Alpine Lakes Wilderness III

For the second weekend of September 2021, I decided to head out on one last summer backpacking trip. I had my eye on another amazing lake back in the rugged Alpine Lakes Wilderness of Washington. While there is a relatively easy approach to this lake from the east, I decided to take a longer, more scenic approach along the Pacific Crest Trail. The weather forecast looked pretty decent for the first day and slightly iffy for the second day but not too bad. I set out with very few expectations and was promptly blown away by one of the most stunning hikes of 2021. The light, clouds, and scenery were truly beyond belief. On Sunday, it rained off and on throughout the day and the clouds blocked most of the views, which wasn't much fun...but the previous day had been so good it was totally worth enduring the rain. It was the furthest I've ever carried my backpack in a single day, and the furthest I've ever hiked in two days...and I could hardly walk by the time I arrived back at my car. I am still amazed...what I intended to be a bonus trip at the end of the year turned out to be one of my favorite hikes of the entire season!