The last trip report on this loop is from 2006 via Motsies. Not sure how heavy the 2005/2006 winter was, but like this hiker I thought I’d give it a whirl in light of the low snow levels. I arrived at the horse camp at the end of forest road 70 around 3:00 PM. The pup and I immediately encountered snow and run off. PCT 2000 was easy to follow from the Maggie Creek Junction to Rods Gap even with the snow. Little to no snow from Rods Gap to Louisiana Saddle. 1/2 dozen blow downs. The climb up to Arch Rock however was covered. My intentions were to camp out well beyond Arch Rock. Low visibility from the clouds and rain hindered my navigation. Decided to call it quits early and camp out just below the snow line. Wise move as wind and rain came rushing in shortly after I was settled. Went to bed slightly discourage. Crashed out around 9:00 with hopes of morning sun breaks. I awoke to a tomb of clouds. It wasn't exactly raining but the mist was just a wet with how thick it was. The day light beyond helped in navigating the accent. Post holing through the snow did however slow progress. Thankful to have had a whole day day ahead of me. The snow thinned out once up and out of the tree line. The meadows at the Echo Lake Trail 1187 junction were quite lovely this early in the season. Lots of game tracks and droppings, but no Elk sightings. Only the remnants of the 1939 airplane crash to strike my curiosity. I concur with Motsies regarding running astray here. I see how it could be easy to follow the wrong drainage. Keep in mind as the clearing narrows the trail jogs North West into the tree line, then up and over a small out cropping into a separate wash independent of meadows at the junction. The decent into Echo Lake was steep. The first 1000 ft was essentially all boulders and snow. No trail to be seen. Once back into the tree line the trail was relatively snow free. 6-8 blowdowns. Echo Lake was quite when I arrived around 12:30. The sun even revealed itself. Had lunch an pressed on to Maggie Creek. Greeting a handful of backpackers and day hikers just as they were descending into Echo. Nice to tell them they were almost there and mean it. My afternoon crossing of the Greenwater River proved exciting. There is no bridge. Several logs up and down stream could be used but all were way too slick for my liking. I opted for a forge given I was solo and with my dog. Crossed with a good gasp from the chill and a wide eyed pup. The water was nearly waist deep, just enough to get my drawers good a wet. Trail 1186 appears to get very little use. 12 + blowdowns and foliage is beginning to cover the trail. Consolation prize for no Elk sightings, I spotted a porcupine near the the second run off just before the Maggie Creek. Camp was dry and much warm the previous. Dapples of sunlight came through the tree line as the sun was setting. My morning 2 mile ascent back to trail 2000 was gentle with some nice switchbacks. Contrary to the previous afternoon, this section of the 1186 was in terrific shape, only a couple of blowdowns. Pressed beyond the junction back to the trailhead and explored Government Meadows a bit, then hit the road for a 4th of July BBQ in the city. Cloud cover hindered all the vistas on the PCT, but solitude was my aim and this loop certainly delivered. Nice to have so much trail all to yourself.

Dates of Trip: 7/1 - 7/2/06 Low snow levels are still keeping me from some of my favorite spots, so headed out during the long holiday weekend to the Arch Rock Loop (20 miles) in the South Cascades. Described as perhaps the ""loneliest loop in the South Cascades"" and that might be an understatement, especially for the 13 miles streatch leading to Echo Lake. Total elevation gain of 2,400' during the hike, so very gental slopes for the most part that allow for a quick pace. Some minor amounts of snow remaining on the first 1.5 miles of the PCT and lots of water on the trail, but for the most part the trail is dry. Just south of Arch Rock a meadow opens up that offers views of Rainier, as well as the Snoqualmie Pass area peaks and Mt. Stuart. A warning about the trail condition: once off the PCT 2000 and on Trail 1187 to Echo Lake, you hike through some meadows and the trail is very hard to follow. I couldn't keep track of the trail and bushwacked my way down the 3 miles to the lake along a drainage that ended up putting me on Trail 1176 (Greenwater) about 1 mile south of Echo Lake. So I it turned out I was following the wrong drainage even w/ a Green Trails map in hand. Special thanks to the group camping at Echo Lake that offered me some wine as I finally made it to my targeted first night camp!! Spent the night at Echo Lake where the mosquitoes were out in full force. Hiked the remaining 7 miles out late the next morning in 3.5 hours. Maggie Creek Trail 1186 also doesn't see very heavy traffic as the trail became thin in spots w/ many blow-downs. All water crossings were straightforward. All in all a nice hike w/ a minor adventure!! Happy hiking!! Peace, motsies