Decided to take another trip up Desolation Peak despite having been up there already once this year.   

Got a 7 AM start and quickly made my way the 2.8 miles to the East Bank Trail.  The stream crossings that three weeks earlier had gotten my feet wet were a breeze with some dancing across the rocks.  The ford at Roland Creek has two logs that you can use to get across about 30 yards upstream.

The rest of the trail is smooth sailing with all blowdowns being clear.  Plentiful water sources along the route as well.

Once you hit the junction with the trail for Desolation Peak, things dry up quickly.  There are two reliable water sources along the two mile section that traverses below the peak.  The last one being about half a mile before the grueling climb up the mountain.  I loaded up there but still managed to run out for a couple of miles on my way back.  Currently there is a small trickle at about 4,000' of elevation but I don't see that one hanging around for long.  After that, it's all dry.

Good news, wildflowers are exploding though and you only have to cross about a hundred yards of snow on the small false summit before you get to the lookout itself.

Of note, bugs weren't an issue until I got to the lookout where it was a whole different story.  The air was buzzing with them!   I snapped some pictures, ate a PB&J, "talked" to some critter under the fire lookout and then hauled back down the mountain and to my car.  

Round Trip was 45 miles with about 9,000' of cumulative gain. 

Trail in great condition with only obstacle being one creek crossing that was deeper and tougher than the rest. 

A group of 3 of us did a 4 night trip starting at East Bank trailhead, up to Desolation Peak, to Hozomeen lake, and took a water taxi across Ross Lake to do the Little Beaver-Big Beaver loop. We encountered snow in some places but encountered no troubles without any snow gear. 

There are ~20 blow downs on the Desolation Peak trail right now. Wildflowers are abundant until the snow starts at the Desolation campground (right about treeline). The snow at the campground isn't bad, we found and used a snow-free site. The mile up to the peak from the campground is mostly snow covered but is easy to navigate and the terrain is not dangerous. 

The trail first got buggy around willow lake. We stayed a night at Hozomeen Lake and got to experience the incredible views of Hozomeen mountain over the lake. 

The next morning we took a water taxi to the Little Beaver creek, where the trail became noticeably less maintained (at least at this time of year!). We encountered 50-100 blowdowns ranging from small and easy to huge trees. The trail became a creek for some time slightly after Perry Creek and the overgrowth around this area also could make it difficult to follow the trail, but we had little problems! The bridge at Redoubt Creek is out, so we had to cross the knee-high water with boots off. There were plenty of mosquitoes and a few ticks along the way.

Contrary to the NPS warnings we didn't encounter any snow until shortly before Beaver Creek (after the switchbacks). The trail became a little bit difficult to follow here, but we found the campground with few issues. 

On the way down from Beaver pass we encountered overgrown trails (less so than Little Beaver) and another 50-100 blowdowns. I think that these were harder to cross than in Little Beaver Creek but it could have been the fatigue. One of these blow downs took out a bridge somewhere between Luna and 39 Mile campgrounds, but it was possible to pass. A few of the crossings were very difficult/dangerous if you don't want to get your feet wet, so watch out for that. The mosquitoes were thick along this trail as well, but I got by without any bug spray. 

Overall we had a great trip with few difficulties aside from getting drenched on the hike out!

First camp Lightning Creek, second camp Desolation and then book it out. 

The East Bank trail has been cleared of all blow-downs, there were about 7 or so easy to step-over trees down along the trail up to Desolation camp. Really, the trail is in overall great shape and well kept. I did decide to use the sandals I brought to ford Roland Creek. It looked like some people have gone upstream a bit to cross, but this was easy and that looked like a lot of hemming and hawing and hey, I actually came prepared. 

Large patches of snow start at Desolation camp, but one site is completely melted out & another is almost there. The switchbacks up to the lookout are mostly melted out. Where the trail disappears, looks like most folks head straight up, as did I. The meadows here are still under several feet of snow with the southwestern facing slopes bare. Biggest obstacles here are to be mindful of tree wells also I would imagine on a warmer day postholing might suck and...  if you don't have any snow travel experience, I could see that this could look intimidating.  I had cool weather so boots n poles were good enough. Unfortunate for me, the cool weather meant lots of clouds and sometimes being right in the thick of them. No long views for me, but still beautiful in its own Pacific Northwest way. 

Only mentioning the mosquitoes, because they're just starting to show up. Not a problem for me, but as the weather gets warmer they'll likely be a problem soon and man, just two weeks ago at nearby Thunder Creek they were a nightmare! 

Wildflowers are blooming and what a way to see all the varieties in various stages along the elevation change. Loads of little critters running about and signs of some of the big guys too. Not many people out; many miles without seeing anyone, in fact. It was fantastic! 

After a winter of training I have been chomping at the bit to get in a long fastpack that didn't force me to deal with the lingering snowpack.  I remembered a route that I had looked at earlier this year that followed a few trails to the Canadian border.  I dug up my Green Trails maps and saw the majority of the route was under 3,000' in elevation and as such, should be pretty snow free.  I inquired of a few friends about their experiences on the trails and was reminded that Desolation Peak was in the area.  I figured there would be a lot of snow on the mountain but asked around about it as well.  A recent account from a trail runner surprised me as they said there wasn't much left on this famous mountain.  That was all I needed to know.  I packed up my light overnight kit and headed north.

I began at 7:00 AM Friday morning in a light mist.  The East Bank Trail has a huge trailhead and is hard to miss.  The first few miles are gradual on a wide non-technical trail.  There were some stream crossings but I was able to hop over them or use rocks.  After about three miles the trail cuts north and climbs, but again gradually.  I made good speed along this section but eventually found myself having to ford Roland Creek.  It appears a blowdown is available if you want to avoid this but my feet were already getting wet from all the underbrush so I just plowed through the creek.  

From there all the creek crossings have bridges or rocks can be used to cross.  Just south of May Creek Camp I came across a quartet of National Park employees clearing blowdowns.  I was grateful for their work and by the time I returned they had cleared the trail of blowdowns completely to about two miles south of Devils Junction.  Great timing!

Smooth sailing continued along the shores of Ross Lake and I was fortunate that the sun finally came out.  The trail continued to be a dream and I was able to make a good pace given it's non-technical nature.  Within four and a half hours I was at the junction with the Lightning Creek Trail.  I had to admire the work put into the suspension bridge there for a few minutes.

Finally the work began as I started up Desolation Peak.  There are two or three water sources located along the two mile section that traverses the western flank of the mountain.  Once the grind up starts, water becomes more limited.  There are two small sources at about 4,100' in elevation but I don't imagine they will be there longer than three or four weeks.  So fill up early on.

The climb was a bit more gradual that I anticipated and once you break out of the treeline, the views take your mind off the work.  The first significant snow appeared right around the marker for the Desolation Peak campsite.  Not having been up there before I was still able to easily follow a line up towards the summit "ridgeline" and there was enough snow melted out that I would be able to find portions of the trail as it switchbacked up towards the lookout.  Finally I was able to get my eyes on the lookout and make a line for it.  Make sure you stay as near the ridgeline as possible and don't drop down to the east of it or you will cause yourself extra work.

Some portions of the ridge have quite a bit of snow and won't melt out for another couple of weeks but honestly if you have experience with snow travel, you should not have any issues.

Took a break at the lookout and admired the views.  Clouds seemed to be hanging on to the taller peaks but I still was amazed by the 360 views.  At this time of year, the lookout was still locked up.

Still having a ways to go, I quickly descended the trail back to it's junction with Lightning Creek and then hung a left there to follow that trail for the next six or so miles to its junction with Willow Lake Trail.  After a steep little climb, this trail mellows out as it turns east.  I loved the gentle up and downs of it with the brief views Spratt Mountain.  There are a couple of water sources along this trail.

Finally it turns northward and you drop down towards Deer Lick CG.  As you near the shelter you will encounter the biggest blowdown of this route. A huge tree that dropped down over a switchback.  Some work is needed to get around it but it can be negotiated.  

From there it was once again back to an easy cruise passing Deer Lick Campground and finally hitting the junction with Willow Lake Trail.  Climbing towards Willow Lake is a beautiful section of forest along the creek.  There is another larger blowdown in this section that you will have to scramble over. Once I got to the junction with Hozomeen Lake, dusk was approaching and by the time I hit the Campground near the border it was ten PM.

Only two other groups were at this first come, first serve campground.  I laid out my overnight kit and called it a night.

The next morning, I hit the Trail of the Obelisk to get a shot of it at the border and then re-traced my steps back to my car this time skipping the climb to Desolation but taking the side trip to Hozomeen Lake (worth it).

This route was a wonderful experience that afforded so many different little ecosystems, some soaring views and for the most part, very easy trail travel.  For those not interested in such a long journey, utilizing a boat shuttle and only going one way would be a fantastic way to experience it as well.

Other side note, no bear sightings but I encountered quite a bit of bear scat so be bear aware out there! 

The journey was 78 miles and I completed it just shy of 36 hours at a mostly walking pace (I did jog down Desolation).