Pacific Crest (South Cascades) #2000,Bear Creek Mountain #1130,Bear Creek Mountain Lookout #1130.1

8/19 through 8/24.

We initially planned a fairly leisurely 7 day loop hike from Clear-Lost #76 on Hwy 12, past Lost Lake #78, SE on Coyote #79 to Elk Pass, then back out north on the PCT to Hwy 12.

However, we do watch the weather reports and when I heard NOAA forecast 97 for our first day out, and then use the phrase “unusually well organized system for this time of year” I scrambled to generate plan B for the northern Goat Rocks Wilderness .

Tuesday 8/19 while it was raining west of the crest, we went east for a day hike to the Bear Creek Mountain lookout site (#1130 + 1130A). An eyeful of the east side of the area we were about to backpack in, with quite a spread from Devil’s Horn and Cauldron, Teiton Peak, and the high basins northeast of Gilbert, Ives, Old Snowy, and Egg Butte. All west of the divide was socked in. We watched the storm clouds gradually push over the crest, then retreated to a Silver Beach resort room for the night. The trail was rutted in a few spots but otherwise in very good shape, with the idyllic 3+ miles of meadows and small trees others have praised followed by less than a mile of steep climb to vast reward. Lupines, paintbrush, meadow parsley, mountain daisies, and more, freshly watered from rains the day before. Hummingbird at the spur junction. We were not eaten alive by bugs!

Wednesday we started a 5-day in and out backpack from White Pass south 2 days to McCall Basin, dayhike to Elk Pass on the middle day, then 2 days back out. The 1st two days were almost completely socked in and under deluge, so the main thing we noticed was trail drainage: good up the 1st ridge, bad behind the ski area, good with a couple of weak spots washing out around Miriam Lake. One crawl-under log south of ski area humbling if you have a large pack.

The flat stepstone trail work behind the Shoe Lake ridge is a work of art, but we couldn’t enjoy it on the way in because the windstorm behind the front was battering us with huge gusts. When 40 m.p.h. tangles with the backpack’s raincover, it creates uplift and we were crouching low and bracing for balance. There were no views.

First night’s camp at Hidden Spring chosen only because it was a known option, well sheltered from winds, and we needed to hunker down. When phoning for advance info on the trails we had not been told of the Shoe Lake camping closure. We saw finally noticed mention of it in an older book edition the day before and so called to double check,. (This closure is posted on the approach to Shoe Lake from the north, but not from the south that we could find. It extends for the entire basin and anything between the 2 trail junctions for the split around the lake.) Hidden Springs is the recommended alternative. We don’t think it is 7 miles in as the sign posted at the trailhead says. We think it is 8.4. When I am queen I will have that corrected. The rain did not drown the bugs but didn’t give them much time to go to work between drenchings either. Despite the horribly chewed up muck and failing log steps from Tieton pass south into McCall Basin, and another awkard crawl-under log, it was an easy 2nd day to the phenomenal beauty and plentiful camp options. Only one other party there. We had noticed hiker outflow as we started in Wednesday. Those that could were rushing or bailing to avoid another soaking day. But on this 2nd night of ours, it stopped raining and we began to dry out.

Friday we popped up to Elk Pass and enjoyed our rewards. Didn’t see anybody else. Views of both sides of the crest and the highest Goat Rocks peaks from different angles. Johnson Peak and Packwood Lake a bonus. I think I saw the Stewart range peeking out before we rounded the last 2 bends to the pass. There were a few sheep pretty darn far away in upper Lake Creek basin behind Old Snowy and Johnson Peak ridge. Wild flowers of many varieties, one of my favorites Jeffries Shooting Stars brushing color patches in the moist upper basins. Two small snow patches on the way up both easy to cross, though a stream undercutting one points to caution . At camp an evening exploration of the basin. On the way our basin-mates tipped us off to what I think is called a “hanging glacial basin” to our south so we had a peek. That’s the source of the torrent spinning through the deep gorge making the “falls” listed on the map. And they had seen many elk descend the basin in the mornings but we were too lazy to get up at dawn. Add lousewort to my list of flowers spotted. Hardly any bugs at all! Such luck! Other trip sightings: marmot, rat on tent (we pitched by his front door?) chipmunks, dear, soaring hawks, only a little bear scat.

As we broke camp the last morning I heard the rhythm pileated woodpeckers make - but did not spot it. In that area? Reversing course we chose one of the sites off trail just south of the Hidden Springs junction and loved it. Again very few bugs.

Early start for the last 8.7 miles out to allow time for gawking since the weather was holding. The world was a fantastically visible place from the Shoe Lake Ridge this time. Triple waves of lenticular clouds over Tahoma and the Old Snowy area. All the usual flowers, plus penstemmon, larkspur, birdsbeak, phlox. The bugs started getting worse again just north of Hidden Springs all the way through to behind the ski area. At our lunch stop, many through hikers whizzed by us northbound and comments were exchanged about the midweek storm. “Camped too high.” “Do you know an outfitter in Packwood where I can get my tent repaired.” For example. As we descended to the parking lot at White Pass, the temperature began to drop, and a half hour after we got in the car, it was raining steadily. As I listen to the rain beat on our roof today I think how fortunate we were to have those days and views in an unusual weather year.