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Trip Report    

CHS 1 Hike - Annette Lake

Lovely windy trip to the lake (wind kept mosquitoes at bay) at a blistering 2.0 mph pace for this very strong group of CHS-1 hikers.

Courtenay Schurman Courtenay Schurman
May 12, 2026
  • Road rough but passable

  • Road: at that time of day (5 a.m.), we had smooth sailing all the way through downtown Seattle to Exit 47 with a beautiful cotton-candy pink sunrise. The .25 miles stretch from freeway to parking lot remains heavily rutted (see below) and there's a huge pothole filled with water. Take it slowly but be aware it could do damage to your car if you go too fast.

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    Main obstacle on trail: one blow down that caused a reroute up and left; not a huge deal but definitely have to detour to go around.

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    Bugs: they could be bad if there's no breeze - be prepared for mosquitoes - we were fortunate to have fairly strong winds at the lake that blew them all away; half our group used bug spray at the cars, I brought a head net I never had to pull out. THEY ARE OUT. Plenty more pictures but for whatever reason I'm unable to downsize and the website is not letting me load more...

11 of us met for a 6:15 AM departure for today's "Tuesdays with Court" adventure and were done by 11. Northwest Forest Pass needed; the kiosk was still covered in plastic and not useable. Toilets were clean and stocked.

Snow: the only snow remaining (other than up high which you can see all along the trail) is in the lake basin itself. Next to none on the trail - but in spots there is some mud. I didn't track any into my car.

Birds: on the day, 25 species including Hammond's and Western flycatchers, Vaux's swifts, 4 types of warblers, and a western tanager tik, tikking up high on our descent.

Wildflowers: Delightful - wild ginger, bleeding hearts, glacier lilies, pollinated (pink) and unpollinated (white) trilliums, violets. So pretty.

Unusual: we saw lost mountain bikers (5) carrying their bikes, looking for the Palouse trail - youngsters out for adventure without food, water, maps, or knowledge of what they were trying to do... Good luck to them...

Crowds: we saw one backpacker coming down, one day hiker going up who passed us, and one solo backpacker at the lake, but mostly we saw folks going UP (including dogs) as we came out, half on leash and half off. I picked up 3 poop bags that were definitely NOT there on the way up. And pointed out to two young ladies reading the sign by the TH that their dog -- ahem -- was pooping right by their feet. They asked if I had a baggie (um, why would I with no dog?) and fortunately I had brought my dog's leash in memoriam and could assist. Sigh.

His 11-year stewardship continues even after his passing last Thursday. This was a cathartic experience with a wonderful group of supportive people and I would hike with all and any of them again. The Mountaineers is my lifeline to Nature and I'm so honored to lead every Tuesday. Thanks, you all - you know who you are!