Big Snow Mountain, Middle Fork Snoqualmie River — Thursday, Jul. 13, 2017

This was our third attempt to get into Big Snow Mountain (BSM). The first attempt a few years back was via lake Dorothy. We gave up well below Gold Lake due to the nastiness of the bushwhack. Last year we tried to get in from Chetwoot lake but again never made it to Gold lake due to a late start. This year we decided to come in from the middle fork side up through Hardscrabble lakes. Day one was consumed by mountain biking up 8 miles of the old road with trailer in tow with all of our gear. It took about an hour and a half. We then headed up the climbers track to the lower lake. The track begins at the old parking lot just beyond a pile of rock with a hubcap on top. The track was not actually too hard to follow. The lower part is almost a trail and appeared to be a remnant of an old road? More sketchy sections had cairns and some surveyors tape. There is a very nice camp spot at the upper end of the lower lake. Day 2 we headed up to the upper lake and then to the pass on the NE shoulder of BSM. After some dithering we decided to head down towards Gold Lake to set up camp for the night and save the climb for the next day. Camp was beautiful with tarns and waterfalls all around but the bugs were ferocious! Day three we decided to get out of bugland and headed up to BSM. It was a really beautiful clinb with tarns still melting out of the snow, long granite slabs, and abundant views the entire way. No difficulties on the climb except one snow ridge about midway up with drop off on either side and a short move to regain rock. It has probably melted out by now. That evening we returned to a knoll above upper hardscrabble lake for the night. The return the fourth day was uneventful, although we did detour to check out Goldmyer hot springs during the bike ride out. This was clearly the easiest approach to BSM of the three we tried, if you don't mind the bike ride. We saw no one until our hike out on day 4 where we saw another couple on their way up above the lower lake. They said they were on day 2 of a 7 day trip that would end up coming out La Bohn gap and out the MF trail!