Paddy Go Easy Pass; Sprite Lake; July 2005; Mt Danial; Cle Elum; Salmon La Sac; Cascade Mountains

Sprite Lake (without the snow)

I had been wanting to head back to Sprite Lake to re-take a photo of Mt Rainier for a couple of years now so the 4th of July weekend of 2005 provided just the opportunity I was looking for as Kyle, Chong Min and Marla all joined me on this scenic overnight hike. Upon hitting the trail we quickly encountered numerous forms of blooming flowers. I think we were treated to the entire spectum of colors (orange, purple, yellow, pink, lavender, etc). The hike itself is up 2700 feet in 3 miles until you finally hit Paddy Go Easy Pass and views to the Cradle. We stopped a bit here to take in the view and to play on some rock outcroppings prior to heading off to the views of Sprite Lake and to the ridge above it where we decided to set up camp. The three of them camped at the big flat area to the left of the old mine; whereas I stubbornly chose to bivy on the ridge because of the better views that I knew existed despite the current overcast conditions.
With our tents pitched we next headed down to the lake to replenish our water supply and to play around on some of the local boulders. It was a nice break and we were all happy that the mosquitos were not present. The remainder of the night consisted of a so-so sunset, some back country pizza and a competetive game of pitch.
I awoke early the next morning to head up the ridge for some sunrise photos and was surprised to see that all of the clouds had disappeared during the course of the night. The only bad part was that the wind was out and the chill was in full force which ended up freezing my fingers for the millionth time or so! With the sunset shots taken I then woke everyone up in order to have some pancakes before heading back up the ridge for some post breakfast exploring. The weather was warm by then so we took our time on the rdige making sure to enjoy the numerous views down to the lake. before we reluctently headed back down to our cars.

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