Trip Reports

4 brave Scouts (& 3 braver adults) from Troop 407 hiked the 54+ miles from Ingalls Cr TH to Rock Island CG, and back. 6 days to make a giant bold 'L' shape. Trails are generally in good shape, but very overgrown w/ brush in many places. No snow on trail; 1 dry (blowdown) & one semi-dry (rock-hop) crossings of Jack Cr are necessary. Had the entire Rock Island car-campground to ourselves, since Icicle Cr road is washed out. Views of the Stuart Range and other nearby mtns are great. Bugs were only bad near Stuart Pass/Lake Ingalls. Side trails such as Falls Cr or Van Epps have wet fords of Jack or Ingalls Cr.

Ingalls Creek Loop

This was a great 3 day hike up Ingalls Creek to Stuart Pass and back by the County Line trail. The Ingalls Creek trail is in great shape, thanks to current trail work by the Cascade Youth Corp, camped at the Falls Creek trail junction as I passed by. Few bugs, and an easy 16 miles to Stuart Pass and Ingalls Lake in one day if you go light (I hike PCT style, with a 20 lb pack, which included water and food for 4 days).

I also explored the Jack Creek trail beyond Stuart Pass for a few miles and seemed to be the first hiker of the season, with snowbanks to cross and winter branches to clear from the trail. Going back down the next day, then up the Beverly Turnpike trail, was again in glorious weather, but the trail looked like a winter stream bed in many places. However I’d had a much worse report on the condition of the Hardscrabble trail and didn’t even see a sign for the Cascade trail. So don’t plan to use these when ascending or descending the Wenatchee Range that borders the south side of Ingalls Creek, with the other trails being passable but rough in places.

Once up on the ridge, the side trip up Iron Mountain was fantastic, with both great views and wildflowers. Then I headed toward Fourth Creek Pass and the Tooth Saddle, on the way returning a couple of lost items I’d found to a couple of grateful ladies whom I’d met on the trail for the third time. Hiking the serpentine barrens up to the Saddle and down the other side was no problem. However the way trail marked on the Green Trails map to the next serpentine saddle was little more than a contour x-country route, required good map, compass, and altimeter skills.

Looking down, the Stafford Creek trail below looked like a freeway compared to what I’d just come through. Indeed the hike up Navaho Peak from the Stafford Creek Saddle was obviously very popular. Camping on the east shoulder of Navaho, I hiked up it at sunrise the next morning for the best views in the area south of the Stuart Range.

The easy way out and back to Ingalls trailhead is then to head down the Falls Creek trail, but with a little extra time on my hands and a willingness to go off-trail, I decided to explore down the Negro Creek route. The trail immediately disappeared in meadows but I picked it up again by contouring to the left from a collapsed miner’s cabin and spring. From here on it was very good down to a logging road, which I followed to the lower Negro Creek trail, described as overgrown and abandoned in the trail guide.

Actually if you walk beyond where the trail should start to a woods road on the right, you pick it up at an abandoned homestead. From here a broad ATV track follows the trail route across the creek, where it soon reverts to hillside trail. This has obviously been maintained, probably by fishermen, for about a mile, until it drops down to the creek. But from here on the trail guide proved accurate. With numerous creek crossings in the next mile, it was hard to know if you’re supposed to cross the creek or plow through brush until a section of real trail emerges again as it moves up the hillside.

Eventually I got tired of all this and decided to hike 2000’ up the north hillside and come down the ridge top to an old logging road. It was a good hike up on a rib directly to the 5100’ summit, but walking east along the ridge top led into rock buttresses. Eventually I decided to drop down the south side and contour along the hillside just below them, but the side hill gouging was sometimes tough going as my water and energy ran out. Where the ridge dropped down at its eastern end, there was old county line trail with marked trees and evidence of ridge top helicopter logging.

From here I headed down through the woods to the logging road, crossing sections of old trail, but found the road to be totally overgrown. After a mile of very slow going, often through thick slide alder and snowbrush, the road widened and the brush become much sparser. In another mile there was a welcome “stream” – a bare trickle of water in this drier country, and after a final quick mile I was down to the lower Negro Creek road. Though several mining claims were conspicuously posted, with threatening language and collapsed campers nearby, the road had reverted to trail, with more evidence of fishermen than miners. When it reaches Peshatin Creek, with the Blewett Pass highway on the other side, this road becomes a paved road, obviously the old pass road. Soon I came to a truly massive landslide, explaining why the road had reverted to brush or trail above and was gated below.

We hiked about 4 1/2 miles starting about 2:20. Trail is in excellent condition. There were no bugs and very few other hikers! We saw fireweed,collomia, a few spotted coralroot,paintbrush, and 4 ""well worn"" ladyslippers to name a few of the flowers. We met an incoming backpacker as we were returning who wanted to know if we had seen the moccasin flowers! He was excited to know there were some!

We chose Ingalls Creek because we were looking for a short, easy, snow and rain-free backpacking trip for us and dog. It turned out to be a great choice.

It took us about 2 1/4 hours to drive to the trailhead from Seattle on July 4. There were no horse trailers and only seven other cars at the trailhead when we set out. Hot sun by Seattle standards, but one never had to hike in the sun for too long before a stretch of shade. We had the trail to ourselves most of Friday. Coming back on Saturday we met a fair number of day hikers and campers. We met with occasional piles of horse puckey but no horses.

Water your dog at the beginning of the trail, as the trail quickly climbs above the river and doesn't return for about a mile. Frequent camps line the river, except in that first mile or so past the trailhead, and we pretty much had our pick.

We had a great time identifying the many kinds of wildflowers we saw. Here is a partial list of what was in bloom: mock orange, spreading dogbane, two species of paintbrush, two species of wild rose, western trumpet honeysuckle, tiger lily, queens cup, columbine, tall bluebells, large-flowered collomia, yellow monkey flower, false solomon's seal, hooker's onion, pinedrops, and four species of orchid including mountain ladyslipper. It looks like there will be plenty of blueberries and thimbleberries later in the year.

We thought we heard a rattlesnake but weren't positive. The author of one of the previous trail reports also mentions hearing a rattlesnake. We suggest keeping your dog on a leash, or at least in sight at all times.

The first part of the trail is in great shape. We didn't get further than 2 1/2 or 3 miles from the trailhead. In that distance there were no blowdowns, stream crossings, or other obstructions. No bugs to speak of, except some mildly annoying flies when one sits still in the heat of the day.

This loop from WA-97 up Ingalls Creek and Crystal Creek is one that I've long wanted to do. Naturally getting into the Enchantments is always spectacular, but I also wanted to do some reconnaisance work. Crystal Creek is lined by numerous towers and obscure peaks with little or no climbing activity. The Flagpole and Pennant Peak are two that I've long sought to climb. Freb Beckey states that the ascent of these two, from the creek, can take 7-16 hours. A daunting proposition to say the least. But we are here to talk about trails! The Ingalls Creek trail is in excellent condition as far as the Crystal Creek drainage at 7 1/2 miles. About a mile before this there is one area of washout that requires a bit of route finding. Simply stay straight at the washout and the trail will reappear in 80 meters.

Connecting the Ingalls and Snow Creek Trails is not that big of a deal. A faint climbers trails runs up slope from the intersection of trial and creek. It is hard to follow and probably more trouble than it is worth. The terrain is steep but with little underbrush to slow the way. Rock outcrops and cliffs must be avoided. There are several nice small meadows/shelves to make camp in to break it up. About 2000' off Ingalls Creek the boulder field starts to level off in a prisitine mountain cirque. McClellan, Crystal Creek Tower and the Nightmare Needles are on the right and Little Anapurna with it's southern ridge of the Flagpole Needles on your left. The cirque is virtually untouched by hikers. No trails, just beautiful waterfalls a few Tamaracks and rock!

One ascends the obvious gully to Crystal Lake and the Enchantments proper. Another half hour cross country (all snow right now, please stay on rock, snow or exisiting trails once it melts out) to Lake Vivian and the Snow Creek/Enchantments Trail. The hike out was note worthy in that I only saw two groups of hikers (on a weekend!) lucky for them! The trail is completely snow covered from Lake Vivian on up. Below that it is mostly snow free on the descent of Trauma Ridge then turns back to snow until you reach Snow Lake. There are several areas of landslide but nothing too difficult to negotiate.

Total mileage was about 22 miles with 4200' in gain.

We decided to dry out on the eastside so we headed up Ingalls creek. The weather was warm. It was dry and snow free. Lots of wildflowers, at least a dozen varieties, really at their peak, some past and others coming on. We started on Friday saw only a few people and heard a report of a rattler up the trail. We did see one passing away from us up the bank, giving us a warning. Ingalls creek is running high and loud. Settled in with our two dogs at the hiker horse camp at 4 miles. Saturday there were a lot of people going up the trail,some backpackers and quite a few dayhikers. We headed up the trail Saturday to just past Falls creek to enjoy the sun on the beach and take some pics. There is some standing water all around the trail area maybe eight inches deep just past falls creek before the log jam. Talked to some others who managed to get past it and camp at the cascade creek fork. Overall a good trip.

We succeeded in finding some sun! Flowers, too. As usual on this trail about this time of year, you florally progress back a week or two as you head upstream. The Balsamroot flowers were nearly gone at the trailhead, and in full bloom 5 miles up. Just before Falls Creek Camp a field of trillium remains close to full bloom. It is hard to tell when the ""peak"" bloom arrives on this trail, but it would be hard to top what you see now. The flower display seemed unusually lavish this year. In several places on the first mile or two, the lupines were so large and thick that they actually scented the air. We even spotted a few Calypso Orchids, amidst the profusion of blooms a bit farther up.

We went as far as Falls Creek Camp. The trail was in quite good shape as far as the Falls Creek confluence; no washouts and just a few deadfalls. None were any problem to hikers (all could be easily ducked under except for one which requires a six footer,but not necessarily a 5' 6""-er, to get down on knees to get under). One, located about 3 miles in, could be a problem for horses (a quite large trunk has slid down a steep slope and across the trail - a straightforward duck under for the hiker but difficult to bypass). Between the Falls Creek confluence and Falls Creek Camp, a sizable avalanche appears to have come down this past winter, carrying trees with it. Nothing particularly hard to duck under, climb over, weave or crawl through, or bypass for the hiker - but a bit of a nuisance.

The Ingalls Creek trail has exploded into bloom! Along with the blooms, come butterflies, fluttering by! Sue, Joanna and I started up the trail around 10 a.m. We did not get far, I am guessing maybe about 4 miles in, even though it took us all day. All three of our cameras were clicking, two of us had to replace batteries before the end of the day.

This lovely path wanders along the north side of Ingalls Creek, which has whipped itself into a froth, in it's rush down the valley. I thought my throat would hurt from having to talk above it's roar, and of course with three women who can shut up? We had a wonderful time!

I have not heard anyone else mention one of my favorite features of this trail: the ""air conditioning rocks"", (my personal name for them). They fascinate me! I would guess they are around 3.5-4 miles in, on the right side of the trail there is a towering rock cliff, it's base covered in boulders that have come down from above. One place in these boulders, is an opening about 2' high by 4-5' wide, and out from it comes a gush of ice cold air. A log has been positioned in front of it, where I always sit to cool off. You can feel the cool air seeping out from most of the cracks between the rocks. Sitting there, in the shade of the trees, can chill me to my bones on the hottest day!

This is one of my favorite early season hikes, I love all the little side paths leading to the creek side, the flowers, and the elevation gain is so gentle you don't even realize it happened.

We saw only 3-4 other hikers all day. I expected to see a ""steady stream"" of them heading in for the weekend!

Thanks to Bryan's trip report of May 19, I decided to give Ingalls Creek a try. I had been there once before 8 or 9 summers ago and always wanted to return to hike a bit farther.

The trail seems to have improved much even since Bryan's trip. There is some water on the trail,but only in the last mile before Falls Creek Camp. About 1/4 mile after the camp there is substantial water across the trail. It is easily bypassed if you bear to the right. Before you do so,if you look to the right you will see a tree with a cut in it. If you make for that tree and pass it on the left you will be in good shape to pick up the trail again a few yards farther on. I turned back at about 6 1/2 or 7 miles. I only encountered one tiny snow patch the whole way,and that may be gone by now. Hardly any bugs(that won't last long!)even with temps in the 70's.Only about ten blowdowns and nothing serious. Quite a few flowers in the first 2 miles or so. Ingalls Creek itself is roaring and very full,making the camp pretty much inaccessible. There are many beautiful sites all along the way though. This would make a great trip for beginning backpackers as there are only a few moderately steep stretches and many places to stop.

When you get to Falls Creek Camp at 6 miles,if you turn right at the sign and climb a gentle slope just a few yards you will find a cross and gravesite!? It is actually visible from the main trail. The date of death is in the 1920's so it has been there a long time. I don't know what the story is behind that. If you go on from the camp just a few hundred yards you will break out of the trees and cross a creek. You can look up and see the source of the water tumbling down cliffs in a beautiful waterfall to the right of what I believe to be McClellan Peak. The view is definitely worth the extra steps from the camp.

All in all a good day for my first hike this year.

The Ingalls creek trail is a fantastic place to hit on those questionable days when you are driving back from the eastside and all of a sudden it ain't so rainy any more. Memorial day last week was one of those days. We hit trail around noon and were quickly passed by all of the weekend hikers as they headed out. This left us with the valley to ourselves! The trail is very well maintained gaining elevation at a slow/steady clip. Sometimes is rides alongside the crashing creek and others the creek is barely a whisper hundreds of feet below. Slowly views of the Stuart ridge come into view. Wedge, McClellan, the Chessmen and then the more ragged towers, ridges and dramatic peaks around Little Annapurna and the Crystal Creek drainage. We hiked past the Falls Creek trailhead (which would be a major risk to cross right now) and then perhaps another half mile. This gets to perhaps one drainage shy of Crystal Creek. This spot was wide open with a fantastic waterfall (not shown or given name on greentrails map). The trial was washed out a bit past here with avalanche debris and our time was running short so we parked it for lunch. The return trip has dramatically different views of the south side peaks, Three Brothers, Navajo and Miller Peak.

No real difficulties here, a few blow downs, no bugs and a gentle tread!

With the Teanaway area melting out quickly, I decided on Ingalls Creek for another overnighter. Northbynorthwest had wanted to come but with his health heading south on Sunday he opted not to go. Gil was looking for a day hike so I invited him to join me for the day. We met up at the North Bend (Snoqualmie) Ranger Station and from there we headed off in two cars to Ingalls Creek.

At the TH we met up with a local who had hiked up about 1.5 miles. He mentioned an old gravesite along the Falls Creek trail and told us to keep an eye out for snakes :eek:

There were many good photo ops along the trail and we stopped frequently to take advantage of them. A few views up to the Stuart Range’s east end were afforded but that was about it for mountain views for the most part for several miles. Ingalls Creek is flowing very strong with the snow melt under way. I felt that it was unfair to call it a “creek”, but I have to remember that the water flow will decrease in a few short weeks.

After taking one of many pictures I noticed that the LCD display showed “No CF Card” NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! I checked for the card and found that the display was right. Darn it!!!!! I had a feeling that I had forgotten something when I left home but I had discounted that thought. Lucky for me I had my point and shoot camera along with that I usually save for videos. It felt kind of crappy having my DSLR gear with and seeing it as dead weight…..

Moving on we followed the rapid creek and crossed many small streams that flowed effortlessly across the trail. In a few weeks this trail will be bone dry, but today the trail at times is actually a stream bed.

We didn’t see much in the way of wildlife except birds flying around in the trees. We did see a dead something or other next to the trail. It looked like a rat but it had a furry tail. There was also a tree that had hundreds of ants scurrying around working to hollow out the tree for the queen. There was a spot that had suffered an avalanche that brought trees down across the trail. It was possible to get over these but hopefully will be removed in the coming weeks.

After 5+ miles we reached a spot that was just downstream from Falls Creek where I figured I would camp for the night. We dropped our packs and explored up the trail a bit further to find where the Falls Creek Trail connects with the Ingalls Creek Trail. About ¼ mile past Falls Creek we found the jct and saw that the crossing was not going to be possible with the high volume of water. We ventured about another ¼ mile and were rewarded with a break in the trees and great views up to Mc Clellan Peak and the Needles. Another bonus in this was that we found a great spot for me to camp for the night. Next to the creek was a good flat spot formed by the last heavy rains that flooded the creek banks. I had great views of the Stuart Range and up the other side to Three Brothers and Navaho Peak. We headed back downstream and retrieved our packs and returned where I set up my camp for the night while Gil photographed the area. During this time we both noticed a male wood duck go flying up the creek, another one flew by about 20 minutes later. Shortly thereafter Gil headed out and left me to enjoy the landscape.

After getting set for the evening I headed up the valley side to check out a waterfall high above the creek. I started up the west side of the creek and about half way up I had to cross a snow bridge or head back down. I grabbed a stick and cautiously crossed the snow covered creek. Once across I headed further up and reached the lower falls. The falls were beautiful but there was more further up. I made it up another hundred feet or so and got to view the upper falls. The views of the valley below were awesome. I decided not to take the same way down that I took up so that left me with heading down a ridgeline and through brush the whole way. Sometimes the brush was only 2 feet high and other times it was 8 feet high. The going was slow and my legs got scratched up pretty bad. Finally after about 30 minutes I was back on the rocks and heading down along the creek.

Upon returning to my camp I cooked some dinner and enjoyed a small but crappy fire. I also put a stick along the edge of the creek so I can see how much the water level dropped overnight with the cooler temperature. The ducks that Gil and I had seen earlier I got to see again, except this time they were enjoying a ride down the creek by floating down it. When they got to a set of rapids they went under and I presume that they swan through that section. The skies slowly cleared as I retired for the night.

I awoke at 4am and heard a light pitter patter on my tent. Well apparently the skies didn’t stay clear all night long. Finally around 7am I got out of my tent and had some breakfast while a light rain fell. After packing up my gear I made the trek back out with a sunless sky. The trail has at least 6 good spots to camp for the night and a few more that are sub-par. On our hike in we had spotted some debris that we had thought was part of an old mine. Gil had investigated off trail but found nothing. On my way out I checked out the debris a bit closer and only found a geocache in addition to the stuff we saw. By 10:30 I was at the TH and heading back to Hwy 97.

Having never been over the true Blewett Pass and having extra time, I headed up the windy and skinny road. In spots the roadway was very narrow due to rocks that had fallen down the mountain side. At the pass the winds were strong and the temps were chilly. Just over the pass the view was amazing, it’s too bad this road probably won’t last too many more years because those who haven’t been on the road will miss this hidden gem, well their loss if they don’t explore this route.

Pictures are here: http://flickr.com/photos/bkraai/sets/72157605168109198/

Lots of folks were on the trail to see the golden larch trees. I've done this hike a number of times in mid October for the larch. This year was the best. Blue sky and fresh snow really brought out the colors.

We made good time to Ingalls Pass then the going was very slow. So much to see and photograph. Took the high route through Headlight Basin on the way out. On the way back we took the low route.

The larch trees were right at their peak. Perfect timing. For those who can't get enough of golden larch photos I have a total of 90 photos uploaded on my site.

To see the photos go to: http://www.hikingnorthwest.com. Go to ""Trips-2007"" on the left margin.

Ingalls Creek is usually a reliable place to find some sun, but not this time. We hiked up the trail about four miles in cloudy, sometimes drippy conditions. This trail is generally in good shape. However, blowdowns have not been cleared; prepare for some awkward detours and scrambles to get pass the logs. Despite the rain, the trail was dry and dusty. Few noxious bugs are to be seen here, a welcome change from the norm these past few weeks. This trail is ideal for easy backpacking, with many nice creekside campsites available.

With the weather iffy on the western slope we looked eastward for our weekly hiking fix. This time we were bringing along a friend who has never camped or hiked before. Wanting to sufficiently blow her mind, we decided on Ingalls Lake. Saturday afternoon we drove up the Teanaway River Road nervous about finding a campsite but there were lots of sites available at 29 Pines, the roadside freebies and Beverly Creek. We settled on a nice riverside site in Beverly Creek and as fate would have it we found two unopened bottles of wine stashed under a bush in the site so we set up camp while Bridgit went off in search of a corkscrew. In no time we were eating Subway subs with a nice Chardonnay.

The next morning was sunny and we knew it would get warm but the day started out pleasantly cool as we hit the trail around 7:30AM. Following the 100 Hikes description I set my altimeter for 4,240' at the trailhead. When we got to the Long's Pass cutoff we should have been at 5,600' but were about 200' lower than that. All my other points (Ingalls Pass and the lake matched with the book so I think that the Long's Pass cutoff should be around listed as 5,400'. Anyway, we had a beautiful hike up to the Ingalls Pass, through Headlight Basin and over to Ingalls Lake where we hung out for a couple of hours. The trail was in great shape the entire way and bugs were not an issue at all. The slabs on the south side of the lake are very fun to crawl around on and crossing them to get to the outlet requires a bit of up here, down there and over lots of large boulders. Bridgit entertained a swim in Ingalls Lake but decided it might be warmer sleeping in a walk-in freezer.

On our return trip we came across two adult mountain goats with two kids grazing near Headlight Basin. As we approached Ingalls Pass we saw two more adult goats heading up the trail to the pass. They stopped to graze at the pass and I got some great shots of them.

All in all it was a perfect day and our friend who had moved here from Florida had an incredible experience seeing the rugged ridges of Ingalls Peak, a stunning alpine lake, Mount Stuart, lovely Headlight Basin, marmots, mountain goats and even free wine to boot!

After reading the reports for a lot of the other places in the Alpine Lakes wilderness, we decided to head East where it was a little warmer and hopefully less mosquitoes. And we chose correctly. We escaped the mosquitoes and only had to deal with a few biting flies.

We started from the Beverly Turnpike Trailhead. There were several cars in the parking lot including some horsepackers. We started up the trail around 9:30. It was already a hot morning and there is not a lot of water on the Bean Creek Trail until you get down the other side towards Navaho Pass. The wild flowers in this area are out in full force and everything is still very green from the late thaw. We took a lunch break at the top of Navaho Pass and rested a bit while our Malamute (aka the Malamonster) tried to keep cool in the shade. The views of the back side of Colchuck/Annapurna were spectacular. It looks like you could get through a pass between the two into the Enchantments. Hard going but doable. Trip for another day...

From here we took Cascade Creek Trail down to Ingalls Creek vs. staying on the County Line Trail. The trail is faint but doable. If we were on the Westside of the Crest this trail would probably overgrown and impossible to find. It looks like its not used very much. At any rate, we proceeded. We needed to drop quite a ways down into the Cascade Creek Drainage to get to Ingalls Creek. Half way down we lost the trail and had to use good compass and route finding skills to continue. There were many blow overs and by the time we got down to Ingalls Creek we were exhausted from the bushwacking. Ingalls Creek was a refreshing end to the day. We reached camp around 6:30.

The next morning we headed up Ingalls Creek through a beautiful valley. Again the wild flowers and the foliage were amazing. It looks like there was a fire that passed through some years ago and the underbrush is thriving. It was gorgeous!!! There are also parts of this trail that fade in and out due to the mass destruction of our winter rains. So keep your eyes peeled for Carns.

Finally we reached Fourth of July Creek and started a steady climb up the valley home via Beverly Turnpike. Again the wild flowers and the green meadows were stunning in this drainage. When we crested the top and started down the other side, it clearly was going to be a very hot decent!!! Make sure you have lots of water.

We reached the trailhead around 3. The horse packers were gone but they left a nice surprise on top of our car - a nice large size pile of horse shit!! Not very cool! Not sure if we parked to close to their trailer or if our Malamute (who was leashed) pissed them off because she was woooing at them. At any rate, be respectful of the trail people and others property. How would you feel if someone shit on your car!!

We lucked into some sunshine on this rainy Sunday by heading east despite the weather forecasts. The trail is in great shape until you hit the blow-downs which from other reports I guess were three to four miles in? All blow-downs are easy to get around or over, it would seem that they have been there a while. The trail is a little brushy too, but overall we marveled at the easy grade and perfect tread of this trail.

There's one really cool feature to mention - a couple miles in, there's a huge boulder field that comes down and ends just above the trail. If you walk by and notice that it's cooler there, you should walk right up to the hole at the bottom of the field. It's like an air conditioner with cool air blasting out at you. Ahh, that felt nice! We're thinking either there's water or snow under there, or maybe it's an old mine shaft or cave? Whatever the case it felt great.

Very few bugs, mostly really slow flies that didn't pose a problem. The flowers are all but gone now on this one, but we sure enjoyed views of the creek and peaks above. The variety of spicy, flowery and woody scents coming from the underbrush around the trail smelled fantastic on a humid day. Great hike!

Started my 14 mile loop hike at the Beverly Creek trailhead at about 6:30 in the morning under clear skies. The first 2.7 miles on trail 1391 is a gradual elevation gain with some exposed sections but the days heat had not set in at this point. I took the Fourth Creek trail (#1218) to the right for another 3 miles, which is mostly down hill in forest and the occasional flowering meadow. Upon coming onto Ingalls creek I found no easy way to cross so I took off my boots and proceeded in the instantly numbing knee deep water. Once across, the weather began to turn, darkening the still forest just as I came upon the Ingalls Creek junction and taking a left on trail 1215. Approximately a mile later the Thunder began to roll overhead as lightning brightened the darkened sky in flashes. My dog and I hunkered down for about an hour until it passed. Once we resumed the skies brightened quickly. We encountered a very large doe and shortly thereafter experianced a small rockslide about a hundred yards behind us on the trail, no doubt caused by the quick onset of rain upon very dry conditions.

Having traveled for 1.4 miles on trail 1215 I came upon the Turnpike Creek trail junction (#1391), again crossed Ingalls creek (on a downed tree) and proceeded at a slight incline through forest for about a mile. It begins to climb steeply thereafter, with footing being somewhat difficult with loose rocks and soil for about two miles, until you reach the junction of trail 1399 and 1391. From this point it is generaly downhill for 3 1/2 miles, having made a loop of aprox. 14 miles.

The best view of the South side of Mt. Stuart are limited to just before you reach the Wilderness Boundary on trail 1391. I took this trip in a counter clockwise direction. I doubt that it would be any less strenious going clockwise. It starts at 3600', climbs to 5600' before descending to 4300', then climbing back to 5600' and back to the starting point of 3600'.

Briefly buggy in a few spots, mostly in the meadows where there are small ponds and still water. A few downed trees but nothing major. It took about nine hours to hike this, including breaks and lunch.