Found: On my way out, I found a hoodie in the trail around 2 miles from the trailhead, just upstream from the junction with the Pilot Ridge trail. If this is yours, reach out to me with identifying info (such as color, size, brand) and we can try to get it back to you.
Main report (North Fork Sauk River Trail)
I wanted a low-elevation hike of decent length on Saturday to enjoy the gap in the heavy rains and avoid hitting snow too close to the car, and this trail met the criteria well. I turned around at 4400ft (approximately 7.25 mi from trailhead) just before the first creek crossing in the long climbing traverse, so I'm not certain what conditions look like beyond that.
Trail Conditions: The creek crossing at 1.25mi from the car is substantial especially with the recent heavy rains, and you'll want to find a good place to cross the rocks, likely using trekking poles for balance. That is the worst of the trail hazards I encountered, although there are certainly numerous small streams that flow or ooze down the trail as you continue upriver. There are also fair number of logs of various sizes across and/or along the trail, mostly between the major creek crossing at 1.25mi and the shelter site, although none required too much effort to either step on/over or take a small detour around.
Snow: While there are a few small snow patches along the river, I believe the snow starts in earnest near the first creek crossing in the long climbing traverse at around 4400ft (7mi from the car), where I turned around.
Pilot Ridge trail: As a quick detour from my main hike, I took the junction down to the river to check the conditions of this trail. The approach to the river is brushy with head-height brush, and somewhat visible tread guiding the way. It appears that there are a pair of potentially slippery logs that could likely be used to cross the North Fork Sauk River, even in the high-flow spring melt that is currently underway. (See last picture)
Bugs: While there were a couple mosquitoes at the car and when I stopped for food at the Mackinaw shelter site, I never noticed them elsewhere, even while taking short breaks for hydration.
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