Lake Ingalls

We drove up to the Esmeralda Trailhead at the end of the North Fork Teanaway Road. Our hike was 9 miles round trip with about 2,700 ft overall gain. We saw only 15 other hikers on this popular trail today, so quiet. View of the Esmeralda Peaks near the beginning of the trail.

I like these small ferns.

Views as we get closer to Ingalls Pass.

We could see Mt Rainier in the far distance to the southwest (also a very hazy Mt Adams).

zoom of Mt Rainier

Mount Stuart from Ingalls Pass

Ingalls Peaks as seen from the upper Ingalls Way Trail

Mount Stuart is almost constantly in view along this route.

Some of the larches were beginning to turn golden.

We saw these two mountain goats near the trail (zoom)

We would hike through several talus fields,

and do some scrambling up to the lake.

Ingalls Peak and Lake Ingalls 

Mount Stuart across from Ingalls Lake

 We had the lake to ourselves for quite a while during our lunch break.

We took the lower Ingalls Way trail back across the basin, Mount Stuart across a meadow.

Another view of Mount Stuart as we neared Ingalls Pass.

some of the wildflowers and berries we saw along the trail today:

 

  

 

  

  

 

  

 

 

Mount Townsend

We drove up to the Upper Mt Townsend Trailhead in the northeast Olympics to hike up to Mount Townsend today, overall we hiked 9 miles round trip with 3.000 ft of gain. The trail enters the Buckhorn Wilderness about 0.8 mile. We started hiking in snow about 1/2 way up the trail.

Snowy peak seen through the trees.

As we gained elevation, we could see Glacier Peak to the east across Hood Canal and Puget Sound.

zoom of Glacier Peak

Wider view a short way up the trail.

Further up the trail we could see Mt Rainier to the southeast.

zoom of Mt Rainier

And further up the switchbacks, we could see Mt Baker and Mt Shuksan to the northeast.

zoom of Mt Baker and Mt Shuksan

Olympic Peaks to the west from the saddle of Mount Townsend.

Wind sculpted snow above the saddle.

Some of the trail going up to and along the top of Mount Townsend was bare of snow. Mount Townsend peak in the distance.

View to the southeast

view to the west

Final stretch to the top of Mount Townsend 

Looking south towards Mount Constance and other Olympic Peaks

Views from the summit looking eastward:

View to the north and the peak on the northland of Mount Townsend

distant view of Mt Rainier along the top of Mount Townsend

distant view of Mt Baker and Glacier Peak

view to the west

view to the southwest

From the north peak, looking northeast towards the Canadian mountain peaks and

to the northwest towards Vancouver Island.

Looking back to the peak of Mount Townsend to the south. We took the trail along the west below the summit on our way back.

For a while, we were only following deer tracks.

Another look to the south from above the saddle. including The Brothers and Mount Constance in the distance.

Views to the east

some lovely lichen on a tree as we continue down the trail in the woods

Welsh Peak