Decided to avoid traumatizing our two dogs with fireworks so off we went.  Road 65 up the Little Wenatchee River is in good shape with potholes and some minor brush encroachment.  The trail up Cady Creek had perhaps 5 blowdowns that were easy to get around.  Camped where the trail crosses Cady Creek and enjoyed a beautiful woodsy campsite with just enough river sounds to be peaceful.  A short stiff climb the next morning to Cady Pass, then more climbing to 5500 feet where a long rolling ridge walk commenced.  Bits of snow present here and there along the trail. Lake Sally Ann is a busy place but a beautiful alpine tarn.  Day hiked the next day to Dishpan Gap along more rolling terrain with lots of views.  Checked out the high route to Blue Lake from Bald Eagle trail for our next adventure.  Last day hiked out Cady Ridge, a beautiful ridge walk with a steep exit.  I think going down that way is the best choice with a pack.  Weather cool and cloudy with a bit of rain; perfect for a dog hike.  Mosquitos were around but minimal.  No flies.  Lots of wildflowers.  Water abundant except on Cady Ridge.  

Our three day backpacking trip started on the west side of the Cascades to join the PCT at Dishpan Gap, then head north before turning around for a return trip.  We started at the junction of Forest Road 65 & 63. FR 63 has been washed out for years, so it's approximately a 4.3 mile walk to get to the trailhead.  At the trailhead we took the North Fork Skykomish Trail (1051) to Dishpan Gap, which is an additional 8.5 miles.  Elevation gain from FR63 to Dishpan Gap is about 4000', but it's a nice uphill walk spread out over 13 miles, getting a bit more steeper as you approach Dishpan Gap.  The trail takes you through wooded forests and across burbling creeks.  Around mile 5 of the trail there is a fast moving river crossing that did not look fun to wade through, but slightly downstream was a giant log to walk across.

Along this route we encountered several large & lush fields of huckleberry bushes.  We encounter a bear who quickly shooed her cub up a tree, and headed away from us why we scurried the opposite way along the trail. 

As we got closer to Dishpan Gap, above 4500-5000' feet, we did encounter intermittent snow.  It's not very deep and but is very soft.  At Dishpan Gap we enjoyed both the gorgeous 360 views while sipping coffee.  Heading north on the PCT we encounter the only hiker we saw on the trail that day. A PCT SOBO hiker, who reported that while he did encounter snow enroute from Canada, it was all passable and soft.  We headed another three miles to camp at Indian Pass. While a nice campsite, over the next few weeks as the area dries do not count on finding water here.

The following day we left camp and headed north along the PCT to a tad bit beyond White Pass.  OMGophers the views were amazing!  It was a sunny day and the views were endless. The trail travels through alpine meadows that are days away from bursting with wildflowers.  We also saw another bear! We stopped frequently to gaze in the distance and snap photos.  We took a long break at White Pass breathing in the scenery. We only saw 2 hikers the entire morning. The north facing slopes still have intermittent snow over the trail, it was soft and passable.  Although, I'm a bit of a slip-n-fall weenie so there was one crossing where I found myself gripping my poles a bit tighter and focusing on my foot placement--but the reality was any long slip was not sliding me downhill very far, and it was climbable up.  

Returning to Indian Pass we broke camp and headed uphill a quick 3 miles to Dishpan Gap to camp a few hundred yards down the North Fork Skykomish trail for our last night. Along the way we contemplated Meander Meadow and the upcoming wildflower show that will be on display here shortly.  It was tempting to just setup camp and wait for it!  A sunny and warm evening followed where we enjoying a gorgeous campsite view and appreciated the low bug count that allowed us to not retreat to our tents. That afternoon we only encountered 6 other hikers.  If you have every hiked the PCT late summer you know it's a freeway, so the trail seemed very quiet early in the season.

We started our last morning down the North Fork Skykomish trail we had come up on.  Soon after passing the Pass Creek junction (mile 3 from trailhead) we encounter a WTA youth camp doing trail maintenance!  They all seemed like great kids doing a fantastic job of revitalizing the trail.  After thanking them for their hard work we continued to the trailhead, then down the road to our car.  Of note, when we arrived on Friday there were only 2 other cars, but Sunday morning there were 30.  Most were hiking to Blanca Lake.  

This was a three day backpack with a few friends.  Started about noon from the parking lot.  It was warm and humid when we started up Cady Creek.  Nice gentle trail, overgrown in places, but we were still able to find the trail without much difficulty.

Once up to the PCT, we headed north.  The trail from that point forward was clear and there was minimal snow to cross.  Nice forest then transitioned to meadows and open views.  There was a lightening storm and some rain and hail in the afternoon.  A nearby spot where lightening had struck was smoking.  We waited below the ridge until the storm seemed to be moving on and the smoke appeared to be dissipating, then continued on to Lake Sally Ann.  There were several established campsites in the trees on the east and north side of the lake.  There was more lightening and rain that night. 

The following day we chose an out and back trip heading north on the PCT, through Dishpan Gap and into the Glacier Peak Wilderness until we reached a beautiful field of lupine a little ways beyond Reflection Pond.  There were beautiful views of Glacier Peak along the way.  It rained off and on throughout the morning, then cleared up the rest of the day.  There were several marmots and chipmunks on the trail.  We passed someone who had seen a black bear in a meadow ahead, but the bear had returned to the forest by the time we reached the area.  Another hiker let us know about a porcupine she had seen on the trail at dusk.  This section of the PCT is in great shape.  Turned around and headed back south.  At Dishpan Gap, took the Blue Lake High Route trail.  It is a steep trail with loose rock.  I was glad I had a daypack on, it would not have been easy with a full pack.  Blue lake is gorgeous and has many nice campsites.  I continued the loop around Little Blue Lake and back to the PCT.  This was one of my favorite sections of trail and the grade is much nicer than the high route trail, and definitely worth the two extra miles. 

We camped again at Lake Sally Ann then headed out early the next morning on Cady Ridge trail.  Lots of wildflowers and nice views.  It was hot and there is no water for a long stretch of this trail.  The last section down the ridge was steep and a little loose. 

The flies and mosquitoes are out and biting.  Long pants, a long sleeve shirt and a bug net were very helpful.  The natural bug spray I used did not seem to repel the bugs, but deet did seem to work. 

Just a reminder, even though it is summer, make sure to be prepared for changing conditions in the mountains.  

The road to the trailhead is still closed about five miles from the trailhead due to the washouts.  Be aware that the Forest Service was out in force issuing tickets, so be sure to have your NW Forest Pass.  There was decent parking along the street and a port-a-potty available, which was good because they privy at the trailhead is locked.

The North Fork Skykomish Trail started out okay but shortly after taking the Pass Creek Trail (as recommended in Backpacking Washington, Hike #38) I started encountering blowdowns and soon thereafter lost the trail entirely.  Even with GPS show that I was standing on the trail, I saw nothing and ended up bushwhacking for about two miles until I hit the Cady Creek Trail.  It was very unpleasant and I DO NOT recommend taking the Pass Creek Trail.  The Cady Creek Trail up to Sally Ann Lake was very well maintained.  Shortly after ascending up the Cady Creek Trail towards Lake Sally Ann the views break out and the huckleberries were everywhere!  I managed to snag the last campsite which was fortunate as I arrived late due to the extra miles added by the road closure and the slow progress from not having a trail to follow for a couple of miles.

The next day, on my way to Dishpan Gap/Blue lake, I stopped by the campsites that are just off the PCT on the Cady Ridge Trail.  They looked unoccupied and although dry, aren't too far from Lake Sally Ann, and if you camel up there, the Cady Ridge campsite has the most amazing views.  There where some REALLY small streams a little further down on the Cady Ridge Trail, but I don't know if they will flow much longer.

The trail from Lake Sally Ann to Dishpan Gap was fairly quiet I thought (for Labor Day Weekend) and the huckleberries were once again everywhere.  Leaving Dishpan Gap toward Blue Lake begins a short but brutal climb up to Blue Lake.  It is worth it though with some very nice views/camping areas.  Seriously though, that climb sucked.  I didn't camp at Blue Lake but continued on to Lower Blue Lake.  There were actually three smallish lakes there.  I had the smallish lake all to myself on the second night.  Lower Blue Lake proper didn't appear to have any campsites directly adjacent to it.

Leaving Lower Blue Lake and heading toward Curry Gap to the Quartz Creek Trail finds you starting off with another climb but nothing too strenuous.  Again there were huckleberries all over the place and beautiful breakout views.  There is a campsite as you near Long John Mountain.  It is shaded, but dry; although there were some smallish creeks nearby; although, I can say if they flow all season long.  Still, it's been rather dry and it's late in the season so I would imagine so.

The Quartz creek trail is rather overgrown in places; although, I never actually lost the trail.  Still, it made footing rather precarious.  There were several water sources along the trail so water on the Quartz Creek Trail isn't a concern.  There are no real views to mention on this trail but there is an amazing waterfall/pool area that is shallow-ish and flows over bare rock.  If I wasn't hiking sixteen miles from Lower Blue Lake to where the road was blocked off I might have stopped and just sat it in it.  I mean, that location was really lovely.

My friend and I started from the Little Wenatchee trailhead about 9:30am and headed out on the Cady Creek trail. We opted to stay on this trail instead of taking the ridge. It's a fairly flat, shaded woodland trail for much of it, though there is some pushing through shoulder-height brush at a point - nothing terrible but it is tricky to find the trail when it pops out in a large rocky dry creek bed (go up to the right a few steps in the creek bed and you'll find the trail continues). Once we started to slowly gain elevation in the woods on the way up to join the PCT, the bugs got very annoying, making our lunch break very short. We went through a ton of bug spray over the weekend.

The PCT portion is gorgeous and a steady, gentle climb. The trail passes through wildflower meadows and ducks into shady areas often enough to keep you cool. We then camped at Lake Sally Ann for the night (snow in lake is almost entirely gone), with a few other groups of campers. We chose a spot with a breeze to keep bugs away, but they were still a pest.

The next morning, we watched sunrise with the great eastern views afforded here, then packed up camp and headed north on the PCT towards the Meander Meadow trail. This trail is stunning with mountain/valley views and wildflowers/wildlife. It is a long trail, though, and we spent at least half of it pushing through more brushy trail that was even over our heads. It was a gentle descent, but a lot of work to keep pushing through. 

Great trail for views and solitude!