7th graders experience true Northwest weather at Snow Lake

The 7th graders learned a ton about packing and being prepared for the weather on their trip to Snow Lake. They also found out that teamwork, cooperation and a positive attitude are good things to bring along on a backpacking trip.

We left the Alpental parking lot, elevation 3100 feet, at 11:40 am in overcast but dry weather. It took almost 2 hours to get a mile and a half gaining only about 7 or 8 hundred feet in altitude. There we stopped for lunch and put on our rain gear as the wet stuff started to come down from above. Motivated by the rain to cover some ground, the hikers made the next steep section (900 feet of altitude in about half a mile) in around and hour. From there it was all down hill.

We reached Snow Lake around 3:30. All were a little damp and very tired. We found a fairly dry camp site that would fit us and the kids had their tents up in no time, avoiding a pretty good shower that drenched anything not already wet from the day.The campers cooperated to make dinner and stay warm and dry. By morning the rain had let up, though it was foggy and damp.

We made a day hike to Gem Lake at 4900 feet where the students ate lunch, did some writing in their journals and an art project. They also learned a good lesson about leaving no trace on the clean up from lunch. The 2.5 mile hike back to camp took and hour and 40 minutes.

The highlight of the day was a silent hike down to the lake shore once back in camp. The kids sat quietly at the edge of Snow Lake for close to an hour. Later in the day we reflected on that time and students saw the value of experiencing "awesome nature" up close and in person.

The second night we were mostly dry at lights out - and despite a downpour in the middle of the night and some pretty fridgid temperatures, we awoke to blue sky. We broke camp after breakfast and discussed what we had learned about hiking together and taking less breaks. The hiking time on the way out was two hours and ten minutes, quite an improvement from the first day.