Deception Pass, Cathedral Rock & Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) Section J - Snoqualmie Pass to Stevens Pass — Friday, Jul. 22, 2016

Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - West

There were five of us completing the loop starting on Cathedral Rock Trail, then PCT to Deception Pass and back on Deception Pass Trail. We descended down from Cathedral Rock area to Deep Lake where we camped the first night. Bugs were troublesome but tolerable. The trails to Cathedral Rock and Deep Lake are in good condition and have been completely logged out, however the PCT from the Cle Elum River crossing (Difficult Ford noted by PCTA) to Deception Pass has not been logged out. There were no fewer than 9 trees across the trail north of the crossing. It made us really appreciate the work done in clearing the other trails including the Deception Pass Trail. I was worried about the conditions at the Cle Elum River crossing, but we met someone going the opposite direction that had crossed it successfully without removing his shoes. He gave us some pointers, which we used successfully as well. The river splits into two main channels at the crossing. The first channel approaching from the south has a pair of logs bridging it, which make crossing easy if terrifying due to the volume of water. Don't attempt to use trekking poles in water for support, at least upstream, cause you won't find any. We then went to the right and navigated several small streams to get to other main channel. If you aim for a rock crossing about 50 feet beyond the main trail near where people have been cutting up the bank, you will a relatively easy crossing assuming the rocks are still intact and piled high enough. Only one of our party lost their balance and got their feet wet here. We elected the stay the second night at campground near Robin Lake Trail junction. There is adequate water available from the adjacent stream so no need to haul water. A couple of us ventured up Robin Lake Trail as far as Tuck Lake, but the trail is steep, not maintained and has poor footing. We were happy with our decision to visit Tuck Lake as a side trip and lighten our packs before going up. The loop was 22 miles not including Tuck Lake, but that is only 2 extra miles. It was a very enjoyable hike - I highly recommend it!