In preparation for our upcoming five day backpacking trip to the Enchantments with Gordon, we decided to do a short, one night backpack to Soda Peak. The reason, besides just getting out and camping in a beautiful lake, was to see how we felt hiking up about 3.5 miles with a similar elevation as what we will find in Aasgard Pass. I did this hike back in 2007 and remembered from back then that it was a steady climb to the lake. What I was not counting on was a very hot summer day. Soda Peaks is a small lake in the Trapper Creek Wilderness in Washington surrounded by mountain ridges and a nice opening towards Mt Adams. A couple of days before the trip, Gordon told me he was going to hike up o Friday and stay two nights, so on Saturday morning, it was only Lily, David and me plus Shia and Kodi. Once at the trail head, we started our hike up passing a private road that gives access to numerous cabins along the creek. We met a couple of people on the way before getting to the actual trail and the only reason for mentioning it here is that one of them started giving us directions in a complete different way than what we had planned. Not only he was arguing that he’d lives in the area for over 30 years but also that he new the trail like the back of his hand. I guess it was good not to pay a lot of attention because he was wrong as we found out shortly after we hit the trail. Gordon had gone the week before to scout the area and found a downed tree in front of the creek that obscured the trail. Without a map, you would guess that you had to cross the creek and continue on the other side but there was no trail. The trail was actually on the same side of the creek just behind the tree. From there we continued on a beautiful green forest to a higher point on the creek where we crossed and started the hard part of the ascend. Knowing it wasn’t a very long hike and that we had the rest of the day, we took our time and made various stops to cool off until we finally made it to the lake. After resting for a bit we setup camp and helped Lily with all her new gear. Later that afternoon we went for a walk around the lake exploring the other campsites and the many views. On Sunday, after a nice breakfast, Gordon took us on a hike to the top of the ridge that offers views of the lake down bellow, the valley and Mt Adams in the distance. We stayed at the view point for quite a while until the wind started to make us feel a bit cold. Once back down at the lake, it was time for the dogs to go swimming. Despite all the efforts, Shia was the only one that actually went for a swim. I guess Kira and Kodi haven’t discovered that pleasure yet. We then took our time packing and getting ready to leave on a very hot afternoon. As with the hike up, we took our time to rest and cool down especially when we got back to the creek. As you’ll see in the pictures, Shia appreciated that a lot. Definitely a short trip, but spending the time with a small group, in a beautiful and almost remote lake and talking about gear was very well worth it.
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