Sheep Lake to Sourdough Gap — Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024

Arrived to Chinook Pass lower parking lot near midday.  PCT sign at edge of lower parking lot just beyond the toilets,  Look for the trail on the slope above, going to the RIGHT,  continuing above descending eastbound 410 for quite a distance before switchbacking up through forest and small meadows.  It was quite hot with lots of sun exposure, causing us to stop a couple of times to hydrate before arriving at Sheep Lake   We found shady seats on the shore for lunch and watched a tireless dog retrieving his fetch toy over and over from the lake.  A number of campers joined him in the cool water.  Rejuvenated, we maintained a slow and steady pace up to Sourdough Gap.  Great views to the south.  We traversed over to the Crystal Lake Overlook, with dazzling views of Rainier, as well as the PCT heading north where some smoky haze was evident.  It was cooler on the way down with much more shade in the late afternoon.  Quite a few through hikers on their way to Canada.