West Fork Foss River – Copper Lake

8:45 a.m. Only one other car in the parking lot. Aggressive mosquitoes motivated us to load the packs and start hiking quickly. The weather forecast was for rain in the afternoon so we had dressed warmly and carried rain gear. Beautiful river valley and gentle ascent to Trout Lake on a well maintained trail and a very new bridge across the West Fork of the Foss River.  Thank you trail maintenance divas.  Passed the largest tree I have ever seen in the Cascades.

Ascending up towards the waterfall, we ran into a little snow in patches and then suddenly a lot of snow. But with some careful route finding, we were very soon on the north side of Copper Lake where we enjoyed a pot of hot soup and bread before descending. Back at the car around 2:40 p.m. Just inside six hours.

West Fork Foss River Valley
West Fork Foss River Valley
New Bridge over the W. Fork Foss
New Bridge over the W. Fork Foss
Looking up the West Side of the Valley
Looking up the West Side of the Valley
Grandfather Tree
Grandfather Tree
Stairway to Heaven
Stairway to Heaven
Small lake below Copper Lake
Small lake below Copper Lake
Copper Lake - clouds thickening
Copper Lake – clouds thickening
Last section of climb before reaching Copper Lake.
Last section of climb before reaching Copper Lake.
A bit of fun on the way down
A bit of fun on the way down
Descending the Switchbacks
Descending the Switchbacks
Ancient tranquility
Ancient tranquility
Tree and Rock
Tree and Rock
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