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Williwaw Lakes
by ?, Scree, 7/84
June 16-17, 1984. A call from Mark Skok just as I sat down to call him. "I'm moving to Juneau this weekend and can't lead the Castle Mountain trip. Will you lead it?" Darn! I wanted to go - to get out of town and to maintain my sanity. But I knew nothing about the trip and was told I probably couldn't find the trail head. "I'll cancel it." "No", I said. "I'll do something." I contacted the few names on the list and suggested Williwaw Lakes. None had been there and all wanted to go.
Saturday morning -- RAIN! Forecast gloomy. Mood not good. The wettest trip I ever took was this same one several years ago. I'll phone everyone and call it off. But I don't have all the phone numbers. Jim Lasche met me at my house and we drove to Prospect Heights. Nobody will show up and I'll go home. One car in the parking lot with packs out in the rain. Uh, oh! Looks serious. Loran and Carol Pahlke were eager to go. Then up pulls Jane Stammen and Pauline Dickey. It was definitely GO! Actually, it was the best for me as I really needed to get out. Jane and Pauline only wanted to day hike so we stashed my car at Prospect Heights and drove to Glen Alps.
The trail was really wet and bogs were really boggy. A large group was practicing ice ax arrests on the steep trail to the bench leading to O'Malley Peak. We slogged back to the lakes on the low Middle Fork trail with intermittent light rain. But spirits were good, especially after talking with a porcupine who got off the trail at our approach. After picking our way across the swollen Middle Fork and arriving at the first lake, I noticed a large group descending the scree slope. Oh boy! And good tenting real estate is not plentiful at the far lake. I covered the last mile or so in record time, but looking back I could not find my group - even with binoculars. My favorite spot was covered with snow so I selected a nearby site and set up my tent. The large group arrived (from ACC to climb Mt. Williwaw), looked disgruntled, and set up tents at the other end. But I still couldn't find my group until I saw Jane and Pauline headed back a long way off. I returned to the campsite to eat lunch, chastising yself for blasting off, but then saw the remaining members of my party at my tent. Tents up, the rain quit and we did a day hike. A good dinner, Reader's Digest, and early to bed.
Up early, broken clouds, some sun. Over the pass, past the still frozen lakes, across some snow fields and into the North Fork. Beautiful country! Past blue lake and dive-bombing sea gulls we went enjoying the sheep, flowers and fellowship. The grind over Near point (the leader almost went past it), the fantastic view and down the trail back to the parking lot. A good trip!
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