Trail in good condition, a few snags. Light snow on the ground near the Katwalk. Lots of bear scat and prints. Very cold at top - bring warm clothing! No espresso cart!

'twas a hot sunny day at sea-level, Seattle, with plenty of crowds, traffic and noise promised by the Blue Angels. So, we escaped to be closer to other blue angels at mountain elevations! At the I-90 / Alpental parking lot, we witnessed a ranger monitoring a lonely Legend, whose side window had been smashed-in. Indications were of it belonging to a soon-to-be disappointed overnight hiker. Smarter still, were drop-offs we witnessed, with promises of future rendezvous and pick-ups. Ah, ""human"" nature! We decided to reach Gravel and Ridge Lakes. The trail had a handful of blowdown trees, easy to get around, and was snowfree until just after the Catwalk. The trail is in fine condition. From there to the Lakes, there were a few small snowfields, not difficult to negotiate - but beware snowhole-collapse potentials. Certainly made for fun snowball fights, (human vs human, rather than nailing innocent residents). Plenty of wildflowers in various stages of bloom. At the lakes, bugs-bugs- bugs! Bring plenty of repellent and then try to ignore the inquiring ones. A good all-day hike!.

SATURDAY AUGUST 9th Gravel Lake and the Kendall Katwalk Pacific Creast Trail 2000. When I arrived at the parking lot at 7:45AM there were about 20 cars in the parking lot. I also found a car with a smashed window that I parked next to. All of the window glass on the ground in various spots made me feel real unconvertible parking my new truck there. The hike starts out for the first three mile in old growth forest and some rock slides. When you leave the forest you're basically at the maximum altitude for the hike. Then it’s all open trail following the ridge around Kendall Peak. If you are afraid of heights this is not a good hike to embark on. You will be walking along a rocky cliff with a 1000 feet drop for the next mile until you pass the Katwalk. The lakes are snow free and the trail is easily identified with only a few small snow slides to cross. I hiked to the cliffs above Alaska lake and then went fly fishing at gravel lake for a couple hours. I have made over twelve day hikes this year and this was without a doubt the hardest day hike I have made. I took 48 photos on this hike and it is one of the most beautiful hikes In the ALW area. There are lots of great view because you are walking the ridge and can see tall mountains on both sides of the trail. When I returned to my truck fifteen miles latter my feet were killing me from walking on crushed rock for six miles of the hike. This is a wonderful hike to take but I would recommend making it a overnight hike unless you are in good physical condition. 15 miles round trip and 2300"" altitude gain. Photos on my homepage http://www.wolfenet.com/~reuben/hiking/hiking.html