New snow and quite a few larches turning colors as you drop down into the basin after Chatter Creek Pass and Lake Edna. Snow is starting to melt out in the lower part of the basin, before heading up to Lake Edna, where it is all snow.

Ngie and I started on Friday the 29th at 9:45am, with the intent of camping somewhere around Lake Edna, and then hitting a few peaks. At around 4900ft heading up the Chatter Creek trail, we came across a nice campsite, and after discussing our options because of the unknown snow conditions up high, we decided to set up camp here, and day hike up instead.

Chatter Creek trail is clear of snow all the way to the pass. Up near the pass we ran into a couple of trail runners, one of which Ngie knew from a previous WTA work party, who said that there was new snow up at Lake Edna, which made getting up to Cape Horn ,which is just past Lake Edna, quite treacherous.

Once at Chatter Creek Pass the trail was all snow down to the basin. At the bottom of the basin the snow had started to melt, and it was quite beautiful with the fall colors, and tons of larches.  Up at Lake Edna it was all snow covered and quite beautiful there also.We took the trail up past the lake, and where the trail drops down towards Ladies Pass, we put on microspikes and tried going up to Cape Horn. I made it up maybe 20 ft past where the last footprints were,  and turned around here, as the trail runner we met, was correct in his assessment, that it was treacherous with the horrendous runout. A couple other climbers that were up there at the same time as us, made the same call to not risk it.

On our hike back to camp, we decided that Grindstone was not going to be a good idea for Saturday, and that we would hike out in the morning, and come up with a plan B, lower elevation hike.

It was quite brisk when we broke down camp on Saturday morning. Quite a few hikers coming up on our way back down to the trail head, which we arrived at 9:40am. We packed up and headed to our plan B hike(Labyrinth Mountain).

Very pretty up and around Lake Edna. Will definitely come back.  13.5 miles with 5980 ft gain

Overnight at Lake Edna, with climbs of Grindstone Mt and Cape Horn from 9/16-17.

The road to Chatter Creek TH was in good shape and suitable for all vehicles. There were no facilities at the TH, but there was an outhouse just a short way further down the road opposite the Ranger Station.

We signed in and filled out a free permit and headed up the Chatter Creek trail. The trail started out pretty mellow at a very gradual incline through the woods, before steepening and climbing. We crossed Chatter Creek without any issue and kept following the trail up the valley. The trail was overall in good shape with no major obstacles, but did get rough and rocky as we climbed up towards the pass.

It was pretty exposed and hot once we emerged from the woods for the section of climb to the pass. I think it was about 4000' of gain from the TH to the pass. I'm not sure I remember any solid water sources past the Chatter Creek crossing and before we got closer to the lake (we did come across at least one small trickle on the way to the pass, but nothing flowing strong)

Once we crested the pass, we dropped down on the other side (around 400' down) and walked through a larch-filled basin before making the final climb to Lake Edna (another 500' up). Some larches were yellow, but lots of them were still in the early stages of turning.

There was one large group set up at the lake with 5 tents, and one other duo that showed up later, but overall the trail was pretty quiet. We set up camp on a flat spot above the lake (no camping allowed within 200' of the lake) and took an alpine power nap. As evening fell, we decided to take a short sunset climb up Cape Horn (about 500-600' vertical from the lake). The trail was easy to follow to the pass above the lake, and from there a climber's trail led to the small rocky summit. It did get pretty steep and loose, but was a great spot to see the sun go down.

The winds were whipping fiercely overnight - definitely stake your tent well and guy it out if camping here! We snoozed a little to make up for the lack of peaceful slumber and got a late start leaving camp at around 10 a.m. the next morning. We retraced our steps to where the trail switchbacked at 6555' and left the trail there, traversing towards Grindstone. We stashed most of our gear on the hillside and headed across the slope.

We opted to stay on the East side of the ridge, following the description on the Mountaineer's site saying to ascend to 100 feet below the saddle, and then head left for a gully to bench on ridge at 7,370 ft. We actually managed to pick up a bootpath that took us most of the way up to the ridge through heather and bushes, before turning more rocky/sandy/loose.

We crossed over the ridge, and the bootpath took us down a steep, rocky descent to the edge of a boulder field. We picked our way over it, boulder-hopping and slab-walking to the summit block, where we did a final easy scramble to the top (I'd say you shouldn't need to deal with anything more than class 2+ on this route). We enjoyed the views, signed the summit register, and then retraced our steps to head back out, topping off our adventure with a bear sighting on the way down!

Follow along on instagram for more photos/adventures! @thenomadicartist

Route: I started at Chatter Creek Trailhead, hiked north up Chatter Creek Trail to the junction with Icicle Ridge Trail near Lake Edna, went west along Icicle Ridge trail through Ladies Pass, Mary's Pass, and Frosty Pass (with a stop at Lake Mary), then continued east on the Chain Lakes trail past Doelle Lakes to Chain Lakes, where I camped. The next day I took the Chain Lakes Trail downhill/east to the junction with Icicle Creek trail, where I turned west and headed back towards the Icicle Creek trailhead. From there, I took Jackpine Trail and the south half of the Icicle Gorge trail, then a short road connector, back to the trailhead.

Chatter Creek trail: In good condition. Occasional small logs to step over. In the morning it was lovely, but in the afternoon I imagine it would be hot and exposed. Easy to follow the whole way to the first pass. Lake Edna was swarmed with bugs; I did not stop there. 

Icicle Ridge trail to Ladies Pass, Mary's Pass, and Frosty Pass: In good condition. Clear and easy to follow. Some patches of pushing through meadow plants with your shins but otherwise no issues.It's beautiful, with lots of big views in all directions. Lots of mosquitos and biting flies at Lake Mary, but they stayed off with bug spray. 

Chain Lakes trail from Frosty Pass to Chain Lakes: Much more overgrown/unused. Most of the way the trail is clear, but there were a very places I lost it. With GPS, it was easy to re-find, but if you're not using GPS, it might take more navigation work. From other trip reports, I'd imagined it would be open and so I could just head the right direction, but it's actually quite forested. The first mile was a bit overgrown but easy to follow, but over the next mile it got harder to follow—I lost it in a meadow briefly, then the trail goes up and over a rocky shoulder where I lost it again several times going across boulders/through brushy boulder fields. There are more switchbacks here than GPS maps indicate—be prepared for more mileage. Through this section there were maybe 20 downed logs—not bad. After a forested section, I came into a meadow below Doelle Lakes which was filled with wildflowers and quite beautiful, but with multiple unclear trails through. Eventually I ended up in the Doughgod creekbed; the trail runs parallel right above it. After that, the trail was easy to follow to Doelle and Chain Lakes. Mosquitos were less bad at these lakes than at the ones further east, though I still needed bug spray and a headnet once it got later in the evening. There is a backcountry toilet between the middle and upstream Chain Lakes. If you're choosing where to camp, for my money, I thought Upper Doelle Lake was the most spectacular and the middle Chain Lake was the most serene.

Chain Lakes trail from Chain Lakes to the junction with Icicle Creek: Trail in good condition. Maybe another 20 downed logs, but someone's trimmed the branches so they're easy to step over (thank you someone(s)!). It's very steep, but the trail footing is solid (it's not that annoying loose debris where you take one step forward and slide half a step back). There wasn't much interesting to look at in this section, though—mostly just forest.

Icicle Creek from the junction with Chain Lakes trail to the junction with Frosty/Wildhorse Trail: The worst section of trail on my trip. It's easy to follow, but annoying. There are many large downed logs than need to be climbed over, lots of thornbushes overgrowing the trail (I wished I'd worn long pants), and several big meadows with brush and plants taller than your head (including more thornbushes). Someone has tramped/cut a path through those meadow sections (thank you again someone(s)), so I never lost the trail, but it still took pushing to get through.

Icicle Creek from junction with Frosty/Wildhorse Trail to the Icicle Creek trailhead: Great condition. Only the occasional log; wide, open forest; good trail footing. The only caveat is that both the bridge at this first junction and the one at the junction with French Cabin creek are smashed. The former you can still walk across; the latter, if you go downstream to the horse ford, there are planks set up between rocks that can be used for crossing.

Jackpine trail: Largely good condition. A connector trail, but not much to mention about it.

Icicle Gorge trail (south side): Good condition, lots of people. 

• Icicle Cr 1551: Trail is in great shape overall. At 1.5mi Icicle Cr is easily forded (shin high). To the Frosty Wildhorse Jct, there are 21 downed trees though they are mostly small stepovers. Be advised that the bridge over Icicle Cr here is out - it is easy enough to walk over still, but there is also a ford just upstream to the southwest which is also very easy.
  
  
• Frosty Wildhorse 1592: This is where the fun starts. In total there are 134 downed trees from the Icicle Cr Jct to Frosty Pass. For the most part, they are around 12" in diameter and easily stepped over, though in places they have fallen lengthwise along the trail and must be clambered over. There are also a few sections of trail that are quite brushed over with devil's club, alder, and other greenery - specifically from 3500'-3700' and 4800'-5000'. There is a toilet at Lk Margaret. It is old, but still functional. Please use it! There are trails to the foot and head of the lake, but if you're looking for camping go to the head of the lake. Be warned though - it is critter central.
  
  
• Chain Lks 1569: From Frosty Pass heading west the trail is initially in excellent shape - very fun walking! However, where the trail transitions from the east slope to west slope around 5750' and below Pt 5888 it becomes very difficult to follow. Stay high and skirt under the ridge before dropping precipitously to a saddle at 5550'. From here the trail is in poor shape with lots of hopping over logs, fighting through brush, and side hilling. At the huge meadow with Bulls Tooth in view trend north around the margins of the meadow and when in doubt, follow Doughgod Cr - eventually the way to Doelle Lks becomes easier.
  
  
• Icicle Ridge 1570: From Frosty Pass heading east the trail is in excellent shape. At Lk Mary, the toilet has been destroyed and mosquitos blanket the landscape. It's beautiful, but it comes at a cost. From Mary's Pass there is a choice to drop to Upper Florence Lk either just east of the pass itself or from about halfway across the southwest facing bowl. Though it is more direct from just east of Mary's Pass, it is also quite loose, steep, and easily eroded - please visit the lake from halfway across the bowl instead! Please avoid the restoration areas at the Lake and only travel along the shore if you must as it is also quite fragile. Lk Edna is in pristine condition. Please be aware there is no camping within 200' of the lake to protect the very fragile ecosystem, which is similar to Lk Grace but is 500' higher in elevation - an even shorter growing season! Camping here is windy and exposed, come prepared with the skills to keep your tent from flying down Index Cr. If you see groups of rocks resembling fire rings, don't be fooled -- Do NOT start a fire in them; they're meant to place your stove inside of to protect the flame from wind. 
  
  
• Flora/Brigham Lakes (From Lady's Pass): The trail is not well maintained and not often travelled but is well worth the effort. Green Trails Maps shows a trail to the foot of Lk Brigham, but this ranger could not find it. A steep bushwack to the eastern shore did not reveal any signs of a trail or human impact. Keep this is mind as you consider visiting. To Flora, the western end of the lake is currently accessible but access to the northern end and likely camping requires crossing a very large and cavernous snow bridge. There is also a large stock camp between lakes Brigham and Flora in the long meadow, visible from above. Stock-users please note: A large number of trees in this camp/grass surrounding them have sustained damage from stock being improperly restrained. Please take care to "leave no trace."
  
  
• Chatter Cr 1580: From the Icicle Ridge Jct near Lake Edna the trail is in rough shape but is easy enough to follow until reaching ~6400'. Here, the actual trail likely lies under snow in typical years but right now is covered in ~6" of water. Social trails take you through the boulders looker's left where the trail obviously climbs to the Grindstone saddle.
  

I had low expectations for this hike (no idea why) but it was on my friend's list and I have FOMO so I tagged along. So very glad I did, what a beautiful trail! You do pay for it, lots of elevation gained over 11 miles but the payoff is huge, particularly as you reach Grindstone Pass where the views go on forever.

Road in was fine, any car could make it. Wildflowers not out yet, maybe a week or two, some parts of the hike will be fields of flowers at that point. Saw maybe 10 people total, seems to be popular with the trail runner crowd. Trail was a little brushy in some spots, nothing major.

Our aspirational destination was Lake Edna, but the weather was really coming in as we hit the pass so we decided to call it, especially since we saw smoke over by the Enchantments. Can't find any information on an active fire over there so maybe the rain put it out(?). Lots of thunder and lightning on the way down, then a good dosing of rain, all good.