News & Features Alpine Lakes Reflections Thoughts on the past, present and future of the popular wilderness oh r L ob R

Pratt Lake, Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Washington’s most popular wilderness area was the result of a six-year campaign that united politicians of both parties, concerned citizens and conservationists. It celebrates its 30th anniversary in July, 2006.

By Rob Lohr Hikes in Washington’s Alpine Lakes, to the spacious, arid climate and stands the Lake Dorothy Highway had been of ponderosa pine and tamarack of the Crossing another talus slope I find completed along the Middle Fork of the east. I am grateful for the opportunity myself in a familiar place, a place I’ve Snoqualmie River skirting Snoqualmie, to visit the almost 700 alpine lakes (from been a dozen times before. I’m hiking Deer and Bear Lakes? We would have which the wilderness takes its name) along the Dutch Miller trail headed to lost the solitude, the trail wandering contained within its boundaries. The Pedro Camp, where Northwest Youth through avalanche paths filled with rugged peaks that tower over 9,000 feet Corps is at work installing drain dips red elderberry, columbine, tiger lilies, or the remaining old-growth reaching and building turnpike. I know the trail Indian paintbrush, false hellebore and diameters over six feet steal my breath intimately. During the last four seasons as slide alder. Gone would be the forests every time I see them. I have difficulty trail crew supervisor for the Snoqualmie of Pacific silver fir marked with bear imagining this area as something other Ranger District, I have spent close to 15 scratching. What if, from our driver’s than wilderness. weeks working and exploring the ridges window we could view peaks such as and valleys surrounding the headwaters Bear’s Breast, Little Summit Chief, of the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie From wild area to Wilderness Overcoat Peak and Chimney Rock? It River. After grinding my way up an arduous might be convenient, even beautiful, but The trek to Pedro Camp gives me time climb I reach the upper valley about 4 this place would not be the wilderness to consider how fortunate we are to have miles from the trailhead. It’s a little past it was destined to be. this as wilderness. Thanks to a grassroots noon as I reach a boulder field tumbled I often take for granted the ability to effort in the early 70’s by the Alpine Lakes from the lofty ridge of Iron Cap Moun- walk the network of trails that stretch Protection Society, the Alpine Lakes will tain. Located on the south side of the across the Cascade Crest and wind celebrate thirty years of wilderness pro- trail sits a boulder so enormous I could through terrain that varies from damp, tection this year. What if, as Ira Spring place my entire house atop it. I’ve named densely packed forests of Western hem- and Harvey Manning pointed out in 100 it simply “house rock.” I leave my pack lock, Douglas-fir and alder of the west at the base, grab my lunch, map and

July 2006 WASHINGTON TRAILS News & Features compass and scramble to the top for a Americans. During the 1850’s mining ging road building by the Forest Service break. This is a regular stop; a place I and logging activities began. Foot trails in areas such as Eightmile Creek in the anticipate once I reach the upper valley. were reconstructed into wagon roads. Icicle Creek drainage, spurred interest With a bagel and peanut butter in hand I Railroads were built eventually crossing in protecting the Alpine Lakes. During orient my map northward and compare the crest at Snoqualmie Pass. The Rail- a rainy Sunday in October 1968, a small the topographic lines with the landscape. road Land Grant created a checkerboard group of hikers from the east and west Overcoat Peak dominates the view to land ownership pattern that has been one side of the Cascades met for a hike to the south. According to Doug Cardle’s of the biggest challenges in managing Hyas Lake. The common thread within book on King County place name origins, the wilderness today. this group was the desire to preserve the A.H. Sylvester, once forest supervisor Bits and pieces of this early history Alpine Lakes area. By the end of the for the Wenatchee National Forest, still remain. Wagon wheel ruts and rail- day the Alpine Lakes Protection Society intentionally left behind his overcoat road trestles are reminders of early use. had formed. on the peak during an 1897 survey trip. Remnants of cabins and mining claims ALPS campaigned intensively for six Discarded because it was too small and still dot the landscape. Farther along the years to achieve wilderness designation. uncomfortable, the overcoat was left Dutch Miller trail toward the junction With input from various conservation buttoned around a cairn he built on the to Williams Lake some of these sites are and environmental groups including summit. discernable. I have found myself on oc- The Sierra Club and The Mountain- Firmly inside the Alpine Lakes Wil- casion eating lunch in the middle of an eers, ALPS developed their proposal. derness, I haven’t seen an- Throughout the six-year battle other soul all day. The Dutch What if the Lake Dorothy Highway for designation an assortment Miller Gap area could quite had been completed along the Middle of congressional delegates possibly be the most remote were involved in the Alpine region on the Snoqualmie Fork of the Snoqualmie River skirting Lakes Wilderness bill, but Ranger District. Yet it oc- Snoqualmie, Deer and Bear Lakes? We none more involved than Lloyd cupies only a small sliver of Meeds. Congressman Meeds Washington State’s most would have lost the solitude, the trail introduced three proposals; popular wilderness area. At wandering through avalanche paths filled a Forest Service proposal of 394,000 acres the beauty with red elderberry, columbine, tiger 285,000 acres of wilderness, here is unmatched, though the timber industry’s, 2-unit, the same argument could be lilies, Indian paintbrush, false hellebore 223,000-acre proposal and the made for many other places and slide alder. ALPS 926,000-acre proposal in the Alpine Lakes Wilder- of a National Recreation Area ness. The Enchantments, the Stuart early home site. The only remains left are (NRA) that included a core of 364,000 Range and Necklace Valley all have their deteriorated logs outlining the founda- acres of wilderness. enthusiastic fans. tion. At some sites I have found shards Support for the Alpine Lakes was The beauty and uniqueness of the area of flat glass and at others pieces of cast drawn from two public hearings; in was recognized as early as the 1930’s. The iron. Handling each iron fragment, I try Seattle the majority of testimony fa- Alpine Lakes region was included in the to reconstruct the pieces like a puzzle. vored wilderness, as expected. At the Ice Peaks National Park proposal that I’m amazed at the weight of such a small Wenatchee hearing the timber industry would have protected land from Mount fragment. My fifty-pound pack with the orchestrated a convincing show of oppo- Rainier to the Canadian border. The most modern, lightweight camping gear sition though not as overwhelming as the proposal failed but the Forest Service in seems irrelevant compared to the effort support in Seattle. The plan benefited 1945 recognized the scenic qualities of of these early travelers. from the momentum of the Wilderness the region and declared 243,000 acres On July 12, 2006 the Alpine Lakes will Act and growing environmental move- as the “Alpine Lakes Limited Area.” celebrate 30 years of wilderness designa- ment of the late 60’s. The intention was to prevent further tion. With the area receiving substantial Suspected pressure from timber lob- development until a formal decision on and consistent use for hundreds, if not byists ultimately caused the proposal the management of the area could be thousands of years, what was the impetus for a wilderness area within an NRA reached. for creating a wilderness in this area? to evaporate. Governor Dan Evans, a By this time the area had already According to David Knibb, a founding Republican and a strong supporter of seen substantial use. Eating lunch atop member of the Alpine Lakes Protec- the Alpine Lakes, wrote to the Interior the boulder, I try to imagine myself in tion Society (ALPS), the Alpine Lakes Committee asking for an additional the area a hundred years ago. The Sno- area was excluded from the 1968 North 22,000 acres. In his letter he noted that qualmie Pass area was an active trade Cascades National Park legislation. This the Alpine Lakes was not the heart of the route between east and west side Native exclusion, in addition to aggressive log- timber industry. Meeds, concerned that

WASHINGTON TRAILS July 2006 News & Features the proposal might disappear altogether, with the designation, party sizes were sion through land exchanges is increasing worked on a compromise with the timber limited and the average length of stay the acreage of the wilderness. The goal interests. Industry representatives were decreased. “The majority of visits to is to add 16,000 acres to the wilderness willing to add almost all of the 22,000 these popular areas are day trips.” Paull through various land swaps. The draft wilderness acres Governor Evans asked says. To address the overuse problem the Environmental Impact Statement for for if the language in the management Forest Service considered implementing the wilderness expansion was released unit was toned down. On July 12, 1976, a permit system similar to the system in in December 2002 for public comment. Congress passed The Alpine Lakes Man- place in the Enchantments. But critics Lack of funding has slowed progress agement Act, which designated 393,000 argued that limiting access would only on the final statement. The land up for acres Alpine Lakes Wilderness and a inclusion is mostly slivers of private land surrounding management unit. around the edges of the Alpine Lakes, according to Tim Foss, wilderness/trails chiefe l bein The Wilderness today S coordinator for the Cle Elum Ranger ave Still on the “house-sized” rock, I D District. The parcels range from roughly hear faint voices growing louder. Two three thousand feet in elevation to alpine backpackers approach, headed toward meadows; all ten parcels are within the Pedro Camp, Williams Lake or Dutch Cle Elum River drainage. Miller Gap. I sit quietly as they pass and “In order to preserve the wilderness go unnoticed. Solitude returns. I take an- we have, we not only need to look at other bearing on my map locating peaks what is happening within the boundaries where the crest intersects Interstate but assess the development encroach- 90. Through the mid-afternoon haze ing around the wilderness,” says David I can see what might be the shoulder Knibb. With developments enticing of Snoqualmie Mountain. This recent people to build along the wilderness encounter with the backpackers is the edge and ski areas submitting proposals first today. Looking in the direction of for expansion, it is important to cre- the I-90 corridor I realize there is still ate a buffer protecting the wilderness boundary. the opportunity for solitude in certain A hiker above Hyas Lake. On a rainy Equally important to what the devel- parts of the wilderness. trip to the lake in October 1968, a opers are doing is what we as visitors The Alpine Lakes Wilderness is within group of hikers organized to protect are doing when we are in the wilder- an hour’s drive of the majority of the the Alpine Lakes. state’s population. As the population ness. With recreation use on the rise, grows and more people use the wilder- spread the degradation to areas of the practicing leave-no-trace techniques at ness, management becomes increasingly wilderness experiencing less impact. our camps and in our personal hygiene difficult. Because of this easy access, With budget decreases though, initiating has never been more important. portions of the wilderness are suffering the permit system has been stalled. Jolted back into reality by the sound from overuse. The Snow Lake Trail at of another approaching hiker, I realize Snoqualmie Pass is a prime example. On The future: more Wilderness? that it is time for me to shoulder my pack a sunny, summer weekend encountering “House rock” has grown quite warm in and continue up the trail. Folding maps two hundred people in a 3-mile stretch of the mid afternoon sunshine. I’ve oriented and making one final sweep of the rock trail is not uncommon. The Snow Lake my compass on a northeast bearing. The for pieces of trash, I scramble off the top basin is braided with boot-beaten social map indicates I am looking the Summit and back to my pack. Cinching down trails between camps and the lakeshore. Chief group of peaks as well as Bears the waistbelt and adjusting the shoulder Signs mounted on wooden stakes and Breast Mountain and the ridge that holds straps I begin the last mile-and-a-half of strung with twine outline restoration La Bohn Gap. I hope to find some time trail to Pedro Camp and my base camp efforts. For solitude to be experienced during the evenings to wander around for the week. Soon I will be surrounded here one needs to be creative in finding La Bohn Lakes and possibly a try at the by eleven hungry, tired teenagers who it. The challenge in dealing with this summit of Mount Hinman, if I can mus- have just spent the day installing drain much use is protecting the landscape ter the energy. As I sit here in solitude dips and building turnpike. They will from further damage. According to Gary 26 miles from the nearest civilization be tired but excited, as I am, to be in Paull, Wilderness and Trails Coordina- I wonder what the future holds for the this place.  tor for the Mount Baker Snoqualmie Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Land manag- National Forest, the use pattern has ers are still working to acquire private Rob Lohr recently graduated from changed. “Prior to the wilderness, the land surrounding the wilderness. In the Evergreen State College and currently backcountry saw a lot of stock use.” But eastern portion of the wilderness, expan- works for the U.S. Forest Service.

July 2006 WASHINGTON TRAILS