holy cow what a gorgeous day. views start about a half mile in, up valley to ruth mtn. & its amazing snow. mt. sefrit & granite to the right & left. most of the way is in avalanche greenery, hate to be here before it gets brushed out in spring. moderate ascent to the pass, 2000' in 4 miles. go hard left at the pass & ascend trees a bit, then long, stunning meadow switchbacks up to the ridge (blueberries are ripe!). from there it's a grunt but trail all the way. shuksan, then baker come into view over mt. sefrit. at the top a 360 of the cascade crest; picketss, challenger, spikard, etc., up into canada, & even glacier far off to the south. an hour on the summit was way too short. drank 3 liters. flies persistent all the way to the summit. skeeters are all dead. yay!

Hannegan Pass and Peak 9/14/02 Having planned this trip in April I was highly pleased that it was a warm and sunny Sept. day. The trail head is accessed from the Hannegan pass road (large sign) which branches from the Mt. Baker hiway 13 miles east of Glacier. It's about 6 miles up this gravel road to the large trailhead at 3100 ft. My Mountaineers group started up full of enthusiasm at 9:30. This trail goes about a mile thru forest and then is in the clear for grand alpine vistas the rest of the way . Rugged peaks, little glaciers, many waterfalls, cliffs, streams and avalanche chutes. As you climb to the pass the scenery gets better and better. Mt. Ruth's smooth white glacier had a dozen climbers on it as we left the pass (5100 ft.) and headed up Hannegan peak. The peak trail is mostly in meadow and open slopes all the way to the summit (6200 ft.). From the top big mountains are seen in all directions, Mt. Baker, Mt. Shuksan, Ruth Mtn., Granite Mtn. and many more of the North Cascades. The small black flies were very annoying all the way up to the pass. Above, in the breeze on the peak it was bug free. Remnants of late summer flowers showed up here and there. Best flowers at the pass and just above. We took a long lunch break on top enjoying the grand alpine views and relaxing. Returning, the flies were annoying again below the pass. So we hurried down the lower 4 miles of trail stopping only briefly. Robert Michelson

This hike is a ~27 mile out-and-back trip utilizing the most panoramic, though also most vertical, miles of a popular 34 mile loop trip in this area (Green Trails #s 14&15). The hike begins at the Hannegan trailhead and climbs steadily at first, and then steeply, to Hannegan Pass (~4 miles in). On our way in and out, this was the buggiest portion of the trip. Flies, though generally non-biting, were the primary culprits. A 1 mile descent brings you to Boundary Camp, and entry into NCNP. We continued another 4 or so steep yet spectacular miles to the next campsites at Silesia. Well onto the ridge, these 2 sites are fairly exposed, but boast great views, a bear pole, and a composting toilet. A steep descent to nearby Egg Lake begins just beyond the campsite. The second leg of our trip went ~3.5 steep miles to Copper Lake, but not before a lengthy layover at the Copper Mountain Lookout. From here, the views of day one's climb come into full view - Shuksan, Baker, Hannegan, Challenger, Ruth, Glacier, the Pickets. The route onward to Copper Lake alternately climbs and skirts a series of knobs before a steep, switchbacking descent to Copper Lake - three campsites, a bear box, and lots of water. The return to Hannegan mirrored the entry, though with shorter days due to the largely downhill travel. Hints: Reaching Silesia makes for a fairly strenuous first day on the trail. However, bugginess decreases on the ridge, and is horrendous earlier in the trip--Some snowmelt water is available on the ridge. We unnecessarily loaded up at Boundary Camp, and then began the steepest part of the climb.--We planned our trip for a wednesday - saturday and were alone until our last day. Weekends are sure to be busier. Wildlife: Marmot, pika, fish in Copper Lake, owl at Silesia, ground squirrels Trail Snow: A few small patches between the lookout and Copper Lake.

The Hannegan Pass trail is in excellent shape all the way to the pass. We saw cool views of Ruth Mountain and Mt. Sefrit all along the trail. This five(?) mile trail is one of the quickest as we began the hike at 9:45 and reached the pass at 11:30. However, I see one reason why it is walked so fast. This place is notorious for ferocious black flies and lives up to its name; they are truly a force to reckon with! They swarm with astonishing persistency reaching a climax of buzzing and biting just before the pass. Hannegan Pass is not very exciting and after a quick drink break we continued on up to Ruth Arm. The trail up to the arm is no longer a trail, but a steep stream trickle with water, mud, roots, and rocks. We headed straight up the thing gaining around 600 feet before the traverse around the east side of a rock hump begins. There are some snow patches along the traverse, but the slope is moderate and the bugs fizzle out here so all is good! We made our way around the hump and on to Ruth arm where a path climbs toward the foot of the glacier. Here the views begin and improve with every step. After lunch on the arm, we ascended Ruth glacier which is still not broken up (although I here that by September there can be quite a few crevasses). We headed up the glacier to the right following others tracks. We reached the summit at 1:15 (completely bug-free) and enjoyed the spectacular view for the rest of the afternoon and evening (bring plenty of film). My peak naming skills were put to the test as hundreds of peaks were lined up in front of me. There are four bivy sites, but two are in shoddy condition, and with two other climbers there, my friend and I decided to work our architecture skills. We built an awesome two man bivy site that has you facing Mt. Shuksan so you don’t even have to get out of bed to see the sunrise! The bivy atop Ruth Mountain was one of my favorite experiences in the cascades. The view of Shuksan towering across the valley with its hanging glaciers and precipitous cliffs is truly Himalayan in nature. We heard the crash and thunder of icefall in Nooksack cirque all night and day. Snow, rock, and glacier-carved valleys everywhere. Ruth’s moderate height and strategic position makes the view even more dramatic. Seeing the entire range in all different angles of sunlight is simply amazing. We began our descent at 9:30 glissading down around the backside (east) and then cutting back to the where the path meets the glacier. This area appears more like a snowfield with no crevasses visible and actually a recommended ascent route as well. On the way out we cut across to Hannegan Camps saving about a ¾ mile of switchbacks and rushed to the trailhead to keep the flies from taking away my sanity arriving at the bug-free car at 11:45.

The black flies are out in full force and there is no way to keep them at bay unless one wears beekeeper's garb, or hike fast. The route to Hannegan peak from the Pass is pretty much snow-free except for two places near the summit, not technically a 'scramble' but the effort is well worth it. Laura and I did the hike from the trailhead in 2 hours, but due to the flies and daypacks we were able to move fast. Had to, I guess. Views from the top are spectacular--better in fact, than many of the volcano summits here in the state. I need to return and spend more time here.