Reed Lakes Hike

I really believe this must be one of the most beautiful places in the world. I've only made the whole way back to the upper lake once, and that was at least 20 years ago. We were also very fortunate to have picked the perfect weather day for this magical hike. This route is surrounded by very rugged jagged mountains with Reed Creek passing right through it with its lovely waterfalls. The first part of he trail is a pleasant fairly level walk. Then it winds up the hillside with nice switchbacks. But then we hit the boulders. The trail disappears into huge piles of rocks, some the size of cars. It becomes a series of rock bouldering problems, interspersed with short areas of dirt trail. I'm not sure there really is an official established Reed Lakes Trail because it's is almost impossible to create a perfect route since boulders are piled on both sides of the creek. We found it best to cross the creek several times to avoid the most difficult rock obstacles. I was very tired from the marathon two days before, which made decision making a bit more difficult than usual. It can be hard to judge whether your foot may or may not actually stick to the side of a big rock or if you can really jump to the next one without landing squarely in the creek. I know I made many rather ungraceful moves but we all managed to stay dry and uninjured all the way to the magnificent upper lake. We saw a cute little pika resting in the rocks, and heard the whistles of marmots and chirps of ground squirrels along the way. The creek forms a series of lakes as it flows down from the upper lake, creating several substantial waterfalls. Once we reached the upper lake we had a nice lunch break. While there, I looked up at the immense rocky peaks behind the lake and wondered what route hikers take when they traverse from the Mint Trail over the glaciers to Bomber Glacier then somehow descend to this lake. I've wanted to do that trip for years but it's not one I would try to do alone. I haven't found anyone willing to try it with me, although I do know it is done frequently. Maybe someday. But for today I was quite happy to complete this lovely but challenging 10 mile round trip with my Valley Wanderer friends.

Upper Reed Lake

Typical creek crossing