Val and I heard from a friend long time ago about a couple of lakes in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness named Tuck and Robin. The Alpine Lakes Wilderness is known for the, permit required Enchantments which I’ve done a couple of times. Back then we looked it up and decided to put it in the list to someday do it. And the time came when we needed to pick a destination for the three day weekend. With hotter than usual weather we had a couple of options that were quickly scratched out because they would’ve been too hot. Then we looked at our to-do list and there it was again, Tuck and Robin. We did the research and quickly found that it was an out and back. Wanting to explore a bit more, we found a route that went across the canyon and around Cathedral Rock giving us access to other lakes so we had the possibility of going to Peggy’s Pond or Deep Lake. We were set and with a small group we headed out to the Alpine Wilderness.
Day 1: Tucquala Meadows to Robin Lakes
With Val we did our usual travel by night, sleep in the car and wake up at the trailhead. It works great as we get on the trail early in the morning after a quick breakfast in the back of the car. From the trailhead there’s not much to see other than Cathedral Rock to the side. As you start, that view goes with you as the trail travels thru the forest towards Hyas Lake. The lakes comes at you pretty quickly and is not very impressive although quite big. Towards the north you start getting glimpses of a high, snow covered ridge but not enough to even get an idea on how good the views will get. Hyas Lake is kind of two lakes in one and are part of the Cle Elum River. Pretty much these lakes are the river when it gets big. And then the almost flat trail following the river makes a turn and the uphill begins as the trail continues to Deception Pass. The forest is very dense in this area but several turns give you views back towards the lakes and also towards the ridge on the other side of the river canyon. Several hundred feet up later the trail get to a junction that marks the start of even steeper terrain towards Tuck Lake. As you climb the only views you get are behind you and get more spectacular as you go.
You start to see the shape of the valley below and the ridges that surround it. Suddenly he trail goes over a small hump and lands on an almost flat area that really comes as a relief. At that point though, a big rock and some trees hide the surprise behind. Once you reach that point a very small angle gives the very first glimpse at Tuck Lake. At that point we turn left that follows a faint user trail around the lake to several campsites, but before it gets there, a big rock provides an excellent lunch spot with a much better view. The view from that point is pretty much the view you find on the majority of pictures if you just google Tuck Lake. It shows the deep blue green waters of the lake surrounded with granite slopes and a little rocky island in the middle. The water is clear enough that you can see parts of the bottom from the edge of the lake.
By then the sun was shining on top of our heads and we were already feeling the heat. We knew it was only going to get even hotter so after lunch, we filtered some water and continued our trek up to Robin Lakes. Finding the trail was a bit of challenge as it doesn’t necessarily follow what is indicated in the map. Reality is that the route from Tuck to Twin Lakes is more of a user path than an actual trail. But first we had to negotiate the south side of the lake itself. We went over rocks and climbed up and down as we zigzagged around to the lake outlet. We crossed some dead logs and then the uphill became clearer. Steeper took a new meaning as we marched under the beating sun up. Heavy breathing and heavy sweating was the norm as we negotiated granite slabs going up. Behind us the views now included Tuck Lake and the ridge behind. It was an immense view that was difficult to gauge. We huffed and puffed burning every little bit of energy we had until we saw the end of the hill. We found a small maze of little cairns that we followed until the Robin Lakes basin came into view. Then it felt like we were so close to the sky that it was almost unbelievable. The lakes with their deep, crystal clear blue waters made contrast with white granite and the blue sky above. We were in awe and didn’t know whether to turn left or right. We went left first exploring and also looking for a place to drop our packs. We were done. We went as far as the upper Robin Lake which is the bigger one before turning back and heading the other way. A small waterfall moves waters from the upper lake to the lower lake. We followed the shore walking towards the other end which, from our perspective, looked like it was just going to drop into thin air.
On the other side a big hump looked like an island but we couldn’t say if it was that or just the weird shape of the lake. Finally we found the lake curved around a big mound before ending on the south side where we found a camp spot.
Dropping our pack and taking our shoes of was the best part of it all. That is without counting the part where we just sat with our legs in the cold water. We thought about jumping in the lake but Val was the only brave one from the group that actually followed thru and did. The sun was still high up and warm that drying up without freezing was pretty easy. While at camp, we had a couple of visitors that came to check us out and hanged for a while before continuing on looking for food. After dinner we just dedicated ourselves to enjoy the sunset. It was quite the spectacle from our standpoint as we saw the sun go behind a ridge and illuminate the granite in a warm orange before it got dark.
Day 2: Robin Lakes to Peggy’s Pond
After a good breakfast and packing our stuff we got back on the trail a bit later than usual. The first part of the day was spent retracing our steps all the way down to the Deception Pass Trail so we went over the hump and then started the staircase climb down towards Tuck Lake. The advantage was that now we had the views in front of us rather than behind.
Going down actually proved to go much easier and faster. Once all the way down and back in the shade of what looked like it was going to be a very hot day, we turn right towards the pass where we would turn at the junction with the PCT. I had read that there were two or three tricky creek crossings so the adventure was about to begin. Soon after we got on the PCT, we passed the first creek that didn’t require a lot balancing. From the trail we had now a complete different angle so the views were very contrasting to what we had seen the day before. As we were passing the creek canyon, we could see the lower vegetation covering everything all the way down to Hyas Lake. On the other side was the steep hill that starts green on the bottom but then the granite rocks take over towards the top. We could almost make the route we had taken the previous day to go up to Robin Lakes from the trail. As we continued, the day got hotter and hotter and we had a lot of exposure so we stopped to get our heads wet every chance we got. At some point the trail made a turn into a narrow canyon and descended towards a creek. From the trail we couldn’t see clearly were to pass but as we got closer, we realized we needed to climb down the embankment to cross it. The crossing point was right in front of a small very refreshing waterfall. We learned pretty quickly that it was just the opening scene. The path continued over the rocks circling the waterfall which opened the views to the narrow canyon. We could see a small and fat waterfall in the distance that looked pretty inviting although it would have taken a good hour to reach it.
We started wondering where the rest of the water was as the crossing didn’t look as complicated. Then we saw it. It was the crossing I had seen pictures of that has two narrow logs that you can choose to use or not. Some of us took the risk of walking on the wobbly logs to get across while the rest just went into the cold water. After that one, we had several other creeks to pass but nothing challenging at all. At some point though, the trail crossed a small meadow and then turn to follow a ridge going towards Cathedral Rock. We did several switchbacks were the rocks would disappear and we would get disoriented only to reappear at the next turn. We were close to it, but not as close as we needed to get. We pushed up for a while and then got a meadow right at the foot of the rock formation. Finally flat terrain for a bit as we circled Cathedral Rocks towards the junction with the Deep Lake trail. We reached the saddle and stopped to decide whether we wanted to climb down to Deep Lake or go to Peggy’s Pond. I had my sights on Peggy’s Pond but also being a shorter distance and not too much elevation change, we decided to head that way. The part we didn’t know was that the trail was going to be a bit of a challenge. At first the trail just followed the contour of the back rocky wall of Cathedral Rock. The drop off to our left was very impressive. We found a couple of sections were the trail was almost a goat path. Tight turns and steep descends. In one particular section, we had to hug a rock as we went to the other side. Letting it go would have meant falling some 300’ on rocks and rubble to the bottom of the valley. But then, the trail flattened out and stated going up. We took a wrong turn and suddenly found ourselves navigating thru thick brushes. We realized that this pass was very likely going to miss the lake so we retraced our steps and found the correct trail up to the lake. By that time we were exhausted and the only thing on our minds was dropping the bags and resting. Finally we came to the last push, about 200’ of vertical gain on dusty and slippery slope that placed us right on the south end of the pond. It proved to be very well worth it.
The place is almost magical with the steep rocks on one side and the tucked in lake in the middle. We walked around the lake and found a perfect place to set up camp so we just dropped. That night I woke up at around 3 in the morning and went for a short walk under the moon light to take pictures of the stars. The night was warm and the valley completely illuminated to the point that I didn’t need a headlamp. My midnight walk ended abruptly when what I think was a deer moved somewhere behind me.
Day 3: Peggy’s Pond to Tucquala Meadows
Since we wanted to hit the trail early to be back at a reasonable time for the drive back, Val and I woke up early and went for our usual morning walk. I took her on the same path I had gone the night before while shooting stars. If I had to mention a single moment of this weekend that made the trip. This walk would be it. The sun was starting to come up and it was illuminating the sky with a purple/pink hue some clouds were lingering high in the sky so the entire sky was soft. Even more impressive though was the ridge to the west of us. It was a postcard moment were time just doesn’t pass.
We walked by a small pond that was reflecting the entire ridge that made the scene almost fluid. Once we were able to close our jaws, we went back to camp for a quick breakfast and pack our gear. Once again we navigate the treacherous trail to the saddle following the rocky goat path to the saddle were the downhill started. At first it was a slow downhill following a very wide ridge and passing by several lakelets and ponds until we got to Squaw Lake. This lake is a bit shallower that the other lakes and it’s surrounded by a rock field on the west side. As you walk around it, the reflections are really beautiful.
That’s the last fully open area of the trail as it makes a turn and starts going down the hill quite fast. Several long switchbacks, rocks and roots are in the way as you quickly loose over a thousand feet on the way down to the Cle Elum River. The trail gives the impression that will be much longer though but then, all of a sudden it flattens out and you are back in the basin. You realize that you’ve gotten down when after a turn you find a bridge over the river. From there a short walk and a small creek separates you from the trailhead.
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