Part II to the previous post of our fantastic beach trip in Portugal to Carvalho Beach!!
As mentioned in the previous post, Carvalho is tucked away in one of those famous Algarve coastal coves near other spectacular beaches - Albandeira, Marinha, and Benagil. Benagil has its famous sea caves (well worth the swim to see it!!), Marinha has its famous double arches and Albandeira has multiple beaches and an impressive eroded arch of its own - but Carvalho is no slouch in scenery either.
The tunnel carved into the side of the cliffs that leads down to the beach adds an awesome touch, especially after hiking around the cliffs above, as we do in this video.
The climb up to the cliff-jumping spots can make those with weaker stomach's tremble a bit, but what a thrill it is to take the leap of faith into that fantastic Algarve beach water!!
Plenty of jumping in the video linked below, and a great hike on the edges of the cliffs high above the beach and around the nearby coves. I grabbed the swim board, too, and took a swim out to gaze at the beach from out in the water - what a great experience.
We visited this beach a few times during our vacation this summer, as the cliff jumping became addicting and the waves were pretty nice each time we went. Given the fact that Carvalho's neighbor beach, Benagil, put a stop to the cliff jumping, Carvalho became even more of a destination for the adrenaline-lover.
The road in can be confusing, as at one point you may think you have to head to the lighthouse or through a resort full of villas, don't fret - keep following the road straight past the villas and it puts you in the parking lot for Carvalho.
A little fresh fruit stand adds to the magical touch of the location and then you follow the winding steps down towards the beach. Take advantage of the cliffs overlooking the beach on the way down for some great photo ops.
Not quite as spread as the nearby Marinha beach, nor as famous as Benagil with its impressive sea cave, Carvalho provides the coastal landscape and beauty that defines the Algarve, while boasting caves and cliffs of its own.
Plenty of cliff jumpers were out on each visit to the beach, and the below video gives a nice sampling of our jumps and those of some other beach-goers. The highlight, or lowlight, may have been the epic belly flop fail from a serial jumper - classic!!
There's plenty of hotels and resorts nearby and plenty of dining options, as well. A fantastic destination for any traveler!!!
Click on the video link below for Part I of our visit to Carvalho Beach!!!
Colchuck Lake is undoubtedly one of Washington's best.
You know when you're flying over these large mountain ranges in an airplane and you look down and see these secluded lakes spotted around the range - and you think (well maybe YOU don't, but I know I do) how cool it would be to be able to just chill lakeside by one of these mountaintop lakes? Solitary and secluded from the world? That's Colchuck.
What makes Colchuck a great hike is not only the lake itself - the trail is eventful, full of creeks to cross and views of the wondrous surrounding wilderness as you climb higher and higher.
The hike starts with a drive up a gravel and dirt road to the trailhead for Colchuck and Stuart lakes. Although my destination was Colchuck all along, I asked another hiker about Stuart - his reply was that Colchuck is better for the views, while Stuart is better for swimming. This guy answered before his significant other could get a word in and it was funny to watch her glare at him for not letting her offer her opinion. We all know that look.
Either way, swimming at Colchuck is just fine - still haven't been to Stuart to compare, but swimming in Colchuck is exhilarating, with Dragon Tail and Colchuck peaks staring down at you with Asgard Pass looming as a next challenge.
Once the trails breaks - right to Stuart, left to Colchuck - it becomes pretty much a straight-up ladder hike, especially in the last mile. Rocks and roots provide the stepping stones, but the views on the way up are absolutely stunning, so take breaks as needed because paradise awaits.
At the lake, you won't be able to avoid the desire to take a refreshing dip in the icy cold waters and it's tough to pull away from this fantastic place of natural beauty. You'll gaze up at Asgard pass and mentally prepare yourself to take on that challenge at some point in the future, because the Enchantments await on the other side of the Pass - and most say the lakes of the Enchantments even outshine Colchuck.
I'll be giving the Enchantments a try myself this upcoming weekend.
Colchuck is an unbelievable hike, well worth the sweat and leg cramps you may get. Camping up top - if you can score an overnight camping permit - swimming (if you can bare the cold water) and plenty of places to just sit back, chill and take it all in.
Click on the link below for the video blog of the journey. I left much of the footage unedited as every second of this hike was just plain awesome and cutting any bit out just wouldn't do the hike justice.
Blanca Lake is definitely one of the more popular hikes in the the beautiful Cascade mountains - a hidden gem tucked in a taste of mountain wilderness paradise attracts exploring souls from all over the globe and all walks of life. All easy to understand when the hike in is over and you're sitting lakeside admiring the views.
The charm brings the crowds, however, which means those that enjoy the solitude of a mountain hike probably won't find it in Blanca. The amount of cars parked on the side of the road provide a hint of this hike's popularity, especially considering that the closed access road to the trailhead adds an extra four miles to the hike (round trip) and has a few would-be hikers hesitant to undertake the mileage.
For those that do - and no one should be deterred by the extra road-walking miles - can expect a steady incline to the ridge from the trailhead, with few areas of flat hiking to rest.
Endless switchbacks dominate your day until reaching the ridge-line, where you get a chance to recoup on a flat stretch or two before passing Virgin Puddle and heading straight downhill towards the blue-green glacier-fed lake. A true sight to behold.
There's a great little beach area around the lake, filled in with a bunch of drift logs to chill out on and eat lunch and rest - and they also serve as a launching pad for those willing to tak the cold plunge into the chilling waters.
There's little chance that the Blanca Lake road washout will be prepared any time soon. There are three washout spots - must have been one helluva flood - and the second one pretty much wiped the road away with little chance of an easy repair. Paths have been created for hikers to circumvent the washouts and the road walk should be considered more of a leisurely stroll than a hike - no worries about tiring yourself out before hitting the meat of the trail
One of the area's best hikes, for sure. On scale with Colchuck (maybe my personal favorite) and it's definitely worth the toil and effort of getting to the lake and back.
Don't let the road washout intimidate you.
Also - the WTA website is a bit off on their round-trip estimate even without considering the washout. Count on about 13-14 miles (depending on where you park on 65) and about 2 hours and 45 minutes of climb time at a decent pace (give or take fitness level and rest). Three hours is a good barometer, but I noticed a couple of parties with large packs took about 3.5 to 4 hours before arriving lakeside while some are up in 2.5 or a little less.
View the video below to follow the hike, enjoy the lake views and feel that chilling cold water.
The legs were a little wobbly still after having hiked up to Colchuck Lake two days prior, then doing a nine mile hike the following day that kinda ended nowhere, so in search of a casual hike that could offer impressive views, I came across the Diablo Lake Trail while checking out Diablo Dam in the North Cascades National Park.
After crossing the Dam, which was pretty cool in itself, the trailhead starts in the parking lot of the North Skagit River Hydroelectric Project. The project, and the Diablo Dam, is one of three dams that according to the Internet (and the Internet is always right) provides Seattle with a good portion of its power needs.
If you follow the Diablo Lake trail up to its endpoint, a bridge provides views of the Ross Lake dam, as well, but to be honest I didn't hike all the way to the bridge. According to the few hikers I asked along the trail, I had already seen the best views the trail had to offer at about the three mile mark (probably just over the trails two mile mark, I took a little detour earlier in the trail to check out the view from the power lines) - as you can see in the below-linked video.
Those with any fear of heights may get lightheaded at that point in the trail where the best views of the lake could be had, as the drop is pretty much straight down - a long ways - and the trail is not that wide. Someone not paying enough attention or taking the trail a little too fast could have a bad day in a hurry. Be careful, especially with the little ones.
That said, the trail is safe and casual and provides some awesome views of the surrounding peaks, including Sourdough, Pyramid and some others. The views are quite breathtaking.
Another highlight of this trail - and who knows if it's like this every day - but there was quite the variety of hikers. I met a couple from Westchester, New York, a Russian family, a congregation from Inda and a few other nationalities. Seems the North Cascades National Park is a tourist destination for many and it's encouraging to see the world's people unite around the beauty the world has to offer.
At the conclusion of the hike, and after three days where I logged just over thirty miles hiking, it was refreshing to take a dip in the glacier-cold Diablo Lake. It was really cold, like really cold. But so enjoyable. Something about swimming in these waters surrounded by snow-covered mountain peaks.
A pretty casual family-friendly hike, especially if other destinations are still covered in snow.
