Mt Daniel via Cathedral Rock Trai

The
Alpine Lakes - The trail to Peggy's pond is free of snow and in good condition, with only a few small muddy sections. Took about 3 1/2 hours from trailhead to Peggy's Pond. Fantastic meadows just below Cathedral Pass. The trail from the Pass to Peggy's Pond is a narrow traverse. Lots of mosquitoes at the pond. The Pond area has two vault toilets, both with fantastic views. The toilet to the south was in poor repair. Next morning, we took the route up the ridge to the left of the upper basin, which has a more-or-less distinct climber's track. Some patches of snow along the ridge. A snow traverse just below the East Summit was straightforward, but the traverse from the East Summit to the Middle Summit was steep and had some exposure in places. We didn't use a rope or crampons and didn't have a problem, but an ice axe is mandatory. Fantastic views of all the volcanoes and Mt. Stuart. The ridge route is a little longer than the direct route up the basin, but it still only took four hours from Peggy's Pond to the summit. Peggy's Pond is a very fragile high alpine area, with a number of campsites and companion trails closed for reforestation. We were appalled to see a group of 8 climbers, too many for one campsite, just set up camp in one of the meadows and proceed to shortcut on closed trails and directly through the heather on their way to the toilets. AARGH. This area filled up quickly on Saturday, so be prepared to camp on snow in the upper basin above the pond. Another example of these poor mountain meadows being loved to death.