Pilot Ridge, Blue Lake, Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) Section I - White Pass to Snoqualmie Pass & North Fork Sauk River — Thursday, Aug. 22, 2013

North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway

This is an easy road to drive to trailhead. Its in good condition. We hit the trail at 0900. Its a hour to turnoff to Pilot Ridge trail. Great log to walk across the creek. No handrails, but level and wide. The trail is in good shape but relentless in climbing for about five miles to end of the ridge. On the way up, the last water is one stream at around 4 miles and a small seepage right after it...top off. Its dry till Blue Lake at almost another 7 miles. This is a great ridge hike with some great views of Sloan, Monte Cristo range along with a slew of peaks to the south. We were too late for flowers but the day was filtered sun with a nice breeze...ie few bugs.The hike took 10 hours to get to Blue Lake. We made camp at end of the lake...too tired to hike up to the balcony on the High Blue Lake trail...next time. On Friday, hiked up the High trail, 45 minutes up...super view..great spot for one tent. The mist was pouring up the east slope as we descended down a well built steep trail. Then it was off to join the PCT and go north along the ridges and passes to end up at High Pass. The views and meadows were great...again aided by an overcast, breezy day. There are 3-4 seepages/creeklets on NE side of Kodak Peak. There is also good water at Reflection Pond. It was a 10 mile hike in about 7 hours to White Pass. Several good campsites below the pass with small creeklet. We setup tent and then tookoff to check out Red Pass...great hike on a high ridge overlooking the valley of the North Sauk. Red Pass is great sidetrip because of view into upper Whitechuck valley, glaciers and Glacier Peak. Then on the way back, we did a quick side trip to Foam Basin....would really like to see that earlier in year with the flowers and waterfalls...again next time. The next day, on the trail at 0600, five hours later at the car....not before a grand walk thru the N Fork Sauk valley with a lot of very mature, large cedars/firs. Ideally this trip should be a four day trip to allow more time for some exploring,etc...probably earlier in August for max flowers or later for some Fall foliage. But no regrets, this is a great ridge backpacking tour of Glacier Peak area.