I have wanted to visit this area for a very long time. After recieving some "strange reports" from Spirit Lake recently I thought I would go see what all the fuss was about. I made the drive into the trailhead in under three hours. I found a place to park and put on the pack and headed on in. I am solo on this trip, so this should up the challenge since I've never been to this area before. The sign says 8 miles to Anson Lake. Most reports were saying 6.2 miles, 6.9 miles, 7 miles, so I was not sure which of them were correct. So I tracked it myself. The trail starts you going in the wrong direction, and for a minute I thought I was on the wrong trail, but soon found out this was the first switchback. Then the trail gradually gains elevation after that point. You pass a massive meadow before topping out on the ridge. A 1/4 mile more and you arrive at the Daggett Lake Junction. I will come back here to visit that lake. But on to Weyman Park! Another 1/4 of a mile you come to the Weyman Park Junction. After turning right here you descend a pretty steep section with loose rock and a lot of uneven surfaces. I took my time through here.
Once I reached the bottom, I came out of the woods and got my first view of where you are out of the trees. I crossed the river, then the trail continues on the other side into the trees. This section had no line of sight and the trail had a ton of dead falls to navigate. Another mile and you enter a second meadow marked with a big carin. There was no trail and it was swampy in spots. I just kind of shot straight accross it and saw a old delapitated carin marking the bridge. This bridge is pretty sketchy to cross so I suggest caution if you attempt it. I just walked where the support beams were and it seem to hold me despite moving quite a bit. I finished that up and moved on.
This is where the big up begins. On paper it doesn't look to bad, and you are thankful it is mostly in the trees. But it does not follow the path you see on maps. It's steep and consistent for over 2 miles. Plus with no line of sight and a new place with game trails running off the main track it was challenging to stay on trail. The blazes on the trees were what kept the ship straight. At just over 6 miles there was a spring and I was glad to see it. I realized that those folks who said it was 6 whatever miles were full of it. I dropped the pack and used my Sawyer Mini and drank four 16 oz bottles and had a snack. A squirrel hoped up on the log next to me and had his snack. Just a couple of hundred yards from the spring you come to Weyman Park. This has to be one of the biggest meadows in the range. It also had no trail to continue on so thanks to navigation I knew where to go. The meadow in Weyman Park also has a fun feature- big holes in long grass! That made things more interesting. After about 3/4 of a mile of that I rejoined the trail. This is the final stretch into Anson Lake.
7.9 miles later I arrived at Anson Lake! It was a long day on trail and I found my camp and set up shop for the weekend. It was so quiet, just the creek running right outside my camp. After getting camp set I pulled up my chair and took a break for a bit to just relax after the long trek in here. Evening set in and I got dinner ready. I did not realize how hungry I was till I ate. Buffalo Mac & Cheese was the main course and Ghardelli Chocolates were desert. I was no going to be able to have a fire on this trip, so I just fired up the Luci Solar Lamps and pulled up my chair in the meadow and just starred up at the stars as my camera was capturing the images. I then got a single shot of the Milky Way that was just beautiful even though the galactic center is moving south as we approach fall. I then jumped in the tent called it a night.
Saturday I woke up a bit earlier than normal. It was chilly outside and I made some coffee to warm up. I decided to just walk the 100 yards down to the lake to toss a line in for a bit. I got one bite but did not land anything. I made my way back up to camp to eat breakfast and get ready for the day. I decided with how many boulders there are in this basin to hike up to Upper Anson Lake and give fishing a whirl. The hike up there was pretty straight forward as you stay east in the basin to avoid a nasty boulder field that sits dead center. After a nice walk and views that kept getting better I arrived. Upper Anson Lake has a tan color from the silt in the water. Contrast that with Lower Anson Lake which has more of a teal green color to it. The fish were top feeding so I put in a line and fished for a while. I landed a few fish up there but it was not fast action. I sat down for lunch and looked over the map and then took a look at the terrain. Everywhere is just huge boulders to get anywhere up there. Being solo made me opt out from heading to the upper two lakes above Upper Anson Lake. I just felt I was asking for an injury and I knew a safe and manageble route back to camp, so I hung out for a bit finishing my lunch, then I started to make my way back to camp. Along the way I passed a river on the way in and decided why not toss a line in there, see what happens. First cast I had a 8" brookie on. I landed 10 in a row all about 6-8" but very fiesty and were attacking my fly! That was a unexpected treat as I make the hike back.
I returned to camp and rehydrated and decided to walk all the way around Lower Anson Lake and see if my fishing odds would improve. This lake is really beautiful and bigger than you think from seeing on a map. I fished for about two hours and I think I might have has one hit, but alas nothing was there. Maybe I have used up all my fishing luck this year? I returned to camp. I was feeling a bit tired, it was so quiet, and my tent was in the shade, I would crawl in and take a nap. I got about a 1 1/2 hour snooze then got up. There were pretty dark clouds rolling into the basin, and I was not quite sure if we were going to get a thunderstorm. Alas the clouds just raced overhead and it eventually broke to partly cloudy skies. I had packed in some sliced french bread, some seasoned ham, and a small tomoato from my garden. I made a sandwich out of it all and that was delicious! I wanted to have a no cook meal in a fire restriction and I'd say I nailed it!
Evening set in and I got on the night layers and settled in with some light picking music and watched the orange glow on the horizon slowly fade to black. I kind of took it all in. It was a bit warmer this night and so I just put out my chair and watched the stars twinkle in Anson lake. There were a few meteors, and those are always fun to see. A lot of times I think people overlook how beautiful a forest is at night in the wilderness. Its something that has become part of my travels out there. After a great time watching the stars I decided to turn in early because I had a long walk out the next day.
Morning came with some chilly air. Probably low 40's when I got up. I decided to pack breakfast in my pocket and crunch on it as I made my way out. I made the up out of Anson, then across Weyman Park. I had to get a picture becuase it just looked awesome this morning. Once back in the forest I made the climb down the big steep I came up. I made pretty quick time out of it. Crossed the scary bridge and made it through the meadow, forest and first river crossing. I did pace myself up to the Weyman Junction then made a good pace out to the Jeep. From camp to Jeep I saw no Human Beings. A great weekend in a beautiful area! Hints of fall in the air including some frost in the shadows in Weyman Park. We are on the tail end of the season! Enjoy the pics and video on here. More adventures to come!
