Trail Review: Annette Lake and Trail Etiquette

Annette Lake - June 23rd
7.5 miles
1400 ft Elevation gain
Alpine Lakes Wilderness; I-90 Corridor
Dog Friendly

Difficulty: Easy

God I hate people. You do too? Thought so. I hate people all the time. Person’s, individuals are okay, I like them just fine. The more individuals there are though, the more unhappy I become

For the most part hiking mellows me out, but I think it actually increases my general misanthropy. I get on the trail and if it’s at all crowded I start to get really irritable. I think I just subconsciously pick a group of people to bitch about in my head. The more crowded it is, the more internal bitching.

When Katie and I (Chris’ ankle was hurt) hiked Annette Lake it was one of those wonderful summer days in the Pacific Northwest. Which meant of course, that everybody and their mother was out doing stuff in the nice weather, and apparently we all had the same idea to hike the same trail. We had two dogs with us this time since Katie was dog sitting. His name is Tucker and he’s AMAZING.

The trail itself is pretty easy, or it would have been if it wasn’t so hot. When I say hot I mean 86 degrees with mild-moderate humidity. Judge me as you like I’m pale and there’s a very good reason I moved to the Northwest. The sun and I are frenemies.

The group of people who I decided to berate internally on this particular day was a family of four. Here are the reasons why I chose them:

1. Even though we were hiking faster than them, we took a few breaks to water the dogs during which they would pass us. Afterward we’d catch up to them and as soon as they saw us they would leap up from where they were resting and go. Which meant I had to stare at their backs until we were finally able to pass them. Which brings me nicely to number 2.

2. THEY WALKED SIDE BY SIDE ON A FAIRLY NARROW CROWDED TRAIL. I apologize for the caps, but I can’t begin to express how much this irritates me. I won’t even try. If you do this. Stop. Just stop.

3. The daughter was wearing jean shorts (separate issue) and every time I passed her she had this look on her face like “I totes hate being in nature, especially with my parents! GAWD.” Now, I understand, because her parents are stupid, but I don’t want to see anybody on a trail, especially stupid teenager faces. 

There was one other person who irritated me.
We stopped to let this old couple come down a rocky section they had started, even though we had the right of way. While we were stopped this guy walked around us and plowed right through old people. Who the hell does that?!

Anyway aside from all the stupid people the hike was really nice. There were some really beautiful views of the mountains on the way up. The lake itself was gorgeous, and I got to play in it with a really big puppy.

WTA Link

Note: A few of these photos were taken by Katie, not me.

4 Things Beginning Backpackers Should Know About

I mentioned briefly in my last post that my backpacking trip for this past weekend got cancelled. Which is a big bummer because I had a bunch of posts that were contingent on that trip. There was going to be a food for backpacking post, Primitive Fire Part 1: The Bow Drill, and obviously a Trail Review, since that's not happening now I had to make something up on the fly.

That something is going to be 4 Things/Products you should  know about or have for backpacking.

1. REI's return department.
I had no idea this existed until a few years ago, and it's pretty much amazing. Basically because REI has such an amazing return policy they end up having to re-sell a lot of items. Some are not perfect but if you take some time you can almost always find something great. In Seattle's big REI store it's behind the Bicycle area downstairs. Some fun examples of stuff I've got there: REI Half Dome 2 (MSRP $189.00) for $20. The only thing wrong with it is a small hole in the mesh about the size of a pencil eraser. A Marmot 30 degree sleeping bag (MSRP $99-$109) in my favorite color (Chartreuse, not easy to find!) for 17.50, no problems the original buyer didn't like the color!

2. Dr. Bronner's Liquid Soap (4 oz - $4.25 @ REI)
Backpacking it's always good to have things with multiple uses, it saves weight and just generally makes your life easier. Dr. Bronner's is pretty much the ultimate soap. It's good for face, body, shampoo, toothpaste, some people on extended trips use it for laundry detergent. It's pretty much awesome, as well as being pH balanced, sulfate free, organic and biodegradable.

3. Jack Black SPF 25 Lip Balm- Assorted Flavors
(There's a full review of these on my beauty blog The Dead Don't Lie)
I have a thing about my lips. If they are at all chapped at all I will pick at them till I bleed. I have really fair skin and large lips, and they get dried out and burnt pretty easily. For this reason I always carry lip balm that has SPF, if I'm going to be out in the sun, the wind, and alpine areas with less moisture I need help. My favorites are Honey and Shea Butter and Grapefruit and Ginger

4. Swiftwick Socks (Website here)
Have you ever put on a sock, gasped audibly and then exclaimed: "Holy Shit Ballz! This is the greatest sock ever?" No? Well I have, and slipper socks DON'T COUNT. Swiftwick socks are seriously incredible. Chris and I each have a couple of pairs and we love them. I'll do a full review at a later date. But if you do any kind of activity you should get these. They come in varying price, length and thickness. The Vibe line are my favorites, they are the most amazing compression socks ever. EVER.