Sheep Lake (August 23-25)

Last August we went with Nick's family on a two-day backpacking trip to Sheep Lake.  The trail head is located off of Chinook Pass and the trail itself is actually a part of the Pacific Crest Trail or PCT (super cool!).  We hiked for 2.5 miles surrounded by forests and occasional viewpoints.  The great thing about this hike is that its basically a high alpine lake but at the same time its so easy to get to.  After the 2.5 mile marker we reached Sheep Lake...

...and we headed out in search of a camping spot.  There are quite a few located on the Eastern, Western, and Southern sides.  The Northern side was a meadow and had quite a few streams running through it.

We found our spot on the Eastern side and set up camp.  Once there we decided to grab a snack and then head out to explore the area.  If you follow the PCT trail for 2 miles or so you'll find a fork in the road.  If you go the right (also downhill) you'll continue on the PCT and if you proceed straight you'll eventually reach a gap.  This is called Sourdough Gap.  Once we reached the gap Nick's parents heard of and a moderately easy scramble to the left that would provide a great view of Mt. Rainier.  We decided to go for it, even though it didn't look easy.

This is the view we got from the top of the scramble.  Was it worth it?  Oh yes :)