Johnson Creek - Medra Pass, Jungle Creek & Way Creek — Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021

We actually had originally planned an Ingalls Lake hike but it was jam packed at 830 AM, and was snowing at the trailhead, not having quite enough layers for my daughter after she peed through her diaper and got her first outfit wet on the drive over we opted out. My backup plan was to drive to where it was still sunny and hike up towards the larches we could see from the road. Johnson Medra to the Jungle Creek cutoff was in great shape, lots of fall colors and the larches are starting to turn. As we continued up the climb we stopped in a nice grove of larches for lunch maybe a mile or two out but definitely one of the easiest larch access hikes I have done. The signs of old wildfire are still abundant here and there especially towards the sides of the Johnson Medra but the forest is recovering nicely and the ridge walking up by Way Creek was open and scenic with views towards Stuart. If you are unsure about Lake Ingalls and walking an extra couple miles to the trailhead I would say this is a worthy backup. Maybe not as pretty but we saw two motorcycles and that was it no other hikers all day.