The day started grey and misty in Yakima. The drive up to Chinook Pass proved worth it. The clouds faded to mostly sunny until late afternoon when thunder storms started to move in. Wild flowers in bloom along the trail included, fireweed, blue bells, and daisy. I also found a few early Huckleberrie bushes with ripe berries along the trail.. YUMMY!. The trail comes to a little valley to Sheep Lake. A beatful lake with great views and good camping spots as well. Plenty of people around the lake. Trail climbs somewhat steady and steep to get to the gap. The work is well worth it with views southern of peaks, goat rocks, Mt Adams.. Etc. Once through the gap the crest trail drops to the northeastern side of ridge and begins to switchback down. A spur trail takes off the switchback to the northwestern side of ridge with a spectacular view of Rainer. Of course I only got to see the bottom half but great all the same. The weather by late afternoon started to turn bad. A great hike no matter what the weather did!

The Sourdough Gap trail is now wide open, and snow-free all the way to the Crystal Lakes overlook area. We found many wildflowers in bloom, few bugs, and even fewer fellow hikers on the trail (one of the joys of mid-week hiking). The views of Adams, and finally, Rainier, were very satisfying, as was our flyby of Sheep Lake. All and all, a fine mid- July sample of the Pacific Crest Trail!

Took this trail as an alternate to the rather icy looking Naches Peak loop. Right from the get go the flowers were raging east of the pass all across the long straight section before the rise into Sheep Lake basin. Paintbrush, anenome and bear grass dominate with spots of tiger lily and others filling in nicely. What diversity! Once in the basin though, the flowers toned down until just below the gap. Snow persists in spots within the tress before the lake, but is not a problem for dayhikers or backpackers as the PCT highway-wide tread is obvious and easy to follow through the patches. The huge meadows in the last basin before the gap have yet to show any color other than green. Looks like huge masses of paintbrush are about to go off, that is if they weren't destroyed by that deluge on Saturday morning. Higher up phlox, lupine and some paintbrush cling below the crags just below the gap. Great view to the southeast of Mt Adams and the peaks surrounding Chinook Pass. Hopped over the gap and crossed some minor snow to get a good look at Rainier and Crystal Lakes. Very impressive fins of andesite on the north side rim a beautiful lake basin below. What a gorgeous spot! Looks like great camping sites abound along the upper lake below. Thunderheads brewed and swirled along the pass all late Friday afternoon as a portend of things to come. Heard a clap of thunder right before retreating to White River campground for the night. Several first time campers I saw hiking to the lake likely had a rather brutal initiation. When I returned to the pass on Sunday, matts of flowers were pasted to the ground as if over-watered by some overzealous gardener. All in all a great mellow hike for those in need of a not-so-serious walk to great views and gorgeous floral displays. I'd recommend it to the not-so-doorsy and hard cores alike.

We had a fine weekend with our kids at Sheep Lake, Soudough Gap, and beyond (thanks Mtn.Mom for the suggestion). Asters were everywhere, bugs were nowhere, and the weather was okay. This easy trail to nice terrain is a good trip for families with young kids. The altitude is high for such an easy walk, so be prepared for chilly weather. We were surprised to find a large patch of fragrant mint at 6600 ft. on a peak northwest of Sourdough Gap.

Having masterminded a rendevous with new recruits, the Corps praised clear skies and the sunshiny bulk of The Mountain on the morning of the appointed day. Trekking North on the PCT from Chinook Pass we found the tread in good condition, Sheep Lake clear and sparkling and sparcely populated, and multitudes of ripe huckleberries along the trailsides above and below Sheep Lake. The planned scouting mission to the top of an unnamed knob North of Sourdough Gap verified that Mtn's. Adams, St. Helens, and Rainier are indeed where they were four weeks ago. The progressing season was evidenced by fading asters and seedpods replacing the fields of lupine, partridgefoot, bistort, and anemone flowers, and the few remaining *small* snowfields. Also noted were masses of condensing moisture converging on The Mountain and surroundings. Returning to gear stashed at Sheep Lake, and refueling cooled bodies, the committee (Corps and Recruits) elected to trade the spectacular scenery, blustery, cold and wet atmospheric conditions for the warm, dry familiarity of home, and flannel sheets.

From hwy 410 through Sheep Lake, Sourdough Gap to Bear Gap. The trail was Snow free and believe it or not no one was at Sheep lake we did not see anyone all day. Trail was in fine condition no problems of any kind. We scrambled up two peaks along the route before Bear Gap excellent views of Rainier, Crystal Mountain and Norse Peak. We did notice there appeared to be considerable snow cover on the Naches Peak loop south of the highway