First things first - you really ought to have a 4x4 high clearance vehicle to get to the trailhead. I actually made it in an old Camry, but there is one spot (about mile 6.5 from US-12 where the road tops out on a hill, drops down into a gully, then back up a little bump, while simultaneously hitting about 5 deep ruts and potholes. The first time down I didn't make it up and I actually thought I was stuck on one of the potholes. I got unstuck and had to rev it in reverse back up the hill; then gun it forward a bit to make it down the hill and back up; then had to hit the brakes to avoid bottoming out on the potholes. There are 3 other dry stream beds which don't pose much of a problem. Suffice to say I wouldn't bring a non 4x4 I really cared about out here.

Second, it's hard to find the trailhead. FS 48 is completely unmarked where it hits US-12. The directions in the "South Cascades" book are inadequate. The best instructions are in Spring and Manning's books, which give extremely precise and accurate directions. I'm glad I had both guides with me. FS 48 is about 1.2 miles east of FS 21 on US-12, just across from an old motel with a sign that says "lodge". Follow FS 48 about 10 miles (through the mess described above) and then bear left at an unmarked junction another 1.2 mi.

At the trailhead there was one other truck parked and I didn't see another soul all day. Great hike for solitude.

There is a lot of treefall on this trail and some of it is not from 2011. This trail could use some additional maintenance (WTA work party?) - some trail falling away, tons of overgrown huckleberry bushes, and the treefall. Nevertheless it's easy going and well-graded, never steep at all.

About 1.5 mi is the first major treefall. There are about a dozen over the next 2 miles. All are easily passable, though a big heavy pack might be awkward on 1 or 2.

There are some bugs in mile 2, nothing too bad - spray would be good.

Tons of flowers in the second half of the hike: paintbrush, lupine, avalanche lily (in late August!), beargrass, pasqueflower, sitka valerian, false hellebore, asters.

Some snow patches where the trail crosses from the Packwood Lake basin to the Lily basin. Nothing much exposed.

I went as far as Glacier Creek 'cuz I had to get home. It took me about 2 easy hours to that point, and about 1:40 hoofing it to get back to the trailhead.

Of note, there is a gorgeous campsite right at the Creek crossing. Flat, sheltered by a few trees, spectacular views, and water right there. You're practically cowering under Johnson Peak there. Would be a good overnighter or two-nighter for a beginner as the grade is easy the whole way. There is no other water on the trail up to this point, save the dirty snow patches.

No ripe berries. Hardly any hard green ones. What a strange year.

Beautiful hike, especially the 3rd mile and beyond. Will definitely be back.

Hiked #86 to Heart Lake and made an unsuccessful attempt to go further to the next lake the next day. The road to the start of #86 has some washed out area, so not recommended without a high clearance and 4WD vehicle.

At about mile 3 or 3.5 there are many fallen trees, requiring a good deal of scrambling and pack hoisting. It is also difficult to find the trail again, and we met others who had given up and turned back.

The 6.5 mile hike to Heart Lake is beautiful, with nice views of Mt Rainier over Packwood Lake, and further views south overlooking the South Cascades. There were huckleberries galore, and tasty blueberries near Heart Lake.

THE HIKE BEYOND HEART LAKE WAS NOT PASSABLE. The rock falls were extremely dangerous, and the snow was far too steep and slippery to walk on with just Yaktrax.

I went on a Cascadian backpack Fri - Sun to the Snowgrass Flat area of the Goat Rocks. We hiked the Snowgrass Flat trail to the junction with the Lily Basin trail and then walked out that trail for a mile or so to a bench above the little basin with water. On Sat we followed an intermittent boot trail up to the PCT and headed north. I was feeling pretty wimpy and after a quarter mile or so I pooped out. The others went on to the summit of Old Snowy while I leasurely explored the meadows back toward the junction of the PCT and the Snowgrass Bypass trail. The others came by as I was finishing lunch and we walked together to the junction, then they went on towards Cispus Basin while I made my way across the meadows & over the little ridge back to camp. Fri & Sat had been partly cloudy with lots of sun, but on Sun morning the west side was more socked in with clouds lowering & lifting in & out of the Goat Lake basin, though we mostly had blue sky overhead. Brenda really wanted to hike out via Goat Lake, but I was still feeling to wimpy for that so she and Eric went out that way while Ethan & I waited an hour, then went out the way we had come in. The flowers along the Lily Basin trail were starting to be past, but were very nice up by the PCT. Brenda & Eric reported that they were also very nice at Goat Lake & above. There was vertually no water along the PCT north from the junction with the Snowgrass Bypass trail and only a couple of places along the Lily Basin trail. Many folks seemed to be spending some time searching for a campsite with available water. The weather was sunnier than we expected and the cool temps kept the bugs away. Despite the number of other people in the area, we never felt crowded.

Tried to get to the trailhead on FS RD 48 but couldn't get the old Subaru wagon up one very steep washed-out section. We gave it several tries but it was no use. If you can make it up there, I suspect you'll have the place to yourself!