Both Charlie and I were practically jumping at the chance to go back to Gold Bar. We were working a lot of hours at this time and being outside was by far our new favorite release, especially since we had one day of the week to do it together for the entire day.
I don’t even think I should mention we started out the adventure at Whole Foods at this point because it’s a broken record… how about I mention when we DON’T start there from now on… 😉
This trailhead was slightly deeper in the Wenatchee National Forest and we could not believe how beautiful the drive was. The narrow road is completely surrounded by lush and dense trees alongside the roaring Snohomish River. I was so tempted to stop at every bend to soak up the view but knew we had two destinations to make that day and needed to save daylight.
WE FINALLY PURCHASED OUR DISCOVERY PASS THIS TRIP! YES! Now we don’t have to worry about parking…. well for most trails.
Charlie and I were in amazing spirits this day. The sun was shining, there were phenomenal mountain viewpoints in between destinations, and our energy levels were on point! There were a lot of stairs along this trail and we made it a goal to run up every set. I think we accomplished this about 90% of the time, which was pretty good considering how many there were! If it wasn’t for the challenge, I don’t think we would have run up so many, let alone with so much laughter and smiles.
The first destination is at Bridal Falls which is up 1.7 miles on the trail. Both Charlie and I were blown away by how close we were to this massive line of waterfalls. Neither of us had experienced something like that before and it was great to have that moment together. I took pictures for a couple giggling friends who in return snapped a couple amazing memories.
After Bridal Falls, the trail seemed to get steeper and steeper by the mile. Luckily, the sights were becoming more and more breathtaking.
The sun was dropping just above the mountains once we finally arrived at Lake Serene. I cannot even describe the way I felt seeing the lake and sunlight peak through the trees once we emerged to the opening. It definitely took our breath away. All we could seem to do was laugh and look at one another in disbelief.
Across a log bridge and around the corner from the entry point there was a huge rock to enjoy a break right on Lake Serene. Once again, I was left absolutely floored. I just upped the previously top view of my life… that I experienced only a couple minutes prior! This place is so perfectly created, it doesnt even look or feel real… in real life. My favorite part was the mirroring landscape on the water with the transition of warm to cool on this mid-October day.
Hands down the best hike we have both been on to date.
Coincidentally on the way down we passed by another Dormier I had never met in person yet – the world connects us in such crazy ways.
What a breathtaking day. We will never forget all its beauty!
Rating:
Likeness – 5/5
Difficulty – 3/5
Gold Bar, Bridal Falls and Lake Serene, Hike – October 15 at 10:58am – 52 degrees
Note: Unfortunately there was a significant period of time this hike that I did not have my watch turned on to track the activity so these results are not 100% for the entirety of the hike. :/
6.41 miles
(Google says the Lake Serene Hike should be 8.2 miles round trip.)
3:07:38 time
31:89 avg pace, 4:22 best pace
2,622 elevation gain
1188 calories
128 bpm avg hr, 183 bpm max hr