourselves

Amongst Alpine Lakes. MemExp Blog. Rohan Goel Memories with @NanditaGupta
Call-out as our first 'solo' hike!

 
 
Made with ❤ by Rohan Goel