This report covers sections of the Pacific Crest trail and the Boundary Trail that a friend and I hiked over a period of 9 days, beginning August 12th and ending this past Sunday, August 20th, 2006. Our starting point was Rainy Pass. One of us dropped the other off at Rainy Pass and drove on to the parking area above Ross Lake on Rt 20, hitching back to Rainy Pass to commence the hike. The course of our hike took us North on the PCT to Castle Pass, 4 miles shy of Canada, and then West to follow a section of the Boundary Trail from Castle Pass out to Ross Lake. We'd arranged for a Ross Lake Resort water taxi to take us back down the lake at trip's end, leaving a 1 mile hike up to the car. The focus in this report is on water sources, campsites and trail conditions, but I want to say here at the outset that the scenery was astonishingly beautiful throughout the trip. It was certainly the most challenging and rewarding backpack trip I've ever done. Water: I've heard conflicting reports about how dry this section of the PCT is for this time of year; I can't say whether the trail is unusually dry for this point in the season or not. Nevertheless, finding water was often a concern during the trip and we frequently felt compelled to carry a fair amount of water on us, in case a next putatively permanent stream was bone dry. What follows are details about where we found water and what the state of each water source was, as of mid-August. Some technical terms: I'll use ""strong trickle"" to mean a stream in a state such that you can put a measuring cup under the flow and fill a pint in a dozen or so seconds. A strong trickle could be termed a ""babbling brook"" but the former term, though less pleasant, has a stronger connotation of impermanence, which is the appropriate connotation in the present context. A ""meager trickle"" means the flow is significantly less than strong. But even meager trickles may afford small puddles from which one can collect clear water readily enough. Green Trails maps: Washington Pass, Mt. Logan --------------------------------------------- Rainy Pass to Cutthroat Pass - there are still several good sources on the way up; Porcupine Creek was running strong and at least two other streams feeding into porcupine were strong trickles. Cutthroat Pass to Granite Pass - I saw no water at all on this section. Granite Pass to Snowy Lakes campsites - There is a strong trickle crossing the PCT just 50 yards or so south of the campsites on the trail, below Snowy Lakes, and a meager trickle that passes through the north end of the campsites. This meager one may well dry out soon, but the strong trickle should be present for a while. Snowy Lakes campsites to Methow Pass - saw no water Methow Pass to bridge across W. Fork Methow - several streams cross the trail in this stretch, and one parallels the trail for a bit. The first stream we encountered was a meager trickle, but the rest are stronger. One especially strong trickle runs across the PCT at a very pleasant forest campsite; it is probably the northernmost permanent stream noted on the small segment of the PCT on the Green Trails Mt. Logan map. The W. Fork Methow itself was running strong. W. Fork Methow to Brush Creek - no water between the two. Brush Creek was running strong. Brush Creek to Glacier Pass - there may be some points along the PCT as it ascends the Brush Creek basin where one could access the creek, but it looks like even the closest would be a 100 yd struggle with Slide Alder and other brush (""Brush Creek"" is aptly so-called, btw, and the PCT itself in this stretch is a bit overgrown). At Glacier Pass we found some puddles of water probably left over from a melted snow patch. They can be reached by taking a small spur trail just North of the Glacier Pass campsites down to a grassy meadow. We found one puddle among the bunch that was at least 1/2 ft deep. It had clear, cool water. These will probably be no more than mud-puddles very soon. Glacier Pass to Grasshopper Pass - saw no water near the trail after the snow-melt puddles at Glacier Pass. Grasshopper Pass to Hart's Pass - there is a very good source of water below a trail side campsite in a basin on the East flank of Tatie Peak (about a mile beyond Grasshopper Pass). I saw no other water near the trail before or on the way up to Hart's pass. Hart's pass to Windy Pass - A strong trickle crossed the PCT about 1/3 of a mile beyond Hart's pass. Though the Green Trails map shows a few ""permanent"" streams touching or near the PCT as it traverses the Southwest side of Slate Peak, we saw no water. We spent the night at Windy Pass, and found water about a 1/3rd of a mile down a miner's jeep-trail heading Southwest from the pass. Green Trails maps: Pasayten Peak, Jack Mountain ----------------------------------------------- Windy Pass to Goat Lakes & Wilson Camp - Continuing just beyond Windy Pass (less than a half-mile North, past a couple of corridors of larches and a scree slope) you reach a strong trickle crossing the PCT and just beyond that, some very nice campsites at Windy Basin. The proximity of the stream makes this a great place to camp (look above the trail for premium spots). After this campsite you go up and over a shoulder/ridge on the Northeast side of Tamarack Peak, and there is a campsite on the far side above a lovely basin (Oregon Creek) but we didn't see appreciable water. We saw no water from the stream at Windy Basin through Shaw Creek, but Shaw Creek had a strong flow. Then again no water to be found till we reached Wilson Camp, which is a campsite under development, in a basin on the West flank of Holman Peak. The PCT switchbacks East to a large parkland and levels greatly before turning North again to contour below a shoulder of Holman. Just at the corner where the PCT turns North for the contour is Wilson Camp. We found two or three trickles here, all of them meager, and they may not serve as a source of water much longer. We were intending to stay here but we didn't find great camp spots, so we decided to check out Goat Lakes by taking a spur trail across the meadows, heading Southeast from the PCT. At Goat Lakes we saw trashed out campsites; some A**HOLE(s) having left a rusting gallon canister of gasoline, half full, at one of the spots. That'll help a forest fire. We pressed upward from the lower Goat Lake and found idyllic campsites adjacent to the upper lake. Note: if you want to get to the upper lake most efficiently, cut up from the spur trail to the lower lake early-on, and head high. You'll reach the beautiful meadows surrounding the upper-lake eventually. The ridges off Holman Peak are easily accessible from the upper lake and make a wonderful side-trip that shouldn't be missed. Goat Lakes to Hopkins Lake - About a 1/4 of a mile along the PCT past Wilson Camp there was a decent trickle (more than meager, less than strong) that crossed the trail. This probably corresponds to the spring noted on the Pasayten Peak Green Trails map, mid-way along the contour of the basin on the West flank of Holman.(just before the PCT reaches the map's edge). But this was the last water we found for quite a ways. In particular, we found no accessible water at Woody Pass. We'd heard that there was a sizable snow patch at Woody Pass just the week before our trip, but no evidence of it remained by the time we got there. There were a couple of snow patches maybe 200 ft up a steep scree slope. Fortunately for us, we found another trickle on the traverse along the West flank of Three Fools Peak. Fill up here, because no more water is to be found till Hopkins Lake. We stayed at Hopkins and that is a fine place to stay. Beware the bold, marauding deer! Hopkins Lake to Castle Pass - We crossed several strong trickles and one solid flowing stream after Hopkins Pass, as the PCT traverses the West flank of Blizzard Peak. No water at Castle pass though it was reported to us that there is water about 1/4 mile further along the PCT going North. We turned West at Castle Pass joining the Trail 749 (the Three Fools Creek trail, a portion of the Boundary Trail). There's a small meadow at Castle Pass. The start of Trail 749 is marked by a large cairn in the meadow. Castle Pass to Big Face Creek crossing - Don't believe Harvey Manning. The springs in the several basins along this stretch of trail--before you reach the basin of Big Face Creek--are bone dry as far as we could see. A good idea if you're following our itinerary would be to load up full on the way to Castle Pass. There was finally a strong trickle that crossed the trail as it traverses along the side of the long ridge extending Southeastward from Freezeout Mtn. Probably at or just below the 6400 foot contour line. And then there is a strong flow at the Big Face Creek crossing. NB: beware of highly obscured trail once you get down into the Big Face Creek valley, even before the crossing. It is well nigh impossible to find the trail. It's a short section, but it's in worse state even than the part after the crossing that's marked ""hard to follow"" on the Green Trails map. Big Face Creek crossing to Elbow Basin - We saw no source of water after the Big Face Creek crossing till Elbow Basin; the trail does parallel the creek for a ways but no other easy access was evident and it's very overgrown there. We camped in a beautiful spot just after the trail crests the ridge separating the Big Face Creek drainage from that of Elbow Basin. We found a wonderful, strong flowing stream below our camp, about 1/3 of a mile away. Proceed down into Elbow Basin from the ridge top meadows, keeping to the West side of the basin. You'll find an old campsite in the trees and the stream is just 50 ft below this camp. There is a pond in Elbow Basin further below. Elbow Basin to Three Fools Creek - The trail follows a ridge crest above Elbow Basin, and we found no water along this way until the trail switchbacks down over 3000 ft to Three Fools Creek. There are various points early on, while the trail follows Three Fools Creek, where you can easily reach the creek and get water. Green Trails Maps: Jack Mnt & Ross Lake --------------------------------------- WARNING: The 4 mile stretch of trail from the bottom of the switchbacks (way point 2900 on the Jack Mtn map) to the Lightning Creek crossing is RIDDLED w. blow-downs. The trail eventually ascends and leaves Three Fools Creek and we found no more water till the trail crosses Lightning Creek. The trail improves greatly once you join the Lightning Creek trail in the Ross Lake Recreation Area. There was one meager trickle that we crossed on the Lightning Creek trail, about mid-way between the Lightning Creek crossing and the Lightning Creek campground on Ross Lake. But it will likely be gone very soon. Seeing glimpses of Ross Lake from various open spots on the trail as we approached, I felt that I was nearing the Pacific Ocean.

We hiked from the Lightening Creek Camp boat dock on Ross Lake to the Deer Lick Camp and back for ~8 miles round trip. The trail starts out ascending the northside of Lightning Creek, with switchbacks in and out of forest. The trail is designated for hikers & packers, but is a bit narrow & unstable to sustain a horse in many spots. In some spots, the trail seems to be barely clinging to the mountain for dear life. Gorgeous views of the suspension bridge, Ross Lake and the valley below in the first mile. After traversing the slope and ascending 800 feet, the trail drops to the creek, deep in the woods. After hearing the creek for more than an hour, it is eerie when all of a sudden the only sound is your footsteps and breath. Just before crossing the creek on a sturdy old bridge, the old Deer Lick Cabin comes in view. It is not locked as the guidebook says (100 Hikes in North Cascades). Earliest date we noted inscribed by vandals was 1963. The way to the turn around point for our day hike was slightly up and easy. The Deer Lick camp seemed deserted. No horses had been there in a while.

Introduction: This report is one of eight individual reports describing an 8-day, ~60 mile hike backpacking trip undertaken by Boy Scout Troop 166 of Seattle from August 13th-20th, 2003. We hiked on the PCT (Trail # 2000), Castle Pass/Tree Fools Creek Trail (Trail #749), Lightning Creek Trail, and the East Bank Trail at Ross Lake. With 9 Scouts and 5 adults we split into two hiking/camping groups because the entire trip was either within the Pasayten Wilderness or the Ross Lake National Recreation area. Both of these have maximum party-size restrictions of 12 heartbeats. The adults and three of the Scouts had been on long-term hikes (over 50 miles) before, but for six of the boys, this was their first backpacking trip over about 15 miles. This was a relatively young crew, with 3 12-year olds, 2 13-year olds, 2 14 year olds, 1 15 year old, and 1 16 year old Senior Patrol Leader. The five adults ranged in age from 20 to 75. The adults were all in good physical condition, and all but two of the boys started the hike in very good physical condition - the two who did not suffered for 3 days for their lazy summer and lack of preparation - but finished in fine shape. Any well-led group should be able to complete this hike, but it was a hard hike with several days with significant climbs and descents. A majority of the trip was at above 5,000 feet, and hovers around 6,000 for most of it. Prior to Ross Lake, we dipped at low as 4,700' and got as high as 7,100' - so everyone got a good dose of higher altitude hiking before we hit the really hard part in days 4 and 5. Beginning at Hart's Pass, we proceeded North along the PCT almost to Canada, at Castle Pass we turned west and proceeded over the Castle Pass, Three Fools & Lightning Creek Trails to Ross Lake. These three are relatively un-traveled, rustic trails with very steep grades and little or no water. From Ross Lake we returned South to Highway 20 at the Panther Creek parking lot. As Scouts are required to perform 10 hours of service to qualify for the BSA long-term outing award, we carried loppers, and did brush clearing, picked-up trash, and performed other trail and campsite maintenance along the way. Readers will be glad to know that people who are willing to work hard enough to follow these trails are generally good citizens and don't leave things behind. The bulk of the trash we picked up was in the Ross Lake campsites, which can be reached by boat. Date: Day 1 - August 13 From/To: Troop 166 Hart's Pass to Windy Pass - PCT Narrative: We drove up from Seattle to Hart's Pass, leaving at 8:00 AM, and arriving a few hours later in Marblemount to pick up permits, and get the ""Leave No Trace"" lecture from the Ranger. From there we proceeded on to Mazama, and then turned up the road to Hart's Pass. The road up to Hart's Pass is steep and winding, but not particularly challenging. As you get to the top, signs point off to the south to the Meadows Campground, but no signs point to Hart's Pass itself. At the sign pointing left, go right to Hart's Pass. Then go beyond the Pass itself and the ranger's cabin, and continue up the road to the switchback below the old observation tower. The PCT heading north starts at this switch back. The self-registration box is about 150' up the trail. We finally got the first of our hiking groups - 9 boys and 2 adults - going at around 3:00 PM, and the rest of the adults headed back to the Panther Creek parking lot on Route 20 at the end of Ross Lake to drop the cars. The first group headed for Oregon Basin, but the late start dictated a stop at Windy Pass instead. This proved to be serendipitous because the campsites and water at Windy Pass were great, and were an hour and a half closer to the trailhead. The trail there is well traveled and very well maintained. It starts at around 6,800' - the highest pass you can drive to in Washington State. The adults finished shuttling the cars and got onto the trail at almost 7:00 PM. Super-Mom Eileen drove from Seattle to Marblemount, to Hart's Pass, back to Panther Creek, back to Hart's Pass, and back to Seattle in one day. That's dedication, and her driving work made for a much easier exit for us on Day 8. The three shuttle drivers arrived in Windy Pass just after dark, and ate the hamburgers prepared for us by the boys. There were three other camping parties in Windy Pass with us that night. They were the campsite company we had until we got to Ross Lake seven days later. We hung our food, and got to bed at about 10:00. If we do this again, we'd leave Seattle by 6:00 AM, and either use a big van and/or bring more adults to shuttle the cars. The night was cool, and dry, the moon and the meteor shower were spectacular, and everyone slept like a log. Date: Day 2 - August 14 From/To: Troop 166 Windy Pass to Wilson's Camp - PCT Narrative: We were up by 6:30 AM, and as part of the plan, cooked no breakfast. We have learned from other long term hikes that the boys will dawdle and make it impossible to get out of camp before 10:00 AM if we don't make it really easy to get on the trail. As a result, everyone brings their own breakfasts and lunches - made up mostly of string cheese, granola bars, pepperoni sticks, trail mix, dried fruit, various high energy bars, etc. - all of which can be pre-bagged by the day they are to be consumed. As you hike you just eat trail food, and no one has to worry about stoves, cooking, cleaning, etc. in the morning. We were on the trail by 8:15 (still too long) following a garbage sweep of the area. We found nothing - and none of the boys had forgotten to pack any of their gear - a good sign. The first hiking group (AKA The Tortoises) left camp first, and the second (The Hares) 15 minutes later. The Tortoises were older, stronger and faster - and opened up a good lead on the second group fairly quickly. The first signs of lack of conditioning in a few boys showed up almost immediately, with one in particular assuring anyone who would listen that he would soon die. His dad - one of the adults - assured him that he would not, and they hiked on slowly but steadily. Our destination was Goat Lakes, about 8-9 miles away, primarily because we had read a 1995 trail report that said they were neat. Past experience on these hikes has taught us to keep the first day very short because of driving time. The second day is hard on everyone because we live at sea level, and the altitude is hard on untrained lungs. Also, even if you are in shape, hiking a really long distance the first day is a test for muscles that are unaccustomed to hauling a backpack and walking up and down on trails with a 10% grade. For kids who are in shape, we find that the third day is a little easier, and by the 4th day they are acclimated to the altitude and their muscles are working fine - so we reserve the hard parts for then. We usually try for a ""lay-over day"" after the really hard stuff, and try to finish in about 7 days. On this hike the hard stuff was difficult enough to eat-up our layover day - but even the very out of shape kids were motoring along strongly by day 5 - even with the killer ups and downs. The vanguard of the second group passed Oregon Basin in a little over an hour. Windy Pass is a MUCH better campsite. There is no water near the trial at Oregon Basin. It is a nice flat campsite with a fire ring - but the lack of rainfall in the Cascades this year had the fire danger at an extreme point. There were lightning caused fires North and Southwest of Winthrop, and the ""duff"" was bone dry. There was some water on the trail, but not much. The PCT continued to be well graded with no brush to speak of, no deadfall, and minimal lose rocks in the trail. Windy Pass is at about 6,300' but the trail climbs quickly to 6,700', then runs along to the ""Devil's Backbone"" and drops to 5,600', then back up to 6,100' and then down to 5,100' at Holman Pass. The views are great until you re-enter the trees on the way down into Holman Pass, and the grades in this section is quite pleasant (unless you are going to die any minute because you are out of shape). From Holman Pass we went up again to the area where the Goat Lakes are. We met a trail maintenance crew who were based in that area, and they suggested that - instead of Goat Lakes (which are well off the trail and not all that great as lakes go) - we should camp at Wilson's Camp (about 6,200') - which we did. The Green Trails Maps we were using do not reflect the recent improvements the crews have added to the PCT in this area. They have added more gentle switch-backs from the area just south of the outlet to the Goat Lakes, and essentially made the trail run diagonally to the Northeast where it intersects Wilson's Camp. We who use these trails probably do not appreciate the work done by the trail crews. They live in rough camps, move around on horse-back, shovel off rock falls, clear brush, blow up major trail obstacles that fall in with bags of fertilizer they pack in by horseback, and generally work very hard to make the PCT and other Cascade trails easier for folks like us to walk on. They gave us invaluable advice about the steepness and lack of water on the trails between Castle Pass and Ross Lake, and told us that they had last been maintained two years before. In the Wilderness areas they can't use chain saws to clear deadfalls - so they must cut them by hand with crosscut saws. Our hats are off to the trail crews. We found two nice campsites and plenty of water at Wilson's camp, cooked our dinner, and hung our food. The horses used by the trail crew roam freely at night, and they came over to inspect our camp. The bells they wear to make them easier to find in the morning clanged all night, but eventually everyone got to sleep. The racket the horses kept up discouraged any visits by deer or other wildlife. So far, we had not experienced any bugs at all. Tomorrow: Day 3 - August 15 - Troop 166 Wilson's Camp to Hopkins Lake Date: Day 3 - August 15 From/To: Troop 166 Wilson's Camp to Hopkins Lake - PCT Narrative: Both groups were up by 6:00 AM, and on the trail by 7:30/8:15 AM. Our destination was Hopkins Lake - and swimming! To get there, we climbed up to Rock Pass at about 6,500', and then dropped down along a series of steep switch-backs to below 6,000' traversed the valley, and climbed bay up over Woody Pass at around 6,600'. More great views, more great trail, but not much water on this stretch. There is a snowfield at the bottom of the east side of Woody Pass, but aside from that, no water until we got to Hopkins Lake. Most of this section of trail travels along the West slopes of Three Fools Peak, overlooking the Three Fools Basin. The Tortoises rolled along the crest to the ""Devil's Staircase"" above Hopkins Lake where they took a long rest and talked to the Ranger who was up there doing fire spotting and relaying radio messages. This poor guy had been working his tail off fighting the fire to the North of Winthrop for weeks, so they gave him an ""easy"" R&R job over on the PCT. He arrived, and several dry lightning strikes immediately started fires, so he was spending his days hiking around that area monitoring the fires, and sleeping in high, exposed areas where he was a likely lightning target. He gave us that night's weather report (high winds and more dry lightning strikes). Just at the Tortoises headed down the Devil's Staircase, the Hares arrived. The most out of shape of the boys had found their legs and were now keeping up well with the rest of the group, and were no longer convinced of their eminent death from exhaustion. They were actually remarking on how great the views were, etc. We could look Northwest across the Three Fools basin at a huge old burn from a long ago forest fire. Studying our maps we guessed that this was where we would be hiking the next day - and we were right. The trail from Woody Pass is a steady climb up to 7,100'. Just when you think you have reached the top, you turn a corner, and there is MORE up ahead of you. Then you get to the top, and you go from 7,100' down to the lake at 6,100' in less than 2 miles. The clouds were beginning to build, and the wind had already picked up when the last of us finally got down to the lake. There we established our camp sites well away from the water, and got into our routine of the two camping groups appointing two teams to 1) pump/filter/treat several gallons of water, and 2) preparing dinner. A third team would wash dishes after the meal. The rest of the crew went swimming in the (pretty cold) lake, and washed off the dust from the past three days. It felt great. The sun set early because Hopkins Lake is hard up against the wall of the Devil's Staircase. We had seen no bear signs and no berries for three days, so we took the risk and did not hang our food bags - but we did button everything up tight and put it under tarps weighted with stones to protect it from the wind and any possibility of rain. We also kept an eye out for the deer. There was one very tame and VERY inquisitive doe that kept wandering into our campsites looking for any unattended food or salty clothing to steal. She persisted all night, keeping us from sleeping all that well. This deer would walk up to within 3 feet of you, and just stand there and watch. The boys followed her all over the place, so we have dozens of deer pictures and digital video footage of her. As predicted, the wind blew all night, and we heard a couple of thunder claps, but we got only a sprinkling of raindrops. We had still encountered virtually no bugs. Date: Day 4 - August 16 From/To: Troop 166 Hopkins Lake to Big Face - PCT and Trail # 749 AKA Castle Pass Trail Narrative: Once again, we were up and out of there quite early. From Hopkins Lake to Castle Pass is a great trail. It descends gradually from the Lake to 5,500' at Castle Pass, which is situated in a large meadow. There the PCT turns north to Canada, but we were heading West to Ross Lake. We encountered our first (and only) serious run-in with hostile wildlife while walking on this last section of the PCT however, and the boys would not forgive me if I left it out. We were ATTACKED by a terrifying herd of ruffed grouse. If you have never seen a grouse - they are essentially wild, brown chickens. As we were hiking in three different groups, and each of the groups encountered these ferocious beasts on the trail at different times during the morning. The first party came upon a mother and 3 or 4 older chicks. They were old enough to fly, because in the first case, one of them was sitting at my eye level in a tree, about two feet off the trail. The other babies wandered aimlessly in the trail, and the mother stood there about 6 feet away and looked at us. We finally moved forward and they got out of our way. They seemed irritated at our presence - but not really afraid of us. The second and third encounters were more perilous. In the second, the aimlessly wandering chicks grew downright feisty - and refused - even after much urging - to get out of the way. One finally came up to the boot of the smallest member of the party and viciously attacked the toe of his boot with several mighty pecks. No lasting damage was sustained, except to the dignity of the hiker, and the party slipped through. In the final encounter, the first hiker in the group spotted the chicks, and exclaimed: ""Where's the mother?"" All the hikers behind the first hiker: a) had been hearing about bears for days, and b) could see nothing at all, so they all immediately jumped to the conclusion that they had somehow come across bear cubs and were about to be attacked by a ticked off mother bear. There was much yelling and screaming, until the situation was clarified, and they were able to navigate past the inquisitive/aggressive, and very stupid grouse. There are several trail signs in the area, and you need to be careful and read your map carefully. Just before reaching Castle Pass, Trail # 633 heads off to the north and east, and the PCT turns down and to the West. The sign does not indicate either the existence of either the PCT or Castle Pass - so you need to look at the map or you risk wandering off course. Upon reaching Castle Pass itself, you enter the meadow and see signs for the US Border and Manning Park in Canada (north along the PCT), and a small sign pointing West to Ross Lake. Turning left, you see a trail that heads through a camp site with a large fire ring. Don't follow it. It dies out about 50' beyond the fire ring. The real Castle Pass Trail for Ross Lake turns left about 30 yards beyond the signs, and is not obvious until you are standing right at the intersection. The difference between the PCT and the non-PCT trails in the Okanogan National Forest/Pasayten Wilderness is immediately evident. While the track is evident, it is much narrower, and the brush is much closer. The trail crew we met back at Goat Lakes had described it to us as being ""easy to follow"" but much steeper than the 10% to 14% grades they built into the PCT. They were not kidding. They also warned us that we would find no water between the last stream to the East of Castle Pass and Big Face Creek. This also proved to be true. There are streams showing on the map - but they are dry. Each of us carried at least 3 liters of water or more, and most of it was gone by the time we got to the North fork of Big Face Creek. The trail from Castle Pass to Big Face goes up steadily all day until the very end, when it plunges down steeply to the creek. It is a great ridge trail, but it starts at 5,500' at Castle Pass and progresses up and down all day, peaking at about 6,500'. It is only about 8 miles, but it was much harder than the previous two days. We lucked out too in that it was foggy all day until about 3:00 PM. The lack of hot sun made it much easier to walk and not get dehydrated. We walked along the top edge of the burn we had seen the previous day, following the ridge and finally beginning a long descent. From 6,500' the trail slopes down, and loses about 400' in a ""sort of gentle"" descent. This ends at the top of a very steep switchback that quickly drops another 800'. During this plummet, you re-enter the trees, and begin hearing the roar of the North fork of Big Face Creek. The switchbacks end, and you drop another 400' along a very brushy trail with big rocks and small logs hidden beneath the overhanging brush. On occasion you encounter a decent sized log to navigate as well. The brush consisted of a variety of plants including blue berries, huckleberries, salmon berries, mulberries, and other bear-food sources. For the first time on the trip, these bushes had fruit on them. As we got further down the trail we also saw LOTS of bear signs in the form of prodigious piles of bear ""scat"" (that's poop for those of you from Rio Linda). Everyone's anxiety level went up a notch, and our lectures of the previous weeks paid off because several in the party had bear bells, and almost everyone came prepared with rope to use in stringing up their food. Finally, after what seemed like a long time, the trail emerges from the brush into a very large meadow, bisected by the stream. We had started at 6,500' and finally stopped going down at 4,700' - quite a drop for only a few miles. The trail crosses the stream there in the meadow, and it is the only decent camping spot in the entire valley. There are no prepared campsites, and other than the trail, there was no evidence that anyone but deer and bear had been there in years. It is the Forest Service policy to perform minimal maintenance on the trails, and not prepare campsites at all in this section of the wilderness. The ever-present horse manure found on the PCT was completely absent on this trail, replaced by monstrous piles of bear scat ranging in age from quite old to fairly recent. As soon as we arrived a couple of deer also showed up, so we decided (wrongly or rightly) that deer in the field with us was probably a good sign, and that maybe the bears would stay away. The deer are aggressive about checking out human equipment for possible food sources, so we didn't leave anything lying around. Finding flat spots for tents or tarps proved to be a challenge, but we managed it. We strung several bear ropes up in the trees to the east, and set up our cooking areas across on the other side of the stream to keep the food well away from our sleeping spots. We violated the letter of the ""12 heartbeat"" rule by sleeping together, and cooking in the same spot so that we could minimize our impact, thinking that one campsite is better than two. We rationalized that since we were probably the only humans who had been in that area in two years (since the trail crew) the small amount of extra wear we might cause could probably be justified by: a) safety from Mr. Bruin, and b) the lack of wear and tear by anyone else. Hanging up the food was a challenge because the trees are narrow conifers with no limbs to speak of. We ended up climbing them, running ropes across between two of them, and using a carabiner, pulled the bags up to the middle of the horizontal line. This worked, but people climbing on the trees definitely leaves a trace. The Forest Service has no plans to put in bear wires or bear boxes, so we can only hope that human traffic in this area remains low, or the animal/human food issue may become a problem in this area. We slept well despite the proximity of the deer and the potential bears as well as the knowledge that tomorrow we would be taking on the toughest terrain of the trip. But there were still no bugs! Date: Day 5 - August 17 From/To: Troop 166 Big Face to Little Fish Camp & Deer Lick - Trail 749 AKA Castle Pass Trail and Tree Fools Trail Narrative: The day dawned bight and clear, so we would get no fog to protect us. We broke camp pretty early and started down the trail to the first of the BIG UPs. The trail proved to be the worst we had encountered thus far. The path itself wasn't bad when you could see it, but by in large it was covered in thick brush. The trail crew had cleared the big stuff out two years before, so you could sort of see where it went, but the berry bushes and other lower vegetation had grown back with a vengeance. Progress was slow as the boys in the front spend time cutting back the brush so that we could push through. People with shorts moved to the back of the line so that the guys up front could break through and not completely shred their legs. The trail follows the contour at about 4,700' for a little over a mile before it turns up. After a while, it goes back into the trees, and starts up finally leaving the brush behind and going straight up approximately 2,000 feet. We anticipated something would be up because the Green Trails map notes that this part of the trail is ""Hard to Follow"". The Senior Patrol Leader has been looking for a good Eagle Project - and has mused over going back to this valley with a contingent of scouts and parents and clearing brush, build a small but better camp site, put up permanent bear wires, and other improvements. He'll check with the Okanogan Ranger office to see if all this can be done in a Wilderness area. I do not look forward to the opportunity to hike back in there, but what the heck. We tell them to find projects that will have an impact on some part of society, and on themselves - this one would qualify. Once we left the brush, we started up in earnest. True to the warnings of the trail maintenance crew, this is not a typical PCT 10% switchback grade. This is more like 15-20%, and at times it just goes up. The strong hikers made it up the ~2,000' in a couple of hours - the less strong - including our 75 year old patriarch and a 50 something with a bad back took a couple of more hours. The group ate lunch on the top while admiring the amazing and well-earned views. This is truly remote wilderness, and everyone appreciated it. Having used half the day to climb only a few miles, we set about moving West as quickly as we could. This is where the hard work and altitude of the past 4 days paid off. Everyone moved fairly rapidly along the ridge - where you have great views to both the North and South for most of the trip. At one point the trail narrows on a ridge so that you can look almost straight down to the South into the Three Fools River Valley, and then a very short while later, look straight down to the North into Freezeout Lake. Lots of big peaks, jagged ridges, and other scenery to ogle. Nearing the 6,600' high point of this section of the hike the Green Trails map once again says ""Hard to Follow"". This time it wasn't brush in the way, but a complete lack of trail. The path simply disappears at a cairn. The Tortoises had called back on a walkie-talkie, and told us that they had guessed too low when they entered the broad, alpine meadow, and that the following groups (on this day we had three, based on the speed taken getting up the early steep part) should shoot higher. From the cairn, look West. You will see a line of spruces running from near the top of the peak down the hill to the South. Moving from North to South, there are a couple of larger ones near the top, then a gap, then a very small one, then another gap, then two more bigger ones, then a gap, then a single big one, another gap, and then a clump. Shoot for the lone big one in the middle of the row. The trail magically reappears about 200' from the tree and proceeds past it on its North side. There are several other cairns along the way but they are so small they are hard to see until you are on top of them. The trail continues on and begins to descend through a few small, rocky switchbacks and then along a two-mile traverse, and then more steeply down. Finally you reach the top of the mother of all switchback trails. In all, you drop 3,000' in a couple of miles. Welcome to Elbow Basin. At about 5,600' you re-enter the trees, where once again your legs are attacked by all manner of bushes. While no where near as bad as the berry patch at Big Face, they are in serious need of pruning. After going down for a long time, the trail intersects the Three Fools Trail, and follows Three Fools Creek toward Ross Lake. We had hoped that the trail conditions would be better, but if anything the conditions were worse. The brush was not as thick, but there were dozens of dead falls. The trail underneath the brush and deadfall isn't bad - but there are times when it would take us 15 minutes to get a group of hikers past a big pile of logs. In our original hiking plan, we had hoped that the Tortoises would reach the Lightning Creek Campground at Ross Lake (14-15 miles from Big Face), and that the Hares would make the 10 miles to Deer Lick, another campground just inside the Ross Lake National Recreational Area boundary. Those plans were abandoned well up on the big descent when everyone realized that such distances would not be practical. This is where pre-planning and contingencies come into play. We really didn't know what we were getting in for, but we knew it would be hard so we had identified several other potential camping spots along the way that had both flat ground and water. Had the trail been groomed and graded to PCT standards, it would have been a piece of cake - but the trail was not up to PCT standards so progress was much slower. As it turned out, the Tortoises made it to Deer Lick at about 8:00 PM with just enough daylight to set up camp and fix dinner. The Deer Lick Camp is an old log cabin with a door and windows that can close. It is situated next to Lightning Creek about 4 miles from Ross Lake - adjacent to the intersection of the Three Fools Trail. The Tortoises found much to like about Deer Lick, not the least of which was that they could all move inside and close the door - keeping out any bears or curious deer. Meanwhile, a few hours behind, the Hares were split into two groups composed of a slightly faster group of younger hikers, and the slower group containing the senior contingent. The hard climb up and long, high traverse had worn out the legs of the oldest members, who ended up making steady but very slow progress. Going down that much and for that long is tough. The younger hikers and one adult pushed hard to the bottom of the valley and stopped at Little Fish Camp. Interestingly enough, this camp appears on the (otherwise totally worthless) National Geographic maps and on out-of -date USGS Quads - but not on the ""current"" Green Trails maps. Nestled at the intersection of the Three Fools Trail and Three Fools Creek - Little Fish Camp is a gem. It is an old horse packer's fishing camp - but has not seen any horses in several years because of deadfall on the trail. It is big, and it has a nice lean-to shelter. The flat spots extend almost to the edge of a pleasantly rushing Three Fools Creek. There are ample tree limbs and other places to hang up food bags. The Hares reached Little Fish at about 6:30, and set about setting up camp, pumping water, and making dinner for the senior contingent slowly making its way down toward them. Darkness fell, but at about 9:15 we heard a shrill blast on a safety whistle - which we answered. A few minutes later the weary hikers came into camp - 13 hours after starting the Hike at Big Face. They were relieved of their packs and fed while the boys hung their food bags for them, laid out their bedding, and generally waited on them hand and foot. Everyone turned in at about 10:00 for a long awaited well-earned sleep. There are three more days in this report - but the web site won't let us post anymore. I'll find out what to do and try again.