Overnight Backpacking Trip to Spectacle Lake

Spectacle Lake is a beautiful lake located in the eastern cascades.  The hike itself starts at the Pete Lake Trailhead.  Along the way, you pass Pete lake, take note of the varieties of wild mushrooms, ford a knee high, ice-cold stream, and trek steep switchbacks through forest lands recently scorched by wild fires.  On a warm September day, with our packs on our backs, we trekked the 11 miles to Spectacle Lake in about 5 hours.  We savored the mac-n-cheese and sipped wine from our wine bag.  Feet sore, hips and shoulders bruised, we welcomed an early bedtime.  In the morning, we made the 11 mile trek back to the car.  This trip was invigorating, exhausting, and educational.  There's no better way to get away from the triviality of everyday life, than hiking to the middle of no where to hear nothing and to see everything.  It is there that you realize what really matters.

Hike to Lake Serene

The destination of one of our hikes this summer, was Lake Serene.  It is a steep, 7.2 mile hike up to a beautiful and frigid mountain lake.  The trail is located off of Highway 2, and is definitely worth the hard work.  There are fantastic views, waterfalls, and dense vegetation.