Did a day trip to Old Snowy and Ives. This trip had been on my bucket list for a long time but finally made it today.
Our initial plan was to do an overnight and do OSM-Ives-Gilbert traverse but the weather for sunday wasn't promising so we settled for a loop starting from Berry Patch trailhead - Old Snowy - Ives and ended at Snowgrass trailhead with a little walk back to the car.
Road to TH was okay. Gravel and washboard kind. Any car can make it to the TH.
I didn't realize that the place was still pretty popular in the Fall. There were many backpackers that day but it didn't feel crowded and there were many great spots to camp. Popular spots were the ones by Goat Lake and the area near Jordan creek.
We filtered water from Goat Lake but could have filtered water from a small running creek near Packwood Glacier Trail as we went up to Old Snowy. The trail, although marked as unmaintained was easy to follow all the way to Old Snowy. Shared the summit with few other hikers.
After a small break, we continued the traverse to Ives. The traverse involved some ups and downs and the terrain was a bit chossy. There's a cool arch formation on the traverse and we got to see the crevasses on McCall glacier.
After Ives, we retreated to the saddle and descended the slope. We then joined the PCT and headed down to Snowgrass flat.
Overall, it's a very beautiful day with all visible 3 volcanoes from both summits, gorgeous fall colors (but there were very little berries) and a very enjoyable loop.
Stats: 15.4 mi. Over 4,600ft total gain, a little over 10 hours with moderate pace and plenty snack, photo and summit breaks.
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