North Fork Sauk River, Pilot Ridge, Blue Lake High & Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) Section K - Stevens Pass to Rainy Pass — Saturday, Sep. 29, 2012

North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway

REMEMBER: High Buck Hunt is in late Sept. (9/15-25/12 this year). Bear season starts Aug. 1. It's important to know these dates. This region is popular with deer & bear hunters, so wear some safety-orange. Most hunters are totally savvy. It's a courtesy to wear some bright colors. A safety-orange mesh vest weighs nothing, and you can wrap it around your pack. Get a day-glo hat for autumn, looks kinda spiffy. [url]http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/regulations/[/url] This was a weekend trip, but you could easily spend 3 or more days in here. Many side-trip possibilities. 4:00 AM Wake. 5:00 AM Leave Seattle. 7:30 AM Leave N. Fork Sauk trailhead. 8:30 Pilot Ridge Trail, N. Fork Sauk crossing. Sawed a few knobs off the log, couldn't get them all. There are several good, wide, level crossing logs. They might be intimidating to some people, esp. at high water. The corgi did not hesitate. A pole with a sharp point might be useful if you find this spooky. The big log in the 2nd photo has no knobs, easily shinnied, easy to get around the root ball at right. Pilot Ridge gets very dry by August. There is a reliable water stream perhaps 3500'? or lower? among the switchbacks in the forest. Load water here. There is another stream higher up, just about when you start to see the sky, but this was a moist trickle at best now, 9/29/12, I did not use it. The next water was stagnant snowmelt below Johnson (fairly clean, filterable), and the next good water was Blue Lake. I brought a filter but did not use it on this trip. 11:15 Lunch overlook at ridge. Sloan and Monte Cristo were not lifting their skirts yet. We had cool overcast for the ascent. When clear, the view here is impressive. Stunning meadows. 3:30 PM Johnson summit. 4:30 Blue Lake. Nice campsites, but no evening or morning sun. 5:30 Pt. 6562 summit. The N side of Blue Lake High would probably require ice ax in earlier season. It was dry now, some snowpatches nearby. Made camp in 30 yd. visibility. Clear with full moon by 10 PM; A life of sin and dissipation brings such luck. Thank you, NOAA weather service, utterly reliable nowadays. Moonlight & starlight impaired sleep. Parents, supervise your children. Congratulations for getting them to 6500', but please teach them that moving rocks in pristine locations is vandalism, and that nobody wants to see their stupid, childish cairns like the one I found at the summit (the moderators prevent me from using appropriate language). I repaired the damage as best I could and even got some of the rocks right back to where Nature put them. Only greenhorn idiots make cairns. Don't build campfires, either (end of rant). No water between Blue Lake and Dishpan Gap. Campsite but no water at Dishpan Gap (maybe some stagnant icky pools here and there). North of Dishpan Gap, you'll find two obvious rocky 100' horns; there's a nice but very small stream and campsite here; look for social trail. Be very careful not to contaminate any water; please keep your dog out of it. Kodak Peak is an easy scramble/walk, and well worth it. There's a campsite on the ridge just above the PCT at Kodak Peak. There are two streams in the meadow E of Kodak Pk, usually reliable, mere trickles 9/2012. A "desperation trickle" S of Indian Pass. Campsite west of Indian Pass (social trail). There was a fine, strong flow about 10 minutes N. of Indian Pass; that's your best water between Dishpan Gap and NW of White Pass. There are two large, stagnant, icky, filterable ponds between Indian Pass and White Pass, but the strong flow 10 min. North of Indian Pass is the best water between Dishpan Gap and White Pass. Many migrating hawks, especially harriers. No bugs, but got stung once. Blueberry foliage ranges burgundy-to-blood red. Below White Pass, there were 3 flowing streams above the PCT junction, and 3 below it. We filled-up at the highest (6 water sources above the highest switchback, some were mere trickles). If you are ascending from Sauk R., there is a reliable stream in the avalanche chute, maybe the 3rd switchback. Get some water here. 5:50 PM Highest switchback. 7:00 PM Mackinaw Shelter. 7:35 PM Red Creek bridge (thank you, Darrington MBSNF). If ascending, get some water here, but there is also a steam at about the 3rd switchback above Mackinaw Shelter. 8:25 PM Pilot Ridge Trail jct. Moonlight, trees 3-4' diameter. 9:10 PM Trailhead Just walking the dog.