Also shown on the map are the tiny Boundary Lakes - there are two groups, upper and lower. Today, Jeff Statt and Jamie Chabot joined me for a pleasant bushwhack to Boundary Point that included the upper lakes in the tour. Our trip started at the head of the now-decommissioned road that once led to the upper lakes - here's the intrepid crew, along with Dodger, Jeff's faithful springer spaniel:
The decommissioned logging spur is gradually filling in with conifers, and not a particularly pleasant walk. On this day, the muggy heat added to our motivation to get this part of the hike behind us -- here's Jamie on a typical section of old logging road:
...and here's Jeff and Dodger a bit further down the boulder-hop that was the "road" - Dodger's tongue tells the story... it was hot!
Soon, we could see the wall of intact forest that marked the wilderness boundary, and the start of the more pleasant part of our hike:
Our jump-off point into the forest was as the northern of the two upper Boundary Lakes. This must have been a very pretty pond before it was completely clearcut -- hard to imagine something like this happening so recently, but the cutting in the 80s was fast and furious in this area. Our route enters the trees just beyond the lake. Jeff is helping Dodger cool off with a little game of fetch:
Once in the trees, we were in welcome shade, and made our way uphill through open noble fir stands. After a short climb, we reached the lower slopes of Boundary Point, marked by a huge talus slope that extended deep into Ladd Canyon:
One last push beyond this talus outcrop, and we found ourselves at the top of 150 foot, sheer cliff with a lovely view of the mountain - here's Jamie capturing the scene:
...and another view of the crew -- at this point, enjoying the view, but also noticing that clouds were rolling in rapidly from the south, with flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder:
The light wasn't what I'd been hoping for, so this is the best portrait view from Boundary Point -- I'll be heading back when the conditions are better, that's for sure. It's a lovely spot, and one that would be particularly photogenic in late afternoon. Note the clouds beginning to sweep across the mountain at this point in our trip:
Jeff and Jamie recharging for the return trip - this view also shows the dramatic drop-off to long scree slope below the cliffs. Jamie explored the area below the cliffs, and hopefully will be posting some images from that angle:
After taking in the view from Boundary Point, we retraced our steps, then detoured to visit the second of the upper Boundary Lakes -- this little pond is well inside the wilderness boundary, and was just deep enough for Dodger to have another swim:
As the clouds continued to build, so did clouds of mosquitos that were waiting to ambush us at this pond! We hoofed it back down to the boundary clearcut, and back up the decommissioned logging spur fairly quickly to stay ahead of the bugs, but Dodger still managed a second swim in the first pond on the way by. This is what a happy spaniel looks like:
This is an easy bushwhack with a bit of preparation -- the most difficult part is navigating your way through the maze of unmapped logging spurs in the area. If you do make the trip, please do not mark the route with flagging, since the proximity to the clearcut means that ATVs likely visit the adjacent area.
Thanks for a great trip, Jeff and Jamie (and Dodger)!
Tom
