Mount Pilchuck, Washington
After being glued to the TV set to cheer on the Korean soccer team in the World Cup competition, my feet were itching to hit the trail. So I went for a short hike near Mount Pilchuck on this warm Sunday evening. Being the second longest day of the year, there was still another two and half hours of daylight. I drove toward Lake Twenty-two near Verlot. Soon after passing the ranger station on Mountain Loop Highway and crossing the bridge, I took the bumpy dirt road into Mount Pilchuk. The Heather Lake trailhead is at about a mile into the road. The parking lot was empty at 7:30. I felt good at the thought being on the trail all alone. Lake is two miles up the side of Mount Pilchuck and is one of its two alpine lakes, the other being Lake Twenty-two. The trail was dry and in a good condition, though last 1/4 mile was snow-covered. I reached the lake at 8:30 and just as the setting sun was hitting the top of the peaks, giving a warm glow. A meek sunset greeted me on my way down.
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