Ran into C P on Saturday and interrupted his user maintenance of #754 for a jaunt out to Chancellor, where I ended up spending two blissful nights creek side in my tent, plus some user maintenance of my own with a pair of slightly used pruning shears gifted to me by C P before he started his mad dash back to the trailhead before sundown.
For a "lost" trail, #754 was wide open and easy to follow past the bridge at Mill Creek. Two super sketchy rock slides between Mill Creek and Cedar crossing that I have no plans of repeating, otherwise the trail is in fantastic shape due to the efforts of C P and christiangustafson.
Sunday was a perfect blue sky day, so after a leisurely breakfast I continued up #754 towards Sky Pilot Pass and briefly followed the remnants of an (abandoned?) trail up the North Fork Canyon Creek to the wilderness boundary where I immediately hit snow, then backtracked ~5 minutes and found the obvious crossing for #754 and the climb up towards Sky Pilot Pass before returning to camp for lunch and a siesta.
After recharging my batteries I decided to stretch my legs and search for late afternoon views with a walk up FS 700 to the former bridge site at Slate Creek. Apparently the black bear who was walking down FS 700 had similar ideas before making eye contact from 50 yards away and turning around. Aside from the gated ford, three or four washouts, a couple of downed trees, and LOTS of rockfall within ~1/2 mile of the former bridge site, I'd say that my little Nissan could have made 98% of the drive to Chancellor. No snow to speak of on "my" side of FS 700, but the road and Cady Pass TH on the other side of the creek still have a good 8"-12" of snow.
Comments
C P on Chancellor
Happy to see you made it out OK, I was afraid you may slip into the water on the flagged path at Cedar Crossing - slippery when wet!
I am wondering where you found this North Fork Trail? Sounds to be up the trail to Sky Pilot a bit. I would head out here again to find/work on that. Great Report!
Posted by:
C P on May 25, 2022 11:53 AM
C P on Chancellor
I just looked at the USGS map and reread your directions and think I've got it - Thanks!
Posted by:
C P on May 25, 2022 12:00 PM
C P on Chancellor
I just looked at my old Metsker's map from the 1950's, where the North Fork trail is shown. Looks like it goes to and follows, then crosses Cascade Creek on it's way up the ridge crest to Devil's Pass (Anacortes Crossing). I'm there!
Also, I found in the 1942 Metsker's Atlas at historicmapworks.com, there is a trail to Cady Peak L.O./Cady Point from the Mill Creek trail. Leaves Mill Creek trail L, a short distance from where it branches from the Chancellor trail. It should be before the big slide that cuts off the trail less than a mile in.
Posted by:
C P on May 25, 2022 12:49 PM
Cady Point
I have the 1942 map, and I’ve thought a lot about that trail. You can even see faint traces of it on Google Earth. It should be looked into, if #755 comes into focus. Shull Creek trail is also on that map, as well as the 1973 NOCA map I have here (labeled #778). Now there’s a gonzo adventure for the intrepid - Shull Creek to Three Fools and up the Castle Fork.
Posted by:
Christian Gustafson on May 30, 2022 11:30 AM