The Washington State Chronicles

Tolmie Peak was -- by far -- one of the coolest hikes of this summer. I'd have to say it's one of my favorites. Ginger and I went on a Saturday, and left fairly early in the morning so we could get up to the north western side of mountain in time. Wanting to get away from the jam-packed areas of Longmire and Paradise, we decided to head up to Mowich Lake and "get out of town" so-to-speak. Even though Tolmie Peak is a fairly popular hike, I was surprised at how little traffic there was on the trail. We came across several people, but not nearly as much as we had expected on a Saturday.

The cool, clear, azure waters of Mowich Lake looked very inviting as we started our ascent, and the day was already warming up nicely. Hiking through lush, alpine forests, we were lucky enough to spend most of our trek in the shade. The hot summer sun streamed in through the trees and heated the forest floor, producing intoxicating scents of berries, pine needles, tree sap, and wild flowers. It sure was buggy though! Despite the fact that we sprayed ourselves several times with bug spray, they just kept on bitin'.

The jaunt up to Lake Eunice was fairly easy going, with a few ups and downs, and little switchbacks here and there. Eunice was gorgeous, and our destination was in sight -- the Fire Lookout of Tolmie Peak. So we took off for the steep switch backs up the ridge and across the scree. Once we had reached the top, we bounded eagerly over to a viewpoint at the edge of the cliff. We couldn't believe our eyes! Not a cloud in sight -- we could see all the way to Puget Sound across the valley, Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Baker, and the Olympics all from the top of a 5,939 foot peak! I felt on top of the world in that wide, open, fresh air with the mountain so close I could practically reach out and touch it.

After relishing in our epic journey to the top of the peak, we made our way to the fire lookout and had lunch with a nice chipmonk who sat in our laps. It was very hot on top of the peak, and being all sweaty from our hike, we quickly came to the conclusion that a swim in Mowich Lake was a MUST DO before we set off for home. We made our descent quickly so we could jump in the lake, and boy...was it ever c-c-cold!!! It felt so good though after a long, hot hike. One quick dunk was pretty much all we needed in the snow melt lake, so we dried off, took in the scenery one last time, and headed back home. Couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. :) Thanks for going with me Ging! I'll remember this day for the rest of my life!

Check out the video below for the full account of Ginger's and my adventure! :)