{"id":5701,"date":"2017-08-13T14:55:09","date_gmt":"2017-08-13T22:55:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/?p=5701"},"modified":"2017-08-16T12:24:59","modified_gmt":"2017-08-16T20:24:59","slug":"pratt-to-denny-creek-loop-hike-august-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/?p=5701","title":{"rendered":"Pratt Lake Trail to Denny Creek Trail Hike, August 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Pratt Lake Trailhead to Denny Creek Trailhead <\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Date:<\/strong> August 12, 2017<br \/>\n<strong>Difficulty:<\/strong> 9 out of 10<br \/>\n<strong>Distance:<\/strong> 13.5 miles \/ 21.7 Kilometers round-trip<br \/>\n<strong>Elevation Gain:<\/strong> 3,600 feet \/ 1,097 meters (total gain)<br \/>\n<strong>Time:<\/strong> 6 to 8 hours<br \/>\n<strong>Location:<\/strong> Exit 47, Off I-90 in Washington<br \/>\n<strong>Users Group:<\/strong> Hikers &amp; Dogs Only<br \/>\n<strong>Permits:<\/strong> Discovery Pass<br \/>\n<strong>Trail Conditions:<\/strong> Dry<br \/>\n<strong>Hiking With:<\/strong> , Matt Kerby, Craig Schilling &amp; the Wonder Dog Macho<br \/>\n\n\t\t<style>\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 33%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div data-carousel-extra='{&quot;blog_id&quot;:1,&quot;permalink&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/?p=5701&quot;}' id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-5701 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/?attachment_id=5702'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Altitude.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-5702\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Altitude.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Altitude.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Altitude.jpg?zoom=3&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" data-attachment-id=\"5702\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/?attachment_id=5702\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Altitude.jpg?fit=2453%2C780&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2453,780\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Freeman, Rick&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1502607678&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Altitude\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Our Altitude&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Altitude.jpg?fit=584%2C186&amp;ssl=1\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-5702'>\n\t\t\t\tOur Altitude\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/?attachment_id=5703'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Horseshoe-Falls.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-5703\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Horseshoe-Falls.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Horseshoe-Falls.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Horseshoe-Falls.jpg?zoom=3&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" data-attachment-id=\"5703\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/?attachment_id=5703\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Horseshoe-Falls.jpg?fit=1500%2C2000&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1500,2000\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.8&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 7 Plus&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1502538840&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;3.99&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;20&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0051282051282051&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Keekwulee Falls\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Keekwulee Falls&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Horseshoe-Falls.jpg?fit=584%2C779&amp;ssl=1\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-5703'>\n\t\t\t\tKeekwulee Falls\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/?attachment_id=5704'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/I-90-Overpass.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-5704\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/I-90-Overpass.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/I-90-Overpass.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/I-90-Overpass.jpg?zoom=3&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" data-attachment-id=\"5704\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/?attachment_id=5704\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/I-90-Overpass.jpg?fit=2000%2C2666&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2000,2666\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.8&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 7 Plus&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1502541276&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;3.99&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;20&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00080385852090032&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"I-90 Overpass\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;West I-90 Overpass&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/I-90-Overpass.jpg?fit=584%2C779&amp;ssl=1\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-5704'>\n\t\t\t\tWest I-90 Overpass\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/?attachment_id=5705'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Knee.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-5705\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Knee.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Knee.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Knee.jpg?zoom=3&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" data-attachment-id=\"5705\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/?attachment_id=5705\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Knee.jpg?fit=1500%2C1125&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1500,1125\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.8&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 7 Plus&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1502558964&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;3.99&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;20&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0078740157480315&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Knee\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Wounded Knee&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Knee.jpg?fit=584%2C438&amp;ssl=1\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-5705'>\n\t\t\t\tWounded Knee\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/?attachment_id=5706'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Pratt-Lake.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-5706\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Pratt-Lake.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Pratt-Lake.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Pratt-Lake.jpg?zoom=3&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" data-attachment-id=\"5706\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/?attachment_id=5706\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Pratt-Lake.jpg?fit=2000%2C1500&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2000,1500\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 7 Plus&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1502525601&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;6.6&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;20&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0053191489361702&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Pratt Lake\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Beautiful Pratt Lake&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Pratt-Lake.jpg?fit=584%2C438&amp;ssl=1\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-5706'>\n\t\t\t\tBeautiful Pratt Lake\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/?attachment_id=5708'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Scary-Tree-1.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-5708\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Scary-Tree-1.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Scary-Tree-1.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Scary-Tree-1.jpg?zoom=3&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" data-attachment-id=\"5708\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/?attachment_id=5708\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Scary-Tree-1.jpg?fit=1500%2C2000&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1500,2000\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 7 Plus&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1502529077&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;6.6&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;32&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0083333333333333&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Scary Tree\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Scary Tree Along Trail&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Scary-Tree-1.jpg?fit=584%2C779&amp;ssl=1\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-5708'>\n\t\t\t\tScary Tree Along Trail\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\nI haven&#8217;t hiked the Pratt Lake trailhead to Denny Creek trailhead for about 13 years and guess what&#8230;it hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t gotten any easier. Craig Schilling and Matt Kerby joined me on this beautiful tough 13.5 mile loop.<\/p>\n<p>I took off from my Fall City house at 4:30 a.m. heading down the hill to get on I-90 near exit 17&#8230;but before I got to the bottom I was picked-up for driving 65 mph in a 40 mph zone by the Washington State Patrol.  I told him the truth, I was speeding damn fast, but explained the gravitational pull on a heavy S6 Audi especially downhill.  Officer Steele gave me a break&#8230;a verbal warning!  I was still able to pick up Matt Kerby at the Denny Creek trailhead at the predetermined time of 5:15 a.m.  He left his car at the trailhead and loaded up in my Audi and then met Craig at the Pratt Lake\/Granite Mountain trailhead and started hiking at 5:42 a.m.<\/p>\n<p>Right before the split heading down to Pratt Lake we stopped for a much needed snack at the open area over looking Olallie Lake.  We didn&#8217;t see any other hikers until the Pratt Lake Basin, some backpackers heading home. The trail from Pratt Lake to the Lower Tuscohatchie was pretty good shape considering the lack of foot traffic.  The trail seems to get a bit rougher after Lower Tuscohatchie Lake with over-grown vegetation, large rocks and at times a very narrow trail. All three of us fell in this area with Matt probably getting bruised the worst with his knee hitting a rock when he fell. I went over a steep hillside in a thorny area&#8230;.legs got scuffed up some.<\/p>\n<p>Once we hit Melakwa Lake it was sprinkling pretty good so we decided not to go for a swim, but enjoyed our lunch instead.  Our descent from Melakwa to Denny Creek Trail head was busy with hikers coming up. We spent a total of 7 hours of hiking, snacking, falling, resting and bullshitting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pratt Lake Trailhead to Denny Creek Trailhead Date: August 12, 2017 Difficulty: 9 out of 10 Distance: 13.5 miles \/ 21.7 Kilometers round-trip Elevation Gain: 3,600 feet \/ 1,097 meters (total gain) Time: 6 to 8 hours Location: Exit 47, &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/?p=5701\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[688,689,642,690,581,685,219],"class_list":["post-5701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-difficult-hikes","tag-craig-schilling-samamish","tag-denny-creep-loop","tag-matt-kerby-bellevue","tag-pratt-trail-to-denny-creek","tag-rick-freeman-seattle","tag-rick-freeman-wanderjunkie","tag-wander-junkie"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5jXSd-1tX","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5701"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5701\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5724,"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5701\/revisions\/5724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderjunkie.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}