Mt. Daniel Circumnavigation

For her birthday, Em likes to go where it’s a bit greener than is typical in the Sierra. Two years ago I pieced together a route in Washington that circumnavigates Mt. Daniel. We started at the Necklace Lakes trailhead and had just a few miles of true off-trail work, which were at a high enough altitude that we didn’t have to ‘shwack through any Washington temperate rainforest. Better yet, the last segment was supposed to be several miles walking on gravel backroads but we were able to hitch a ride back to our car.

Starting the hike from the Necklace Lakes Trailhead

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Should be called Mosquito Meadow

Fireweed

Pika! (chu) Bless you.

“I was kissin’ Valentino by a crystal Washingtonian stream". Wait. Eww.

A clear indication that the mosquitoes are gnar is when they show up in your snapshots.

Some variety of Lousewart?

Very fine spot just as the sun is setting

Up on the next level of glacial moraine

Lunch spot

View from the next pass

No trail here

Sparkly

The beach at our next campsite. The water was comparatively warm, so when the sun came out, we took a dip to wash off.

There was a lot of really pretty water on this route

More up.

Alright, it’s a marmot.

This is one of the greatest campsites I’ve ever stayed in. Perfectly flat. Cool, clear, burbling stream. Amazing mountains. Plus the toilet of dreams. You can’t see it, but to the front left is a pit toilet that has a clear view out over the expanse of the next valley a 1000’ below.

Stream from the glacier above camp

While Em read in the tent, I hiked up to the glacier. First I saw this marmot. It yelled at me.

Then some flowers, inexplicably growing in the moonscape.

Runoff. Still full of grist.

On the glacier itself, these interesting differential melt pockets from rock and silt.

This deadly waterfall drops 20 or 30’ to underneath the glacier. Joe recently named spots like the “slip-and-die'“.

Another slip-and-die abyss

A nice serpentine runoff flute.

Where the runoff pools, you can just start to see the characteristic blue of glacial water as the biggest particles start to fall out of suspension.

Back at camp, where I report that I didn’t slip-and-die.

Fine sunshine on the tent in the morning. I reiterate, most beautiful camping spot ever.

Sun illuminates the creek side flowers.

A Dispirited Tiger Beetle. That’s right. Apparently it’s dreams have been crushed.

Clouds that shimmer with rainbows. ‘Cause this spot isn’t splendiferous enough.

Meh. I guess that mountain is pretty enough.

Another cool campsite overlooking a nice bowl lake. I made Em pack up early though because the wind picked up and that snag was a wobblin’.

The trail out from camp

Alien brain. Obviously.

Happy birthday.