Scrambling Labyrinth Mountain
(Photos below)
October 15, 2005
Labyrinth is a great easy scramble for days when you're feeling lazy or simply don't have much time. You could make it into a longer day by dropping down to Theseus Lake or scrambling west along Labyrinth's subsidiary ridge where you could probably bag a few un-named closed-contours.
We didn't get the the trailhead until after 10:00, but we were itching to get moving. The trail up to Minotaur Lake is nothing short of merciless--it goes straight up. But the good news is that it gets you to the lake quickly. We made it in almost exactly an hour, a time that belies the various trail descriptions' claims that it's 2.5 or 3 miles there. (We weren't traveling very fast with that kind of steepness.) At the lovely lake, which would be ideal for an overnight, head RIGHT (east) around the lake. This is obviously the main route, and by far the easiest way up Labyrinth, despite what Fred Becky and Peggy Goldman would have you believe. (This route is--bizarrely--described as the "alternate route" in Goldman's 75 Scrambles in Washington.)
The route is straightforward. Simply pick your way through the labyrinth of social trails left by backpackers and fishermen, glance down at forested Theseus Lake, and find a clear bootpath leading up and up, nearly to the summit of Labyrinth Mountain. The views from the top were similar to views we've had on many peaks this year--a sea of fog in most directions. I think we went from lakeshore to summit in less than an hour; and made the same descent in about 30 minutes. It wasn't long after that and we were back at the car, pleasantly tired, with a nice sense of accomplishment, and with plenty of time to buy groceries in Leavenworth for our Dutch oven hobo stew on the Icicle that night.
A note on getting to the trailhead: the Manning-Spring series and Goldman describe a ridiculously long route to the trailhead (at least if you're coming from Seattle). Instead, 4 miles after Steven's Pass, turn left onto Smith-Brook Road, which becomes USFS road 6700. Follow this road over Nason Ridge, turn left on 6704, and watch for the signed left turn to Minotaur Lake TH. (More simply put: just follow the signs to Lake Wenatchee.) After the scramble, if you so desire, you can keep following the USFS roads, drop down 12 miles to Lake Wenatchee (the route the Mountaineers books describe), catch Highway 2 there, and head back up over the pass.
Our first view of Minotaur Lake and, behind it, Labyrinth Mountain.
Looking down to Theseus Lake.
From near the summit of Labyrinth, the view east to Lake Wenatchee.
On the summit of Labyrinth Mountain, Jill enjoys a balmy autumn day in the Northwest.
Looking east at some of the fall color--larches, cottonwoods, aspens, and vine maple.
Post-scramble, on the drive along Forest Service roads out to Lake Wenatchee, we discovered this massive western red cedar just a few feet from the road's edge.
Down in the valley, near Lake Wenatchee, we snapped this photo from a Forest Service bridge.
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