American Lake '09,  Pacific Crest Trail,  Aug 29, 2009 - Aug 30, 2009     page 1 / 29

We revisited American Lake in late August. This trip was officially an Explorer Search and Rescue (ESAR) activity for its members and their families. I participated on this event, as well as Libby and Kevin, and two other SAR members, Dan and Carolyn.

The trip began Saturday morning. The weather was rather wet during the latter part of the week, but the forecast was for improvement during our intended hike dates. Indeed, the drive up to Chinook Pass was quite damp at times. Though the air was damp in the pass, the rain had stopped. We donned most of our rain gear, just in case.

We began the hike, following the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) along the north side of Naches Peak. Most of the wildflowers were past. The meadows were beautiful, nontheless. We quickly found ourselves along the east side of the peak where we could see Dewey Lake.