The Gothic Basin Trail to Foggy Lake at 10.8 miles (with some roaming around off-trail) and 3,200' elevation gain was the hardest hike I've ever done, but with a glorious payoff! (And maybe it was crazy hard bc I was recovering from COVID, plus carrying a very heavy pack.) But, damn, that was a hard hike! LOL. The first incline through the woods is BRUTAL, but after about 3.5 miles the trail opens up and you can start seeing the beautiful mountains, which distracts from the fact that you still have another 1,000+ feet to climb. In the woods alone on the hella steep incline, I got all up in my head about being alone and not having more hiking buds . . . . that plus it was nearly 90 degrees and I literally almost turned around and went home after a couple miles in . . . but fortunately I sucked it up and got in a good mental space because once out of the woods and onto the mountainside, it was simply glorious and you couldn't wipe the smile off my face. There are sections where my indoor bouldering practice actually helped because you are scrambling up boulders and loose rocks, which was new and fun. And, near the lake, the trail completely disappears and you're simply relying on your downloaded map to point you in the right direction through fields of stone, which was a little terrifying as the thought of being lost alone in the mountains is a tad bit frightening, but once I got used to the fact that I could glance at my phone to make sure I was headed in the right direction, I relaxed and enjoyed the rest of the hike to the lake. (I carry a backup battery and keep my phone in airplane mode to conserve battery.) Parking was easy even arriving at noon, as this is a challenging hike and it's about 1.5 hours away from Seattle so it's not busy. If you want a crazy hard workout that burns about 3K calories with a glorious reward at the end, I can certainly recommend the Gothic Basin Trail to Foggy Lake.