Stunning weather forecast for Saturday. \u00a0Rain forecast for Sunday. \u00a0We decided to head up to Egypt Lake for the weekend anyway, knowing we have a fantastic early Fall evening in the mountains (no bugs!).<\/p>\n
We hiked up Healy Creek from Sunshine Ski Area. \u00a0It’s a really easy trail through pleasant forest. \u00a0After about 6-7 km we started to emerge into meadow clearings and eventually up to the gentle slopes of Healy Pass\u00a0Pass. \u00a0The views form Healy\u00a0Pass are great, especially the \u00a0Pharoh Peaks and Scarob Peak\u00a0to the northeast, above the forested valley where Egypt Lake lies.<\/p>\n
We dropped down from Healy Pass and turned north the short distance to Egypt Lake campground, which is not actually that close to the lake. \u00a0The hike had taken only four hours, so we pitched the tent and then headed up to Whistling Pass, which is a much more dramatic and wild place than Healy Pass – definitely worth the one hour climb from the campground. \u00a0It was getting a bit late a windy as we arrived at Whistling Pass, so we dropped back to the campground for a nice meal as dusk fell.<\/p>\n
The following\u00a0morning was wet as promised. \u00a0We broke camp early and hiked out in about three hours. The weather\u00a0brightened up, and being the first on the trail meant we saw some wildlife at Healy Pass. \u00a0Initially we thought it was maybe a wolf, but after checking a\u00a0blurry photo and our Audubon guide it was a coyote (we were suprised coyotes\u00a0would this high in the mountains, but apparently they are found in this area).<\/p>\n
Egypt Lake is worth a weekend trip (although we never went to the mediocre lake itself). There are other more spectacular hikes, but this is so accessible you can start late and still have a good weekend in the mountains.<\/p>\n