Backpack - Boundary Trail & Coldwater Lake Loop

*Leaders Permission Required*. I will be looking for participants who have had or will have backpacking experience with trips 10+ miles and can maintain a 2 mph pace. I will also be looking for participants who are committed to the trip if accepted as Mt. Margaret backcountry camps only allow reservations of four people or less. I have a permit for Obscurity Lake camp. It is important to me to have participants who enjoy hiking in a group and have patience for others on the trip. If the weather is going to be very hot higher than 85 degrees each day I may adjust to a much shorter route to starting at Norway Pass. 

** NOTE ** Sign up will be first-come-first-serve, you're welcome to request permission in advance but you will have to register when registration opens.  There won't be any advance registration.

We will hike at a moderate 2 mph pace on the flat sections slowing down to 1.5 mph on the steeper sections and taking frequent breaks. We will stop for an extended lunch (~20 minutes). We will start hiking by 9:30am from the Coldwater Lake Trailhead along the west side of the lake to continue gaining elevation on the lakes trail, aiming to get to camp by 5pm and hike 11 miles on Saturday gaining 2200 feet in 4.8 miles. We may swim at Snow and/ or Panhandle Lakes before arriving at Obscurity Lake camp.

On Sunday we will aim to break camp by 8am and hike the remaining 14 miles or 15.5 if we were unable to shuttle cars. We will  continue climbing for four miles gaining another 1400 feet and passing Grizzly Lake and Bear Pass, turning west onto the Boundary trail and reaching the 5711 foot high point of the trip near the junction with the Whittier Ridge Trail which we will not be hiking (This is a more primitive scramble trail that passes the summit of Mount Whittier with technical skills needed). We will continue on the boundary trail to the junction with the Coldwater Trail and there head west on the Coldwater Trail which descends 2,500 feet in six miles past Ridge Camp to the South Coldwater Trailhead. If needed we will road walk the final 1.5 miles to our cars and aim to get to camp by either 4pm or 5pm if the road walk is needed.

Meet at the main Coldwater Lake Trailhead at 9am to shuttle cars and be ready to hike by 9:30am. To get there take the I-5 exit for Castle Rock, drive State Route 504 east 43 miles. Stay right where State Route 504 forks towards the Johnston Ridge Observatory. Continue for 1 mile, turn left at Coldwater Lake Picnic and Boating Site. We will attempt to shuttle cars 1.5 miles to the South Coldwater trail to save the last little bit of road walking if possible. Currently this parking area has reopened but the road is closed past this point and the Johnston Ridge visitors center continues to be closed.