A favorite hike that did not go so well

7/14/2025 Gothic Basin

I wanted to share with my brother one of my all-time favorites, Gothic Basin. This is a great hike, but this was not my best experience there. Maybe it was being tired going in, but this time it kicked my backside even more than normal.

The trail lulls you into a false sense of accomplishment with a couple miles of mostly flat, then the climbing kicks in. You soon get up high above the valley and the views across are impressive.

There are several creek crossings, but one stands out above the rest. You have to drop down steeply to the creek, then scramble up. The route I took put me into the path of the water cascading onto my feet, yielding the up-close photo below.

There are a handful of rock scrambles they have improved thanks to some strategically placed cutouts in the rocks to make steps. I'm always pleased to see trail improvements, as these small changes can make a big difference.

The basin remained covered in clouds and fog coming off the lake. Still some snow but spikes were not necessary. After some meandering around a few lakes in the basin, the climb is back on again to get to Foggy Lake.

Once again, Foggy Lake lived up to it's name. Even on a warm day, it can often be quite cold at the lake.

Most frustrating was the fact that I hurt my knee towards the end of the decent on some loose rock. This could be a tough recovery, and my plans for a backpacking trip in a few weeks could be in jeopardy.