Copper Ridge/Chilliwack River Trail, North Cascades - Part 2

Day 3: Indian Creek to Egg Lake (18.5km)

Knowing full well that Day 3 would be a grueling day, we set out early, waking up at 6:30am, eating breakfast, and packing up camp by 8:00am. We covered the first 1.5km quickly, until the path directed us straight into the river-- our first fording attempt of the morning. Fording the river was momentarily forgotten when we saw, to our delight, that this section of the river was teaming with bright red salmon with green snouts. The salmon were spawning up the Chilliwack River, and we were finally able to catch a glimpse of dozens of them in the clear and shallow river water.

Salmon spawning in the river.

More salmon in the river.

Some of the salmon were very small-- the looked less than 10 inches long, while others were probably closer to two feet. They scattered when they saw our movement on the banks, but they would lazily drift back. Once salmon are finished spawning, they essentially stop eating and die. There were some dead fish floating along the banks. We thought we'd see some bears in the area, but we had no sightings along the river.

Andrew, Ashley and I fording the river on a convenient fallen log.

In our first river crossing of the day, we used a fallen tree as our bridge. For our second river crossing of the day, we waded across. Or really, Andrew, Ashley and Tom waded across. Tom eventually came back and piggy-backed me across the river so I wouldn't have to get my freshly blister-bandaged feet and toes wet.

We said good-bye to the river valley, and all I can tell you is that the next four hours of our life were dedicated to ascending up. Up, up and more up. We went up switchbacks, and when the switchbacks were finished, we went up some more. Along this section of the trail, we ascended about 3000ft in about 6.2km (4 miles). It went on and on and on. According to our initial trip plans, if we had hiked the trail in the opposite direction we would have descended this portion of the trail. I can't help but think that my knees and joints would have been destroyed if we'd gone with our original plan. Though the day was long, going up ultimately felt better than going down.

An inukshuk balanced along the trail.

Reaching the summit of the ridge felt like a true accomplishment, so we took a few moments to bask in the view, and snap some group shots.

Tom and I after emerging from the Chilliwack River Valley.

Team Greig, finally on Copper Ridge.

With a few more kilometers on the ridge, we found a field of boulders to take a break and make some lunch. Knowing Day 3 would be our longest day, we saved our two best meals for last. Sweet and sour pork with rice for lunch, and pad thai for dinner.

Everyone relaxing while our dehydrated meal rehydrates.

Our next milestone was passing Copper Lake campsite. In a perfect world, Copper Lake would have been our stopping point after 13km of hiking. However, Copper Lake campsite was full, so we needed to proceed another 6km or so to Egg Lake.

A waterfall fed from Copper Lake.

We barely stopped to acknowledge Copper Lake. By the time we hit the campsite marker, it was already 4pm-- a full hour later than we had anticipated passing the campsite. We trailblazed past.

Copper Lake Campsite.

The last 6km of our day included the highest elevation that we would reach during our hike-- the Lookout at 6260ft. The Lookout was high enough that we were at times above the clouds. The wind was blowing strong and cold, and I was coughing uncontrollably. We stopped at the shack at the Lookout to take a few pictures, and visit with a few local marmots hanging out on some rocks. There was no park ranger in-house at the Lookout.

The Lookout at the highest point on Copper Ridge.

Views from the Lookout.

Ashley, Andrew and I descending from the Lookout.

After dropping about 500ft, we finally reached a trail marker pointing us towards our Egg Lake campsite. As we made our way down a steep incline, Andrew spotted a black bear with her cub in a field. We stopped to watch them for a few minutes before the bear and her cub either heard, saw, or smelled us. They alertly watched us for a few minutes, but as soon as we started to continue our hike down the trail, the bear and her cub took off in the opposite direction. They ran into a nearby copse of trees, where the mother hid behind a tree, and her cub ruined their hiding spot by running around in plain sight. They eyed us from a distance as we continues past, before they began their climb out of the valley.

Squint and you shall see--Momma bear and her cub.

It was just after 6pm when we arrived at our Egg Lake campsite-- we had just under ten hours of hiking under our belts. Ashley and I set up tents, while Andrew and Tom started filtering water and cooking dinner. It wasn't long before clouds were rolling over the side of the ridge, and rolling in over Egg Lake. It was chilly up on the ridge-- it was probably our coldest night, but even so, we were comfortable and warm in our tents and sleeping bags.

Home Sweet Home 2.0, overlooking Egg Lake.

Day 4: Egg Lake to Hannegan Trailhead (13.5km)

The sun came up early on the ridge. The morning was overcast, but we got a beautiful look at the blue-green waters of Egg Lake. We ate oatmeal and drank hot tea to warm ourselves up before breaking camp and packing up. It was just after 8:30am when we headed out. Our plan was to hike straight off the ridge, as fast as possible. We were armed with plenty of snacks, but we did not have any full meals left.

Morning at Egg Lake. 

As the morning wore on, the clouds burned off and blue skies appeared.

 

Morning clouds on the ridge.

A prime view of the trail we needed to cover.

Our hike off the ridge and back through Hannegan pass took us through more slopes of purple, white and yellow wildflowers.

Wild flowers on the slopes of Copper Ridge.

After 5.5km, we found ourselves back at the boundary of the North Cascades National Park, and Mount Baker/Mount Snoqualmie National Forest. Over the course of 8km, we returned to familiar ground, hiked up to Hannegan Pass, and descended back down the valley and back to the Hannegan Trailhead parking lot.

Team Greig, Finished!

To celebrate, we took one last sweaty group shot, took off our disgusting hiking shoes, and clambered back to our cars. After four days in the bush, a simple car seat feels like the most comfortable chair you've ever sat in.

Now, you're probably asking yourself-- of all the hikes you've finished, where did the Copper Ridge/Chilliwack River Trail, North Cascades National Park rank among your other hiking adventures?

1) Grand Canyon - North to South Rim (2009)
2) Mt. Rainier National Park - Northern Loop (2011)
3) North Cascades National Park - Copper Ridge/Chilliwack River Trail (2014)
4) Yellowstone National Park - Shoshone Geyser Trail (2012)
5) Vancouver Island - Juan de Fuca Trail (2010)

The North Cascades and Mt. Rainier are a close tie. I have been debating whether I would actually place it before Mt. Rainier, but ultimately I think Mt. Rainier still wins.

Now all we need to do is figure out where we'll go next...

The Half Dome in Yosemite, California? Or maybe the Chilkoot Trail between the Yukon and Alaska?

Time will tell!