Pratt and Melakwa Lakes

Published on 2005-5-22 by Michael Stanton

Pratt Lake, Melakwa Lake, May 22, 2005

I went on a really really fun trail run this morning. What I did was to cache a mountain bike at the Denny Creek trailhead, then drive back to the Granite Mountain trailhead. I hiked and jogged the trail towards Pratt Lake, enjoying the cool forest and nice path. There were some views looking down on Olallie Lake and out to hills to the west. A steep descent from a ridge top entered a boulderfield with broad views to Pratt Lake and my trail contouring far away on the other side. (Looking at the map now, it's hard to reconcile the line of the trail with the way it really went. It seems like it must have been further west, closer to Pratt Mountain). I ran on, to Lower Tuscohatchie Lake where a sign said it would be 3 more miles to my next destination: Melakwa Lake. Kaleetan Peak had a dusting of fresh snow and definitely had a "Matterhorn of the Cascades" look from here. I ate my PowerBar in a boulderfield before the short and steep climb up to the lake. Once there, I thought about hiking on to tag Melakwa Pass, but I needed to be home by noon. I saw a lot of people as I quickly descended the somewhat "technical" Denny Creek trail (lots of rocks embedded in the trail). The falls were roaring very nicely. Once down I hopped on my bike and rode the 3 or so miles back to my car. I took from 6:45 am to 11:00 am for the 17 mile trip (3 on the bike). Loop trips are so much fun!