Got to the little Wenatchee trailhead around 9am. There is a road detour in the unpaved section but you don't have many options so it's easy to figure out. The last mile is rough. The rest is easy.

We decided to do an out and back instead of a loop given the trail reports for both Cady Creek and Little Wenatchee. That being said, we met a hunter who was going to the first PCT campground with equipment on horses and I believe they went up little Wenatchee. We saw their horses arriving at the saddle when we were on our way back.

The ridge has several downed trees but the trail is otherwise on great conditions. The lower blueberries are past but the ones on the ridge are magically plentiful. I spent an extra hour just for them. So many!

Great views of Glacier peak as soon as you reach the ridge and then it alternates with views on one side and the other.

We crossed only one other person on the ridge on our way back. We crossed three hikers groups at Sally Ann, all of whom were hiking along the PCT.

I had a swim at Sally Ann though it was quick because it was never hot enough at the lake to enjoy drying there. Too much wind! It's another story on the ridge along which it gets pretty hot!

We meet a roughed grouse at the lake as well as a marmot on the ridge on the way back. That one crossed our path as we were collecting blueberries.

Great spot, worth exploring over a few days!

For Labor Day Weekend, I did a one-night lollipop loop from the North Fork Skykomish River -> Pass Creek -> PCT -> North Fork Skykomish River trails, camping at Lake Sally Ann. 21.4 miles and 3500 ft elevation. This follows the hike description of "Dishpan Gap" in Craig Romano's Backpacking Washington, 2nd edition.

Road: The Index-Galena road is smooth sailing, while Forest Service Road 63 has some bumpy potholes and one rocky section before the Blanca lake parking lot.

Crowds: I arrived 10am on a Saturday and there were maybe 15-20 cars at the trailhead. There was still space to park. I saw no one on the North Fork Skykomish & Pass Creek trails, then saw ~10 parties on the PCT. Lake Sally Ann was completely full of campers by evening. There were two off-leash dogs, but luckily they seemed well-behaved. The next day I saw ~3 groups at the lake, ~4 groups on the PCT and 1 on the North Fork Skykomish trail. The guidebook mentions campsites at 0.5 miles (Cady Ridge trail), 1.3 miles (Wards Pass), 1.8 miles (Dishpan Gap), and 2.4 miles (creek below Dishpan Gap) from Lake Sally Ann. These might've been better options to avoid the crowds on an otherwise quiet trip, but I was tired and the lake was very pretty!

Water: Plenty of water sources on the North Fork Skykomish and Pass Creek trails. On the PCT, there was water at the Pass Creek/PCT junction, Lake Sally Ann, and a little north of the Cady Ridge trail junction.

Water crossings: All fords of the N Fork Skykomish River were easy (two on the Pass Creek trail, one on the North Fork Skykomish River trail). I did change into sandals for the first Pass Creek crossing just because I'm not very balanced with rock hopping and didn't want to get wet feet, but it was pretty shallow. I rock hopped the other ones, getting slightly wet on the last one. 

Trail conditions: Some downed trees on the non-PCT trails, especially on the North Fork Skykomish trail between Dishpan Gap and the Pass Creek junction. All could be passed, though some took effort since I have short legs.

Highlights: Bountiful berries! The most I've ever seen on a trail. Beautiful fall colors, meadowy ridges galore, and very peaceful option for Labor Day weekend.

Excellent nice long infinity loop backpack!

Day 1: Quartz Creek TH (road is good - if you have a sedan, take the little rocky section just before the Blanca Lake TH slow, but it's fine). Took Quartz Creek up to Curry Gap and Bald Eagle Trail. Got water at Curry Gap - there actually were a few good streams after Curry Gap, but we were not expecting any. The chill grade was so pleasant and the trail was in great condition! Misty moody PNW day still with some pretty views! Got to Dishpan Gap and did a little loop round Meander Meadows, which was showing off in all its glory. Still some wildlfowers and SO many blueberries (and some huckleberries!) along the whole trail. We also saw at least 20 marmots (and a few pikas) over the two days! Somehow no bears, which was baffling, because I would absolutely live here if I were a bear. One could get water at Meander Meadows, but we headed to Sally Ann to camp. The lake was perfect (and not even really cold) for a dip and there were at least a handful of good camping spots. The toilet, however, is getting quite full!

Day 2: We filled water at Pass Creek and then continued on the PCT until we turned off at West Cady Ridge. Bench Mark Mountain was beautiful! The trail up on the East side was thick at times, but going down on the West side was nice and clear. There were a few water spots before crossing the North Fork Skykomish, but we'd planned on enough water from Pass Creek back to the TH. In general the trail was pretty fluffy and it was less steep down than I'd expected. Lots of mushrooms popping up (even some yummy chanterelles we had for appetizers on Day 1!).

Day 1: 20.17 miles/5,817 ft gain

Day 2: 14.79 miles/2,552 ft gain

I took a fall a few weeks ago and cracked some ribs. Going a bit stir crazy after cancelling a previous backpack trip, I had to get out and test em. I packed for an overnight in case I couldn't make the full loop, but I ended up making it, 16.6mi in 8.5hrs.

There's a detour off 65 onto devils club road, once back on 65 you can backtrack and its open up until Lake Creek Campground which was completely empty. It poured all night Friday night and into the morning, finally got up and hit the trail at about 7am. Going up the ridge some trail runners passed me which helped knock some of the water off the brush but I new I was going to get soaked regardless. Cresting the ridge the rain came back, made it over to Lake Sally Ann for a quick break and water re-fill. Everyone I came across was soaked and cold, quite a few people bailing and heading out. 

The blueberries were plentiful but surprisingly mushy and bland, didn't stop to consume many. Trail was good until coming down from the meander meadows, from there its very overgrown, prepare to get absolutely drenched with the brush and sometimes even hard to stay on trail or where you are putting your feet.

No views, more people that I thought would be out in that weather, and another lake bagged. Overall a good trip.

Cady Creek Trail: Those expecting standard trail conditions will find this route to the PCT exceptionally brushy and in many instances difficult to follow. Shoulder-high brush is continuous and often includes devil's club and thistle, which can be uncomfortable to physically navigate through. A good trail map is important to stay on track here, as there are several areas where the true route ebbs out or is challenging to see beneath the brush. The high brush additionally makes it difficult to see where to safely step over rocks and limbs and creates tripping hazards underfoot.

Cady Ridge Trail: This trail has the best conditions of the three at the Little Wenatchee Ford Trailhead to access the PCT. Brush level is not exceptionally notable, and 3-5 downed trees can be expected but can be crossed without issue.

Little Wenatchee Trail: 3 areas of large downed trees can be expected on this route, but there are reroutes around the blowdowns that are passable by both stock users and hikers. A moderate amount of brush can be expected (it can be high in sections) but overall the trail is in passable shape as an approach to meander meadows or the PCT.

The PCT between Cady Creek Junction and White Pass is in good shape, with very few downed logs. Keep in mind that water access will continue to dwindle from seasonal streams as we approach late summer, so fill up accordingly at larger stream crossings. Be mindful of camping only on disturbed surfaces and not on live vegetation in the alpine. Seasonal berries (huckleberry, blueberry and salmonberry) are all in full swing along the trail!