Novel loop route: White Pine Ck trailhead #1582 to Lake Ethel, Chiwaukum Creek, Ladies Pass, Frosty Pass.

This describes a possible loop route from the White Pine Creek Trailhead #1582 over Ladies Pass and Frosty Pass. NOTE: I did NOT complete this route; I got only as far as Glacier Creek, unable to cross Chiwaukum Creek there. The key at the start is a “recent” logging road not shown on the 1987(?) Green Trails map which I noticed on the 2002 Alpine Lakes Preservation Society map (3rd ed.). It requires ability for steep off-trail bushwhacking and map & compass navigation, but this is fairly short (<3/4 mi.) and straightforward. I’d advise doing this in a clockwise direction, else you would be committed to an unknown off-trail descent at the end of your trip. Be aware that, as with any loop route, after your point-of-no-return you are committed to completing a route over unknown terrain, so do your homework. Also, remember that if you get into trouble on the off-trail part, nobody is gonna be able to find you.

Park at the White Pine Creek Trailhead #1582. Start early, it’s a north slope but you want to do the steep ascent in the cool of the morning. 0.9 mi before the trailhead, on the left (S), is a gated logging road. Ascend this to the end of the 9th switchback, where the road, largely overgrown with alder, enters a brushy clearing in the ravine formed by the stream that defines the east edge of the switchbacks. There will be big rocky cliffs visible above on your left. At a culvert, enter the brush and follow the ravine on its left (E) side SSE straight up to the ridge crest. If you don’t have a frame pack, it’s fairly straightforward bushwhacking, essentially straight up the ravine. Steep. Some steep talus and convenient snow gullies 7/1/07; I did not bother to get my ice axe out but it’s too steep to fall on. 7/1/07 there was a good spring just below the ridge crest at the base of a talus slope. You gain your elevation quickly: it's a 3500' ascent in about 4.5 mi to the crest; 4.0 miles of that is easy (albeit ugly) road. The road goes 2400' to 4600'. The crest is about 5900'.

NOTE: Take the road’s LEFT fork. Do not continue to the end of the RIGHT fork or you will end up doing very steep leftward traversing in heavy brush, back into the stream gully. I missed the 7th switchback, the left fork (yes, it is possible to get lost on a logging road), so keep careful count. There is a stream gully that bisects the first 5 switchbacks. On the 6th switchback, the road crosses this gully, rounds a leftward bend, then seems to continue rightwards; I looked back after this bend and saw what I took to be some kind of gravel pit, but this was actually a road cut, the fork I’d wanted to take, the 7th switchback, almost filled with rockfall (whoever built this road was really greedy for this mountainside and built a road that looks like it was intended to be used only once, and it is already impassable to vehicles due to massive rockfall).

I did have to retreat this way. From the 5900' ridge crest notch, just follow the ravine NNW to where the slope noticeably lessens in a brushy clearing and pick up the road on the left (W) side of the stream in thick alder at about 4600'. The overgrown road is not visible from above. The corgi followed with minimal help on 6"" legs.

Just SSE of the ridge crest, there is a curious “sinkhole” depression. From here, descend SSE through easy brush and you will soon meet the Lake Ethel Trail #1585. This might be easy to miss if it’s under snow in early season. There may be some confusion because of a new shortcut trail from the “new” logging road 6930 (not shown on my older maps). Look for blazes. If you got this far, you can find Lake Ethel.

I followed Tr# 1584 to McCue Ridge (#1574). Old trails and new roads provide confusion. My very old Green Trails map and the 2002 ALPS map disagree on what is Tr#1584A. At the #1574/#1584 junction, a 90-degree sign pointing to Lake Julius and Chiwaukum Lake was loose, rotated 90 degrees out of place. I corrected this. The #1584 trail, which descends to the NE, is not shown on the 2002 ALPS map. According to my ancient USGA map, Trail #1574 originally continued east down McCue Ridge, but I saw no sign of this and the current trail was obvious.

Nearing Chiwaukum Lake, you begin to encounter blowdown, nothing serious. On Tr# 1591 between Chiwaukum Lake and Glacier Creek, there is more blowdown and it’s very brushy, slowing progress; unmaintained presumably because the bridge is out near Glacier Creek.

If there IS a crossing over Chiwaukum Creek near the Glacier Creek junction, I missed it, but didn’t spend time looking. There were other reasons for turning back by then. The newer Green Trails map (1987?) shows a triangle here, so there may be an alternate crossing. Easier at lower water. Without a 24 lb. corgi in my arms, I probably could’ve done it.

I retreated to bivvy on McCue Ridge. Nice view, no water. Back out the way I’d come.

The plan had been to go over Ladies Pass and Frosty Pass and complete the loop via Wildhorse Creek or on to Doelle Lakes, Chain Lakes, Icicle Creek and Whitepine Creek. One might also complete a loop via Larch Lake, Cup Lake, and Deadhorse Pass.