Trip Date: August 7-9, 2004

Labyrinth Mountain Climbing Trip & Campout

Minotaur Lake
Labyrinth Mountain (6376 ft)
Theseus Lake

Trip Report Summary

Region: North-Central Washington Cascades

Sub-Region: Upper Wenatchee Mountains

Area: Henry M. Jackson Wilderness

Starting & Ending Point: Minotaur Lake Trailhead on Rainy Creek Spur Road #6704 (Elev. 3800 feet)

Way Points: Jove Creek & Minotaur Creek & Minotaur Lake (trail hike)

Campsite: Minotaur Lake (Elev. 5550 feet)

Summit: Labyrinth Mountain (off-trail hike & rock scramble via Southeast Slope)

Sidetrip: Theseus Lake (trail hike & rock scramble)

Approximate Stats: 7 miles traveled; 3200 feet gained & lost.

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Full Trip Report

Brooke and I spent a delightful extended weekend in the mountains with several out-of-state visitors.  Laura Z’s longtime friend from Pittsburgh, Laura K, arrived late Friday night with her husband Dan (a Florida resident) and daughter Indigo.  This visit had been planned back in February, as a means of closure for all of us.  It was also intended to be an opportunity for Brooke and Indigo, who are 10-year-old pen pals, to see each other in person a second time.

Day 1: Trailhead to Minotaur Lake

We all met up on Saturday morning to shop for backpacking food and to get our gear sorted out and packed.  By mid-afternoon, we were loaded into my vehicle and headed toward Stevens Pass.  It had been raining for the last 24 hours, but clearing skies greeted us at the pass.  I drove to the Minotaur Lake trailhead, where a dozen other vehicles were already parked.

Our food-shopping enthusiasm had veered us away from traditional backpacking food and into the realm of car-camping fare, such that our menu was heavily weighted towards canned goods and bottled drinks.  The consequence of our questionable shopping decisions manifested itself as soon as we hoisted our backpacks and began hiking up the steep trail.  Ugh!!

Dan, who is a highly experienced sailor but an inexperienced woodsman, seemed particularly unprepared for the weight and verticality.  I must have looked equally inexperienced, as I hiked the entire 2½ miles with a big sleeping bag under one arm and a grocery bag in the opposite hand.  This undoubtedly drew a few snickers from some of the other hikers we met on the trail!

Despite our rag-tag appearance, we all arrived at Minotaur Lake in reasonably good condition and were able to pitch our tents at a nice group campsite before darkness set in.  Dinner was a disorganized headlamp affair that took us right up to bedtime at 11:00pm.  I shared a tent with the two 10-year-olds and read them to sleep from a scary “Goosebumps” book.

Day 2: Labyrinth Mtn. Summit Climb

The next morning dawned beautifully clear and mild.  We had a leisurely breakfast, then set out for Labyrinth Mountain.

Most of our ascent followed a well-defined path through scenic heather and granite basins. During the entire climb, Laura K employed her finely honed Girl Scout Leader skills to keep Brooke and Indigo entertained with songs about an intrepid Spanish cat named Don Gato. The two girls were far too engrossed in singing to even notice the 800-foot vertical gain to the summit, although they did manage to enjoy the final bit of rock scrambling. Dan felt content to stay just below and take photographs.

By the time I caught up with Laura K and the girls on the summit (1.2 hours from camp), they had dug the register tube out of the summit cairn. Brooke eagerly located her name in the register book, which she and Laura Z and I had signed during an ascent the previous year. This was the first time I had revisited one of Laura Z’s summits, and it was sad to see her name in the register.

The four of us signed in, then took turns pouring the remainder of her ashes on a summit rock.  Labyrinth Mountain became the last of five different repositories for her earthly remains, and it represents the central component of a grand mountain quincunx.  Along with this summit, she now resides on Goat Mountain in the north, Big Lou Mountain in the south, Mt. Constance in the west, and Corax Peak in the east.

Despite a chilly morning breeze blowing across the summit, we spent some time admiring the views.  The recent heavy rainfall served to flush away all of the summertime haze that had developed over the prior rainless month, leaving a squeaky-clean atmosphere.  Clearly visible were Mt. Baker, 75 miles to the north, and Mt. Rainier, 75 miles to the south.  I could see numerous peaks that Laura Z and I had climbed during the past five years, and they each brought back bittersweet memories.

We all arrived back at camp in time for lunch.  Afterwards, I made a quick sidetrip down to nearby Theseus Lake.  This lower lake, which can be reached by a steep path and boulder field, has an inviting sandy shoreline that calls out for wading.  By the time I returned to camp, the afternoon heat was setting in, so we moved down to Minotaur Lake for some swimming and sunning.  The water was refreshingly cold.  Although Brooke and I fancied ourselves as cold-water veterans, Dan earned the “polar bear award” among us by spending a full 45 minutes in the lake—an impressive display of tolerance for a Floridian, we thought!  Our hot and lazy afternoon rolled into a warm and quiet evening, capped by more scary stories at bedtime.

Day 3: Minotaur Lake to Trailhead

We hiked out the next day in the morning coolness.  Everyone reached the trailhead feeling satisfied and rejuvenated after a weekend of perfect mountain weather.  How did our three out-of-state guests regard the Minotaur Lake area?  Laura K and Indigo gave it their approval, and Dan even said it was the prettiest place he’d ever been.

Photo Gallery

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