Another great Mt.Baker area 10+ miler w/ plenty of vertical checked off.

• FS 32 is in good shape, a few potholes, limited visibility on curvy road so drive like you're likely to meet on-coming traffic just around a corner.
• Got to the parking lot at 7:30. Plenty of parking remained, 15+ spots.
• Trail was in good shape (Thanks WTA) and as described above and I only encountered two other hikers.
• 2-1/4 hrs to the pass with about 50% tree shaded. A couple of somewhat active streams along the way. If you're only hiking with a liter of water it's best to drink up and fill up in this section. 
• Trail up to the peak is definitely steeper, another 1-1/4 hr for me.
• Scads of ripe blueberries on the way up offer plenty of unofficial rest opportunities.
• There is one stagnant pond on the way up just waiting to test the efficacy of your water filter.
• What you might at first think is Hannegan Peak is just a tease and the real summit is a little further and higher (but not much).
• The views from up top are indeed worthy of your effort. Don't skip the summit.
• On my way down from the pass I passed a number of overnighters and a few more late starting day hikers.
• Total hiking time... 6-1/4 hrs for this oldie.

FYI the Copper Ridge loop trail is now open! We didn't do the loop but we encountered folks who said they were the first along the trail as it had just opened. My son and I did a 4-day backpack trip, starting last Monday afternoon during the heat wave. Easily found a parking spot at the trailhead where there is an unstocked outhouse. The trail from there to Hannegan Camp, where we spent the first night, is a steady uphill, sometimes very exposed and other times through a shaded forest. Dunking our heads in the creek about two miles in saved us from the heat and allowed us to carry minimal water and restock along the way. We arrived at Hannegan Camp around 7pm - just about all the sites were full but a couple women kindly offered the other end of their rather large site. There's a toilet, a nice creek, and signs for a "cooking area," though it was never really clear where the cooking area is - we just cooked a ways away from our tent which is best practice. It was challenging to find a good tree limb from which to hang our food but we did pretty well considering - we didn't want to carry a bear can since the rest of our nights would be spent within the park where there are bear-proof metal boxes. The women sharing our site got up super early and left without packing up, I assume to hike up Hannegan Peak. This seems like a good way to get to the top close to sunrise if you've got a couple days. We didn't end up going to the peak because we figured the view at the Copper Ridge Lookout from the same elevation would be similarly amazing.

Next day we continued over Hannegan Pass and up to Silesia Camp, another very hot hike along a relatively dry trail that is sometimes shaded and other times unbearably exposed- no water between Boundary Camp and Egg Lake (which is a half mile and 500 feet downhill from the main trail). Silesia is perched atop the ridge with amazing views but also pretty exposed. There are two sites, one amongst a cluster of trees and the other with an in-your-face view of Mineral Mountain. We chose the less exposed one for much-needed shade and protection from wind, and we never regretted it. There are a few spots away from the site for cooking with excellent views - one facing north toward Egg Lake and the other south toward Mineral Mountain. In the evening we trekked down to Egg Lake with all our water bottles and Katadyn Base Camp filter bag, took a stupendous swim and loaded up on water, which lasted until our hike out two days later. Egg Lake was lovely but crowded; lots of pikas and marmots whistling from the avalanche chute on the west side of the lake, my son got some great pictures of them.

Next day there was relief from the heat with some cloud cover and we hiked up to the Copper Ridge Lookout - by far one of the most amazing hikes I've done in the Pacific Northwest, with a trail that winds along the ridge climbing to more and more expansive views. Hung out near the Lookout for over an hour just soaking up the beauty. There's a composting toilet up there that was surprisingly well-used though not for shy folks as it's pretty exposed. There is also a large patch of snow I suspect will be there the entire season for those desperate for water at that point.

Our hike out on the fourth day was much more pleasant though with fewer views as there was cloud cover and cooler temperatures. There were multiple groups doing work along the ridge and the loop - one group doing biology-related field work for the National Park and two others doing trail work. We especially appreciated the care given to us by the former group during a strange experience on our hike out, just west of Boundary Camp. The group was ahead of us and stopped to hike with us past a man lying literally in the trail on his sleeping pad, with a rifle propped against a nearby tree. As we passed he briefly opened his eyes and mumbled something about "only sleeping from one to three last night" and needing to rest. When we got to the pass the group leader radioed staff about the situation (either the forest service or national park, not sure which since he was right on the border). If you happen to be that guy reading this, I'd love to hear your point of view - to all of us it was unnerving. Overall a well-maintained moderate trail through some of the most incredible scenery in the Pacific Northwest, and right now there are flowers in bloom and tons of ripe berries!

What a beautiful day in the North Cascades! Probably one of my new favorites in this area, such a stunning hike.

Road: so much better than last year! There's a few potholes but easily avoided and I got my Honda Fit up to the trailhead just fine.

Trailhead: was full by 8 am but there was still plenty of places to park outside of the main parking area. There is a bathroom and was well stocked when I was there.

Trail: Very well maintained, no big obstacles or tricky terrain. The first 3-4 miles is a very gentle uphill but the last 1-2 miles it can get fairly steep. Very exposed to the sun so I was glad to have my hat and sun hoodie on. Lots of blooming wildflowers and butterflies all around. The berries are starting to get ripe too, some are still a little tart but there's LOADs of them up on the higher slopes of the peak. My gps ended up recording 11 miles round trip but it wasn't crazy hard or anything, just felt a bit long walking back out the last few miles.

Campsites: I wasn't backpacking on this trip but there are lots of available spots to do so. Hannegan camp has nice access to a water source, but not much of a view. There's loads of campsites up near the summit and a couple along some of the false summits along the way. It would be such an amazing place to stargaze, I'll be back to do it someday for sure.

The hike is described a STEEP. Although it climbs significantly, I did not find it too difficult. The Pass itself is underwhelming, with no views. So it behooves hikers to go up toward the peak, at least another 20-30 minutes where there is a knob with wonderful views.  We elected not to go to the peak, although it would only have been another 30 min. A great hike which  I highly recommend.

I started the hike at around 8:30 AM and reached the pass at approximately 11:40 AM. Early on the trail, I encountered what I thought was bear scat, but later realized it was from horses after meeting two hikers on horseback.

Along the trail, I noticed an abundance of wildflowers in the meadows, accompanied by butterflies and bees. There were salmonberry and blueberry plants growing on sides of the trail — the berries were ripe and easy to pick and eat, adding a fun and refreshing touch to the hike.

There were about two or three stream crossings on the way to the pass, although some former stream beds had dried up. The morning hike was comfortable, with cloud cover providing shade and keeping the temperature pleasant.

At the pass (Boundary Camp), I saw many backpackers setting up tents — definitely more backpackers than day hikers. From the pass, I continued on to the peak, this section involved the steepest and most strenuous elevation gain of the entire hike, leaving at 11:40 AM and summiting by 1:30 PM. The ascent was exposed and steep, so doing this section on a cloudy day is ideal to avoid the harsh sun.

At the summit, I was rewarded with incredible 360-degree views of the surrounding peaks, including Mt. Shuksan and Mt. Baker (which was partially covered by clouds). I spent an hour soaking it all in before beginning my descent at 2:30 PM. I reached the pass by 4 PM and the trailhead by 7 PM.

The descent was slow and tricky due to loose rocks, and the final stretch was quite warm due to the sun. I’d recommend bringing at least 3 liters of water on a sunny day. Overall, it was a stunning hard hike with minimal bugs, and the trailhead was about 80% full when I arrived at 8:30 AM.