Hiking Gothic Basin and Foggy Lake in the North Casacades

It says 9.2 miles roundtrip and 2840 feet elevation gain. Not bad, we can do it right?

My friend and I were trying to decide which hike to do during my time in Washington state and she mentioned one in particular that had been on her bucket list, Gothic Basic. I asked her what the hike is like and when she read it to me, I balked a little. The longest hike I’ve ever done was 8 miles round trip and 970 feet in elevation.

It wasn’t the distance that scared me, it was the elevation. I could already feel the soreness in my thighs and creakiness in my knees just listening to nearly 3000 foot gain elevation!

But it was on her bucket list and the photos looked gorgeous. As they say, the journey is half the fun and hiking in the North Cascades has been on my list for awhile as well. The view at the top is always worth it!

And it truly was. Worth every step, scramble, climb and fall.

Hiking Gothic Basin

We arrived at the trail head around 10 AM. By that time, the parking lot and Gothic…