Arrived in the main parking lot and there were a couple spots open at 7:30am. The air was a bit smoky (a couple backpackers we spoke with said the smoke rolled in about 2am Monday morning). The hike itself was fantastic. The incline was gradual and the views up at the peak were incredible! A bit of loose rock as you’re making your way up to the peak so step carefully. Lots of delicious berries to enjoy. A highlight was seeing a squirrel carrying its tiny baby in its mouth (so cute). Well maintained trail, thank you trail crews!

So many peaks, so many glaciers, so many berries! Trail condition was perfect. Going up steadily and almost in a straight line until final push to the peak which gets a bit steeper and completely exposed. It’s also slippery near the peak. Today it was still very warm at lower half when outside of the forest, but you can enjoy the beautiful valley and waterfalls across the valley, plus the giant Ruth mountain. A lot more peaks can be seen from the peak, including Baker and Shuksan.

I came across a young bear just off the trailhead, both of us were surprised but nothing happened. Not sure how that happened given the busy trailhead: got there by 9:30 on a Friday, main lot was full then soon the small lot was also full. Didn’t feel busy at all on trail though. Many backpackers, some took other trails later on.

Camped at Hannegan Pass. Last water at Hannegan Camp. Gorgeous 360 views from the peak.

Trip was from the Hannegan TH to Egg Lake and back.

Day 1 (Thursday): started the initial hike to Hannegan Camp at 8PM (shout out to my trail angel Connor and his partner who were camping at the TH who gave me some spare AAA batteries when I discovered my headlamp was dead, d'oh! Pack your spares - don't be an idiot like me!), so it was a night hike, arriving at the CG around 10PM. Would not recommend night hiking in. It's extremely challenging to see and navigate the campground in the dark and my sincerest apologies to anyone we disrupted while trying to find a space to sleep. We set up tents, located a tree to hang our remaining smellables, and went swiftly to sleep.

Day 2 (Friday): The toilet at Hannegan Camp is incredible. Higly recommend! The cooking area is also a beautiful space to make breakfast and bask in the beautiful glacier to the north. Packed up and left the CG around 9AM heading to Egg Lake. Helicopter was circling the area for what felt like hours, low and slow. Unsure who or what they were looking for, but certainly left a foreboding feeling.

But back to the hike! Lots of ascent, then descent, would recommend taking your time and enjoying the scenery and wildlife. Saw some birds: golden crowned kinglet, red-breasted nuthatch, and a singular grouse in a tree along the forested area. Every hill we tackled revealed more peaks and snow in the distance. Smoke cleared up quite a bit. A couple of areas with really loose rocks so it's helpful, but not necessary to have poles. There aren't many water opportunities along this stretch. Much of this portion of the trail is fully exposed along rocks, so wear your sunscreen.

Arrived at Egg Lake around 1:00PM and had lunch, took a refreshing and brisk swim (although my friends would argue it wasn't so bad). Only saw a couple trail runners and one other backpacker during this entire day. At this point, we decided that doing the loop might be beyond our abilities, so we decided to hike back out the next day instead of pushing towards our next permitted camp site at Indian Creek. There is a bear locker for food and other smellable storage. One member of our group hiked up to the Copper Fire Lookout and returned about three hours later. Compostable toilet here is just fine. Lots of robins, ravens, marmots, chipmunks, and other fun wildlife. Had a little trouble sleeping due to the sounds of mice around our tent. Dead silent evening otherwise.

Day 3 (Saturday): leisurely morning since we were in for a long day. Left Egg Lake around 8:30AM and took minimal breaks along the path, arriving back at the TH around 1:30PM. There were a ton of people due to Labor Day weekend, and most said they intended to camp at Hannegan Camp, so something to keep in mind since that is the only campground that does not require permits.

It was lovely seeing the hike we did in the daylight! Watched a pika taking a drink of water, marmots basking atop rocks in the bright direct sun, and the same birds that greeted us along our trip in. Arriving at the TH we were shocked to see how many cars there were! If isolation is your goal, would recommend trying this on a weekday instead.

Very well maintained trail! Had a great overnight with excellent stargazing and amazing blueberries! Note, there are three streams with water crossing the trail before you get to Hannegan Camp (plenty of water there too). No water past the camp (aside from a small pond/bog on the way to the summit). There are a handful of tent spots on the way up, plus several at the summit itself. The trail along the valley bakes in the afternoon sun. Road to the trailhead is dirt but in remarkable shape (occasional potholes but nothing to worry about).