On this hot day, DAR and I decided to hike this trail, it having been many long years since he'd hiked it and I never had. Most hikers will want to pass the picnic area and turn right on Rd. 6088 to the road end. Having forgotten the trail pass (bad hikers!), we parked at the picnic area and took the way trail to the trailhead. The first half mile to the Wilderness Boundary is in great shape. There were lots of green plants, but the only flowers in bloom were trillium and violets, except for two calpyso orchids and some marsh marigolds up higher. There is a great log bridge high over the rushing white water; a log crossing would have been virtually impossible. You begin to gain elevation past the bridge, but the trail is in fine shape for perhaps another half mile. The trail soon grows rockier and the rotting puncheon requires care, though it is still safe. The windfalls in this section were pretty well beaten through or around. As we continued, it seemed we did a little more crawling through, around, or over windfalls, though none were difficult. The worst was detouring through devils club - with shorts and a tank top, yet this is not where I received my scratches. The log bridge at Fisher Creek is in fine shape, although the handrail does lean into the bridge. Snow began here, and other hikers had a fun snowball fight, but appearances can be deceptive (especially on Deception Creek). After eating our lunch, we continued on. Rounding the root of a large fallen tree, we went about another half mile before windfalls (still do-able) and time turned us back. There was little snow in this section after all. The colas and fresh strawberries in the cooler in the car were welcome, as I had drank all my water on this hike, rare for me. The slog back Hwy. 2 was a stop and go crawl from west of Baring to Gold Bar. This section took us about 1 - 1/2 hours to travel.

We have hiked this trail several times. We hike it without destination. No place to hurry off to. No place to beat someone to. Each step is the destination. We are always exactly where we are. The trail is green, in forest, with lots of moss, water, and tall trees. Calypso and Trilium were present along with lots of side creeks, mud holes, and blow downs. The trail is usually clear but not this year. Several of the trees lie IN the trail. The new bridge over the ""creek"" (which is really a river this time of year) is awesome! There were ugly starburst wrappers all along the trail. One penalty for litter bugs... Death, by Bunga Bunga.

Deception Creek Trail Green Trails Stevens Pass Drive 8 miles east of Skykomish on US 2. Just east of the Deception Falls parking lot, turn south on Deception Creek Road (FR 6088) and go a mile to the trailhead. Our plan was to hike south 5 miles to the junction with Trail 1059B, go west climbing 500 feet in .5 miles to 3,700 feet, or until snow turned us back. This would take us to the east end of Tonga Ridge Trail. The sign at the trailhead (elevation 2,000 feet) states that the bridges were washed out in the 1995 floods and the trail is most difficult. At 8 a.m. we headed down the east side of the trail to check it out. In .5 miles we came to the first creek crossing without a bridge. The bridge is scheduled for replacement by this summer. Close by, there is a slick log that spans the raging white water. We declined to take it. Instead, we bushwacked unsuccessfully on the east side finally returning to the log crossing. This time, Pam scooted across the log on her seat to investigate the west side of the creek. Soon she returned to say the log took her to an island. There she walked across a larger log to the west side and found the trail. At 10 a.m. we crossed the creek on these logs (not recommended by the Forest Service). Here, the trail climbs moderately along the creek through old-growth forest to a high elevation of 3,000 feet at 2.3 miles, just past Sawyer Creek. Deteriorating puncheon on the trail is slippery and hazardous. Gently, the trail descends to Deception Creek (2,800 feet) at 3 miles and the next crossing. Several hundred feet before the creek, we lost the trail in snow. The point of crossing was not obvious to us. Needing nourishment and rest, we ate lunch near the creek at 11:40 a.m. It was 38 degrees and soon we became chilled, so at noon we headed back. Stopping for photo ops along the beautiful creek, we still returned to the trailhead at 2 p.m. With the early return, we backtracked a few hundred yards to the Deception Falls parking lot to view the falls. US 2 was barricaded at this point, closed to westbound traffic due to road construction. Here, a couple told us we needed to drive over Stevens Pass to Leavenworth, down Blewett Pass and take I-90 to get back home, which we did. Subsequently, we learned that at 1.5 miles east of Deception Falls, FR 67 parallels the north side of US 2 and detours the construction. With washed-out bridges, highway closure and bogus directions, we discovered more deception than anticipated. Pam, Diana, John 5/15/98

Getting there: Drive to Deception Falls parking area off S.R. 2 and go .2 miles past and take the first f.s. road on your right (south side of hwy.). Follow this road .4 miles under a railroad trestle and find the trailhead. The trail: The trail is washed out at almost every trail crossing, so much of my day was spent looking for the trail. Flagging at all the crossings would be nice and make progress faster. Only one crossing had to actually be waded across. When on the trail it is in very good condition with only a few blowdowns on the 7 1/2 mile stretch to the Deception Lks./ Deception Pass junction. From here it is only 18 switchbacks and ~1 more mile to the beautiful Deception Lks. The only snow on the whole trip was right at the Lakes (around 5,100 ft.). The views were incredible on the Crest trail heading towards Pieper Pass, with Cathedral Rock in the distance. The whole day took six hours and there was no one else on the trail. This trail could use a little bit of work! Take it easy! Everyone's favorite Siamese, Pilar.