We hiked the Kettle Crest Trail one way as part of the PNT. The trail is in great condition. Pretty much clear of deadfall the whole way and beautiful fireweed. I would recommend bringing lots of water or some way to purify water at one of the few creeks. I would also recommend bringing a map of the area because there are one or two junctions that are a bit confusing. Such an amazing trail!

The trip was guided by PNTA.  It was very informative and the weather was gorgeous.  There a few deer flies at the top but they weren't bad.  There were only 5 of us so it was a nice hike and allowed us to get to know each other.

 

 

Beautiful views and the meadows were full of flowers.

Hiked from Sherman Pass to Copper Butte and then up to the summits of Jungle Hill and Columbia on return.  A few blowdowns but nothing difficult to pass; the worst of the blowdowns is on the first mile of trail, but again not difficult to pass. 

Along the way to the junction with the Wapaloosie Trail, there are a few small patches of snow but all easy to cross.  North from this junction for about half a mile, the Kettle Crest Trail is mostly under angled snow about 3-4 feet deep.  Poles would probably be helpful here, though I got through fine without; today it was soft enough to kick steps in but firm enough to avoid much postholing.  

I wasn't paying attention to the map, so mistakenly missed the junction on my way North and found myself following the Wapaloosie trail, so decided to go cross country around the North side of Wapaloosie Mtn to meet back up with the crest trail.  This cross country portion was pretty slow-going with quite a bit of sloping snow and/or talus to cross.

Anyway, heading North from Wapaloosie Mtn, the patches of snow from this point on are small and easily crossed.  There is some deeper and more consistent snow up towards the summit of Copper Butte but not difficult to walk on or bypass to get to the actual summit.

I would definitely recommend bringing along a map and/or GPS if it's your first time here.  There were a couple of other spots where I mistakenly went the wrong way for a bit.  Quite a few side trails, some marked and some not.

Didn't see too many people considering it being a Saturday with nice weather.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Completed a Kettle crest North section hike to Copper Butte by way of Wapaloosie mt. This was 2.7 miles to trail #13 from the Wapaloosie TH and then another 4 miles to the top of Copper Butte. I stayed the night on Copper Butte and worked my way back to Wapaloosie in the morning. As described in the Backpacking Washington book this section of the Kettle Crest is very scenic and an incredibly beautiful hike. Copper Butte has almost 360 viewpoint and the trail between Wapaloosie and Marcus trail junction is tranquil and relaxing in spite of whatever weight you carry. If one can take the time, there are plenty of places to stop and contemplate the complexities of life or just marvel at the smallest and largest of the world represented on this section of trail. The trail up to Wapaloosie MT has been mowed over to open up the trail. It will continue to be an excellent trail for many years. There were a lot of loose rocks and limbs to stumble upon on the trail. There is still no signage at the Kettle crest trail junction. I came across several hikers, mountain bikers, and a couple of dudes on horses. This is the busiest I have ever seen this trail. Someone let the secret out.

Cake walk 2014! I started at 6:09 am from the White Mountain TH (note on how I filled out the road condition report--the drive to the White Mountain TH is the road that is "rough but passable." Start from Sherman Pass or Deer Creek/Boulder Summit and it's paved access except for the parking lot itself). I hiked north along the Kettle Crest trail, where I was distracted by a bumper crop of huckleberries. I heard one bear between Barnaby Butte and Snow Peak, and was serenaded by pikas from White Mountain to Snow Peak. I made it to Sherman Pass where I took a short break and then resumed my hike by 11:10am. Things were great all the way to Copper Butte/the Old Stagecoach trail. Then I reached the range land, which is fine if you don't mind cow pies everywhere. I had trouble even reaching the water at Midnight Mountain (the cows were camped out in the mudhole in front of the trough), and between Midnight and Lambert I had to follow the cows up trail (and they poop when they're spooked, and the fresh cowpies hit the trailside grass, and that grass hit my legs, and it was gross). After Lambert, things were great again until it got dark, and then I remembered how I don't really like solo hiking in the dark. Oh, well. I finished up nearly on the dot at midnight. End of hike bonus or spookiness, depending on how you look at it: the full moon was blood-red due to all the smoke in the air. Why go: 1) In over 43 miles of hiking, I only had to step off the trail once due to fresh downfall. I only had to step over 4-5 small trees that were down across the trail. The entire length of the Kettle Crest is in great shape, and there is a contract crew near Deer Creek/Boulder working on turnpike to make the trail even better. 2) No crowds. When I reached the Sherman Loop section of the KC trail, I encountered seven hikers in four parties. Near Jungle Hill, I encountered two horseback riders with three horses. When I neared the end of the trail, one member of the group I was camping with hiked in to meet me. That's only 10 people over the course of 43+ miles on a Saturday in August! And it's gorgeous up there! 3) Sure, I'm a lunatic who does the whole thing in one day. By the end of that day, even I think I must be crazy. If you're not crazy, do it as a backpack trip or in day-hiking segments. I shouldn't tell people this so I can keep it to myself, but there's free camping at Jungle Hill TH, Wapaloosie TH, Old Stage Coach/Copper Butte TH, and Stickpin/Ryan's Cabin TH. The camping at Deer Creek/Boulder is cheap. There's no outhouse at White Mountain TH, but if you know how to dig a proper cathole, you can camp for free there, too. Grand total mileage for August 9th = 43.55 miles! Like this trip report? Please consider sponsoring me for Hike-a-Thon! My fundraising page is http://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=1468&AID=2791&PID=447677 If you sponsor me at $1 for every mile I suffered through (although I really didn't suffer until it got dark, unless you count suffering due to cow poop between Midnight and Lambert) it would include WTA membership!