Barnaby Buttes, Kettle Crest South & Thirteenmile — Friday, Sep. 14, 2018

I got dropped off on top of Sherman Pass on Friday around noon and proceeded south on the Kettle Crest South trail (#13).  There was intermittent snow that had recently fallen, but nothing too bad.  Trail is in great condition and no issues.  I reached the Snow Peak cabin and everything looked in order and there was water available at the trough nearby.  Continued south to the junction with the Barnaby Buttes trail (#7).  Note this is the Barnaby Buttes trail heading to the west, and not the other one (#70) that heads east.  The junction is marked well and the trail was in reasonable condition and is mostly an old roadbed.  Some trees down and thick grass at times, but really easy to follow and plenty of water along the way.  I made camp down near the area where the map shows this trail turning into a road, but really this continues to be a trail that is an old closed road until it reaches the Hall Creek Road (FS Rd 600).  Continued the next morning with a short road walk along Hall Creek Road to reach the junction with the Thirteen Mile trail (#23).  This is my favorite trail on the Colville NF and is really a great hike at this time of the year.  The trail was in excellent condition with just one or two trees down for the entire 16 miles.  There was water in the creek just west of the Bearpot trail junction, also in the creek at the FS Rd 2054 crossing (Cougar trailhead), and finally just a few miles before the end of the trail at the junction with highway 21.  Plenty of great places to camp along the way on some of the open balds, with old ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, and larch throughout.  Beautiful!  All in all I think it was about 28 miles or so and represents one of the best one-way short backpack trips in the area.  Perfect in late spring or early fall.