Solo Hike/Run up to Shoe Lake. I drove over from Seattle on Friday night after the traffic died down and slept in my car at the trailhead. The trailhead is just E of White Pass on the South side. You'll cross a small stream on highway 12 and the small parking lot will be immediately on your right. A trail sign (won't say Shoe Lake, but will say PCT very small) leads you into the very small parking lot.
I packed super light, only taking a camelback, few snacks and camera. I got a start at 7:30am and didn't see a soul until I arrived above Shoe Lake where a PCT'er was headed North!
I moved fairly quickly half hiking half jogging on the way up. Took me around 2 hrs to get to shoe lake. Once you get to the ridge (before dropping down to Shoe Lake) it takes about 15 mins to get down to the lake.
I spend a good amount of time exploring Shoe Lake, and ran into another group camping down there with llamas (Camping down there is a big no-no by the way).
On the way back, I veered left at the "Chair Lift" Trail (clearly marked) and jogged down the ski roads so I could get a different view. When I got back to the highway, it's just a quick 1/4 mile jog back to the car! Only took me about 1.5 hrs to get down!
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