Kettle Crest North, Kettle Crest South & Kettle Crest Trail — Saturday, Aug. 9, 2014

Eastern Washington > Okanogan Highlands/Kettle River Range

Cake walk 2014! I started at 6:09 am from the White Mountain TH (note on how I filled out the road condition report--the drive to the White Mountain TH is the road that is "rough but passable." Start from Sherman Pass or Deer Creek/Boulder Summit and it's paved access except for the parking lot itself). I hiked north along the Kettle Crest trail, where I was distracted by a bumper crop of huckleberries. I heard one bear between Barnaby Butte and Snow Peak, and was serenaded by pikas from White Mountain to Snow Peak. I made it to Sherman Pass where I took a short break and then resumed my hike by 11:10am. Things were great all the way to Copper Butte/the Old Stagecoach trail. Then I reached the range land, which is fine if you don't mind cow pies everywhere. I had trouble even reaching the water at Midnight Mountain (the cows were camped out in the mudhole in front of the trough), and between Midnight and Lambert I had to follow the cows up trail (and they poop when they're spooked, and the fresh cowpies hit the trailside grass, and that grass hit my legs, and it was gross). After Lambert, things were great again until it got dark, and then I remembered how I don't really like solo hiking in the dark. Oh, well. I finished up nearly on the dot at midnight. End of hike bonus or spookiness, depending on how you look at it: the full moon was blood-red due to all the smoke in the air. Why go: 1) In over 43 miles of hiking, I only had to step off the trail once due to fresh downfall. I only had to step over 4-5 small trees that were down across the trail. The entire length of the Kettle Crest is in great shape, and there is a contract crew near Deer Creek/Boulder working on turnpike to make the trail even better. 2) No crowds. When I reached the Sherman Loop section of the KC trail, I encountered seven hikers in four parties. Near Jungle Hill, I encountered two horseback riders with three horses. When I neared the end of the trail, one member of the group I was camping with hiked in to meet me. That's only 10 people over the course of 43+ miles on a Saturday in August! And it's gorgeous up there! 3) Sure, I'm a lunatic who does the whole thing in one day. By the end of that day, even I think I must be crazy. If you're not crazy, do it as a backpack trip or in day-hiking segments. I shouldn't tell people this so I can keep it to myself, but there's free camping at Jungle Hill TH, Wapaloosie TH, Old Stage Coach/Copper Butte TH, and Stickpin/Ryan's Cabin TH. The camping at Deer Creek/Boulder is cheap. There's no outhouse at White Mountain TH, but if you know how to dig a proper cathole, you can camp for free there, too. Grand total mileage for August 9th = 43.55 miles! Like this trip report? Please consider sponsoring me for Hike-a-Thon! My fundraising page is http://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=1468&AID=2791&PID=447677 If you sponsor me at $1 for every mile I suffered through (although I really didn't suffer until it got dark, unless you count suffering due to cow poop between Midnight and Lambert) it would include WTA membership!