At the end of the summer, my dad and I decided to take a one night backpacking trip together in the Glacier Peak area. We had spotted the Lost Ridge trail on a map and it looked attractive because it stayed high on a ridge just west of Glacier Peak. So we packed our bags and drove out there with loose plans of some out and back on the ridge.

The trail turned out to a be bit rougher and steeper than other trails in the area as we climbed through the forest to the ridgeline. Unfortunately, it was more in the trees than we had hoped for and had a lot of ups and downs, making my dad tired by midday.

Finally, as we approached Hardtack Lake, the terrain opened up a lot and suddenly we had wonderful views of Glacier Peak through a lovely meadow! It was about time this trail lived up to our expectations!

Even though it was only late August, the record breaking dry weather had already turned much of the foiliage towards fall colors. We had a pleasant stroll all the way to Camp Lake.

We picked a prime campsite near Camp Lake and I went for an afternoon dip. After dinner, we hiked up towards the next ridge closer to Glacier Peak. We reached this flat plateau above Lake Byrne. It was covered in soft grass and pebbles with huge views of the North Central Cascades.

Glacier Peak was looking incredibly barren, possibly the most barren it has been in hundreds of years considering recent climate changes.

We hung out up in the high meadow for most of the evening, watching the light fade on the high peaks of the Cascades. It was incredibly tranquil and calming and a very nice time to spend with my dad.

The next day, we packed up our camp and enjoyed a slow hike back to the car. While Lost Ridge is not the easiest or most continuously scenic ridge trail, it had a lot of solitude and got up and personal with Glacier Peak, which was nice. A fun little overnight together!