This hike had a little of everything... from gentle paths to steep slopes, from creek crossings to alpine lakes, from silence to excitement. I had my first-ever encounter with a cougar (he was about 20 feet away from me) at Surprise Gap, during my descent, but he was scared off when I made loud noises by hitting my hiking stick against a rock and blowing my emergency whistle a few times. He was probably stalking me, so I'm glad I noticed him before he made any moves on me.
Snidely Whiplash - Dec 7, 2016 6:37 pm Date Climbed: Jul 6, 2020
Long dayIt's a pretty long day. 6.5 miles just to get to Surprise Gap.
seabadge - Jul 10, 2013 5:00 pm Date Climbed: Jul 9, 2013
With GimpilatorTrail to the top. Broad summit, good views.
gimpilator - Jul 10, 2013 2:13 pm Date Climbed: Jul 9, 2013
Mac, Surprise, Spark PlugWe came from Mac and traversed to Spark Plug.
A Video by Bryan K:
Redwic - Sep 8, 2008 11:48 pm Date Climbed: Sep 8, 2008
Awesome Alpine Lakes Hike!!!This hike had a little of everything... from gentle paths to steep slopes, from creek crossings to alpine lakes, from silence to excitement. I had my first-ever encounter with a cougar (he was about 20 feet away from me) at Surprise Gap, during my descent, but he was scared off when I made loud noises by hitting my hiking stick against a rock and blowing my emergency whistle a few times. He was probably stalking me, so I'm glad I noticed him before he made any moves on me.