Ascended Goat Peak Trail from Hwy 410. I've hiked it a couple of times before and remembered it as a steep but quick climb. This time with a 35-40 pound pack, it was steep and slow. Absolutely clear skies in spite of fires. I could see plumes of smoke from fires in the Kettle Creek drainage. From Goat Peak I headed west on American Ridge. Tough trail, up and down. Dry. In places the trail disappeared. I completely lost the trail on the west side of Kettle Creek basin. I was off trail (unintentionally) from there to the ridge heading west at the bottom of the north-south ridge above Big Basin. From the Mestachee Trailhead to the PCT the trail was well-traveled and obvious. It was a great hike--about 20 hours total hiking time including scrambling steep hillsides looking for the trail.

           This hike follows the Pacific Crest Trail from Chinook Pass 10.5 miles to a junction with the Laughingwater Creek/Three Lakes Trail. You then drop off the crest past Three Lakes and out to Highway 123 for a total of 18 miles. It is really a relatively easy day, with only 1500' of elevation gain. The trail is in good to excellent condition. Obviously two cars are required for this trip. Now, with the dry details out of the way...
           This is a spectacular hike. Pick up the PCT at Chinook Pass and head south,contouring around lovely Naches Peak. The flowers, mostly lupine, begin here and only get better as you go on. Before you know it, you arrive at a split in the trail, with the PCT going left and the Naches Peak Loop continuing right.
            Now the PCT drops shortly to Dewey Lakes. As you near the lakeshore, watch carefully for the only unmarked junction of the entire trip. Bear to your right and round the lake counterclockwise. When you reach the far shore, you will find both a beautiful view back across the lake, and a trail sign confirming you are indeed on the correct path.
            The trail climbs out of the lake basin and begins to wind around Seymour Peak. At this point...
            Well, from here on my report is spotty, because there is so much to see I took little notice of the trail itself. I can say that at 5 miles or so the path opens onto Anderson Lake, a very pretty rest stop or turnaround point if you have only one car. I can also report, as you climb away from Anderson, Rainier joins you and rarely strays from your side until you leave the PCT.
            Other than that, I have only general impressions of innumerable basins laced with craggy rocks and meadows of lupine spotted with red paintbrush. This is a hike combining sweeping vistas and detailed, close-in portraits. Your head will spin!
            Once I turned down the Laughingwater Creek trail, my ability to recollect returned. Between Three Lakes and the highway is a peaceful walk through old growth which I detailed in a report earlier this month. This time, though, my spirit remained on the ridgetop long after I reached the car and for days after. Who knows, the autumn colors may draw me back very soon.

Started my loop at the Clear Lost Lk. TH at the end of FS Rd. 46. The road is rutted and full of potholes, but there was still a horse trailer up there. The first 2.3 miles is flat into the intersection of 76 (coming in from HWY 12) and 61 Clear Fork. There is a caved in old cabin there. I headed up 76 climbing steadily for several miles until it opened into a beautiful valley before climbing up above the treeline. The wildflowers were a stunning foreground to the views of Rainier. There were a couple of snowfields at the top that I had to work my way around as they were too firm to kick steps into with running shoes. The trail climbs steeply at the top to emerge on top of the world, or at least on top of this ~6300' summit. There is metal debris from some previous structure there, as well as a fishing pole someone abandoned. Coyote Lake looked beautiful down below. I started down the other side which drops quickly to Lost Lake. This is a beautiful lake with some nice camping. A short while later I turned at the Coyote trail 79 and started climbing through the trees. Mt Rainier again reveals itself in peekaboo fashion, until the trail wraps around where the view is instead Packwood Lake and the Upper Lake Creek Basin. It did not disappoint! This trail gets real skinny in places as it hugs the ridge so don’t gawk at the waterfalls and lovely mountains while you are walking. Finally I popped out on top of the ridge (Chimney Rock?) and the trail follows it down, eventually ending at Packwood Saddle. The best was yet to come. The trail climbs again up through a meadow of lupine with views of Egg Butte until it meets the PCT at Elk Pass, another amazing place. From here I took the PCT North, past the Elk and Mountain Goats and snowfields in total awe of my surroundings. The PCT goes downhill through a valley filled with snow runoff and wildflowers until it goes back into the trees and turns more northward. I took a turn at the intersection of trail 61 Clear Fork, which someone has written on the sign “Not Maintained.” This was somewhat true, as there was plenty of blowdown to negotiate but I could easily follow the trail back to the Clear Fork/Clear Lost intersection and back to the car. This loop is 34.4 miles and took me 10 hours fast packing/trail running, with lots of picture stops. Would be a great 2-3 day trip camping at Lost Lake and/or Packwood Saddle.

         This trail is in excellent shape to Three Lakes. The tread is soft and mostly root and rock free. A few blowdowns pose no major difficulties. It is 6 miles to the lakes, with most of the 2700' gain bunched into the first and last 2 miles. The old forest is beautiful. I stopped several times, craning my neck to glimpse the tops of the enormous trees.
         I didn't find the lakes themselves to be anything special, the third one being the prettiest of the lot. You find it by passing the patrol cabin, continuing along the main trail a few hundred feet. However, I didn't see any comfortable spots to sit for lunch, so I returned to a nice open area below the cabin. Only near the lakes were bugs(mosquitos) an issue.
         If you have the energy, the real payoff is farther above. Follow the main trail as it climbs toward a junction with the PCT. First meadows,then views of the Goat Rocks and Mt Rainier take your mind off the deteriorating tread and spotty snow patches. I'm sure Mt Adams is visible on a day without haze.
         After about 1 1/2 miles, you reach the PCT. To the south lies White Pass, to the north Chinook. If you want to treat yourself further, turn left and wander about .2 of a mile for wide open looks to the north and east. I've never hiked the PCT south from Chinook, but I'd like to now!
         As you head back, you reap another benefit of the smooth trail below the lakes. You can really fly if you're in a hurry to reach the car. There is one section of the trail itself which really caught my eye on the way out though. It's at the edge of the ridge before you begin the final descent to the road. The path winds amongst the trees atop a knoll, with all the surrounding ground covered in moss, right down to the trails' edges. It made me think of the Shire, at least as I imagined it would be.