Dewey Lake, Three Lakes via Laughingwater Creek & Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) Section I - White Pass to Snoqualmie Pass — Saturday, Jun. 28, 2025

We had hoped to overnight to Cougar Lake via Chinook, or even hike Chinook to Grove of the Patriarchs via the PCT to the 3 Lakes Trail. Chinook was still very much snowed in, and we had to bail on the clockwise (Eastern) PCT approach to Dewey. We had spikes and poles, but some of the snowfields felt too steep/exposed to safely traverse without an axe. We decided it was too much snow to even bother with the counter-clockwise (Western) Naches Loop approach to Dewey, so we settled for the 3 Lakes Trail. Trail was in great shape, minor blowdown but nothing too difficult to pass. Snow and bugs started around the 3 Lakes, and got deeper/worse until the PCT junction. Spikes recommended about a mile before the PCT junction, but passable without. We made it a mile or so NOBO on the PCT before the trail crossed over to the Northeastern side of a ridge, and again we were turned back by exposed snow traverses. So we camped near the 3 Lakes Patrol Cabin, and exited the way we came the next morning. Bug pressure was terrible at 3 Lakes. Water available on trail around mile 3, and commonly thereafter. All in all it was a great adventure in the woods, even if we had to settle for backup objectives. Felt good to try something challenging, but also know and abide by our risk limits.