Another access to Glacier Peak via North Fork Sauk Road closed: http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/07/05/19/100loc_c1glacier001.cfm

All I can say is that this trail is an awesome hike. After reading many great posts on what a nice trail this was by a beautiful river and with old growth trees, my Dad and I decided to explore it. Here is my opinion: * This trail has some of the best old growth trees that I have ever seen outside of the Hoh Rain Forest (and perhaps the Grove of the Patriarchs at Mt. Rainier NP). It was amazing to hike for many miles with such huge trees around. Many of the other reports talk about the best trees are just at the beginning but I disagree. This trail is blessed with a continous forest of old growth. * At around the 2 mile and 4 mile markers there are some excellent campsites by water. * On a Sunday afternoon we saw only two other people the whole time. * We followed the trail to Red Creek, which is about 4 miles from the parking lot. We stopped many times to admire nature and it was a good turn around point to have lunch at. The entire trail to this point has very little elevation gain. If you are looking for peacefulness, amazing trees and a beautiful setting, this hike is for you. I'd give this trail an A+.

Started out Monday morning with Frank on the North Fork Sauk River Trail. There is a large, fresh blowdown about a quarter mile in. Not too difficult to duck under. We were both able to cross Red Creek without getting our feet wet. The hill on this trail is quite a climb. I have made this climb probably 10 times now, but it was the first for Frank, and he felt it. I think all is forgotten once the trail brings you out of the trees and you find yourself angling up a steep meadowy hillside. You can tell you've gotten somewhere once you connect with the PCT. We dropped our packs here and hiked up to Red Pass. The views on the way up to the Pass are excellent. Sloan Peak is very close as is the Monte Cristo Peaks. Soon you can see Rainier over Pilot Ridge. Once at the pass there is Glacier Peak as close as anyone could hope for. You can see the PCT etched out on its way North down toward White Chuck River. This area was cut out perfectly by glaciers long ago. We took a lot of pictures. On the way down from Red pass there is an area that looks like the top of the ridge is only 20 yards from the trail. It is and there is a better view of Glacier Peak from here. Be careful, because the hill side is very steep here. The sun was setting on us by the time we reached our packs. This was great though. The views of Indian Head Peak above White Pass were excellent. Purple Mountains all around us. We set the tent up in the camping area at White Pass and by the time we were eating our dinner it was pitch dark. We awoke the next morning to find that Frank's pack had a hole in it right to a package of Ho Hos. Some critter smelt them out. We have a joke between us about this very event. When I hike overnight, I carry an air tight bucket that is square and only adds less than a pound. My favorite part of the bucket is that it doubles as a chair when no rocks are around. I asked Frank, jokingly, if the critter had chewed through my bucket. It of course hadn't. We took our time on the way out. Frank had pulled his groin. We had planned to hike the Pilot Ridge Lopp, but that was OK. We were both satisfied with Red Pass. On the way out, halfway between Red Creek and the Pilot Ridge Trail junction, we heard a gunshot. We both swear it had to have been a gunshot. It came from the river side of the trail.

The ""plan"" was to do Glacier by way of Gerdine Ridge. In reality, the first day we made it to Red Pass. The sunset was wonderful over Sloan and the Monte Cristo peaks. There was a small patch of snow for water and a well used camp just below the pass to the west. Day 2 we went over the pass to the quirky White Chuck Cinder Cone and its surrounding lakes. This would have been a great place to camp but we had only gone a mile or so. So back to the ""old"" PCT we went, to the site of the long gone Glacier Shelter. Stopped by the stream, then to the right through Glacier Meadows proper. Up and up and soon we reached the lake between Pts. 6754 and 7587 (lake not shown on most maps). We dropped most everything and ventured on to the White Chuck Glacier. Clouds swirled about as we explored the waste and pools and streams. Skies threatned all evening. Next morning we contemplated escape routes, deciding to at least look over the saddle south of 7587, just a few hundred feet above. Finally Glacier came out to say Hi. From there we slid mostly to where a path led right(sw). After splitting up to both go the wrong way we made it to the top of the next ridge where 2 guys told us the sheepherders trail to White Pass was just down the hill (s). We took the trail toward White Pass/Mtn. over streams and through flowers with views across to Indian Head. Beyond the junction left to White Pass and by and by right for Red Pass, we were back on the North Fork Sauk trail for the long drop and haul to the trailhead. At the end of the NW contour from White Mountain we found the old sheepherders trail (right on the way down)that we will use next time more directly to Red Pass. Saw our first bear on the way to the river. Walked in the dark a while (what's new).

My nephew Peter (the mid-western mountain goat) and I did a quick 2-day loop to Johnson Mountain and back. 8/11/06 After dropping our packs off at the Bald Eagle Mountain trailhead, we drove back and dropped our car off at the Sloan Creek campground, then walked quickly ~3 miles to the Bald Eagle trailhead. We left Sloan Creek later than we would have liked (around noon). Knowing that sure water was rare on our route, we made good time to Curry Gap (great wildflowers!). As other folks have noted, the transition from abandoned road to trail is gentle. The trail was in great shape. The uphill from Curry Gap to the ridge was more than noticeable, not not remarkably difficult, and we had a fine ridgewalk to June Mountain. Having started late, the descent to Little Blue Lake was done at dusk, with visibility starting to worsen. Rather than camp at Little Blue, we decided to press on and go the additional 1/2 mile to Big Blue. But, we missed the turn-off in the dark, and ended up camping up on the ridge below Johnson Mountain. Setting up tents, cooking & hanging bear bags by the light of headlamp... Well, the food tasted great! 8/12/06 We awoke to amazing views. We were probably just below 6,000' and above the clouds, with amazing views of Sloan Peak and the Monte Cristo peaks. The moon was out over the Monte Cristo peaks, with the clouds obscuring the valley below us. We used the last of our water for breakfast and tea, and then descended to Upper Blue Lake (the regular sign was broken, and the kind Forest Service had posted a temporary sign, which we had missed). Upper Blue Lake is beautiful, and the water was warm, which surprised us, as our book suggested that it might be frozen over still. We climbed back up to our camp, and scrambled up to the top of Johnson Mountain (the trail goes up a long way, but the last 600' is on a boot path/scramble). At the end, the path is not for the faint-hearted in two spots, but it can be done. Once on the peak, we had lunch amid the ruined foundations, rusted nails and melted glass of what we presume was a fire look-out. The views of Rainier, Glacier Peak, and Baker were fantastic! Descending from Johnson Mountain we walked along Pilot Ridge, enjoying the views (mainly to our left). Our only complaint was that we were getting suntanned only on the port side, as our movement west and then north kept us continuously aligned with the sun's movement. The descent down to the valley was brutal. It is steep, and if we didn't have trekking poles we would have fallen more than once. There are some large logs available to cross the Sauk, but be careful, the current was very swift, and we crossed with caution. The bugs weren't bad, except at Curry Gap. If we were to do this again, we'd want to start earlier, and think even more carefully about where and when to get water.