This is a trip report for the 56(ish) miles of Section K from Stevens Pass to Mica Lake, as well as some unintended detours. First, the temperatures:

9/8/20 Lake Valhalla 57.7˚F

9/8/20 Janus Lake 64.4˚F

9/8/20 Pear Lake 57.0˚F

9/9/20 Lake Sally Anne 58.1˚F

9/9/20 Reflection Pond 57.2˚F

9/10/30 Mica Lake 60.8˚F

Beginning at Stevens Pass the first eighteen miles or so of the trail are lovely, with gentle grades, numerous lakes to swim in or perch beside and excellent views. The view from the top of Grizzly peak, with its ripe berries, flocks of birds and glimpses of Glacier is particularly exquisite. Popular Valhalla Lake has a nice beach, making for good swimming. Janus Lake is marshy and warm. At Pear Lake there is a large clearing where several groups can camp and a pair of good spots for swimming. 

North of Pear Lake the good views continue with Sloane and Kyes peak rising beyond West Cady ridge. Past Lake Sally Anne, which also has good camping and swimming spots, the berry bushes and unobstructed views continue, now of Kodak and Indian Head Peaks. Past the fork for the North Fork of the Sauk River turn off (more on that later), the trail is dusty and windswept as it winds its way up to Red Pass and down into the barren upper reaches of the White Chuck valley where a nice stream and good campsites can be found. 

However, once down in the White Chuck valley all bets are off as the trail disintegrates, with dozens of downed trees, verdant overgrowth, broken bridges and a few patches where mud and streams have claimed the trail. Still, with grace and balance, all major river crossings over the white glacial flows are manageable, and despite the overgrowth, route finding isn't necessary.

From the low of the valley the trail, still in poor shape with several improvised detours, climbs to fire creek pass and back down to Mica Lake. Mica Lake is deep crystalline blue, though a protected shady spot for lunch or camping is hard to come by. 

Unfortunately, as of September 10, 2020 the Downey Creek Fire had closed the Suiattle River Road and Trailhead. Therefore, backtracking from Mica lake, the next river valley south which would appear to connect out is the White Chuck.

Warning: although many maps still show trails in the White Chuck valley, and although signs on the PCT still point to these trails, they no longer exist. It turns out they were wiped out by a 2003 flood, with 17 years of unchecked forest growth reclaiming what wasn't obliterated by the deluge. 

Although the Kennedy Ridge trail still is somewhat follow-able, once it reaches the flood plain, nothing remains to follow. Bushwhacking, clambering over log jams and traipsing across sand bars is the only route that awaits. Not an ideal trail when re-routing to avoid forest fire closures. 

An additional backtrack from that thicket, the next river south, which does indeed connect out is the North Fork of the Sauk River. This trail is in excellent shape and after a long decent, a speedy and easy path through groves of truly gigantic trees is all that remains between the journey and the parking lot. 

Trip total 91.98 miles with 40,408 feet of up and down. 

Did a 2 night solo backpack trip over Labor Day weekend.

Road to the trailhead of Cady Creek Trail was fine until the last few miles where it was rough. Fine if you go slow. 

Cady Creek Trail to campsite night 1. I got on trail at 5pm and hiked in 3.5 miles. The WTA said there were campsites and I was driving in after work from Seattle so this was perfect. The Cady Creek trail was indeed brushy, but the wet campsite so close to the trailhead made it worth it to me. I wore shorts and a tank top and was fine, thankful there are no ticks up here. I was all alone and didn’t see anyone and the campsites are right on the river.

Camp to Upper Blue Lake night 2. I hiked the rest of Cady Creek up to the PCT and on to Lake Sally Ann for lunch. There is some water on Cady Creek, but none on the PCT until you hit Lake Sally Ann. Berries are abundant. The hike up was not too steep and grade was pleasant. After a break at Lake Sally Ann I continued north on the PCT to Dishpan gap, again no water really in this section except a few trickles. You can manage with those if need be. No water at dishpan gap, but there are some campsites if you want to dry camp. I turned left onto Bald Eagle trail and decided to take the lower route around to Blue Lakes. When you hit the turn off (Pilot Ridge Trail) to descend to the lakes, it is steep and rocky, but fine other wise. You’ll hit an unnamed tarn with great campsites before hitting the lower Blue Lake. If it’s a busy weekend, I’d suggest staying here. The last mile to upper Blue Lake has about 500ft elevation gain which was tough for me after a day of hiking. I arrived around 3pm to pretty much full campsites. I grabbed water and stayed about 0.1 back on the Pilot Ridge in a small clearing. Lake was gorgeous and cold. Privy was completely full. There is a great dry site up the high trail about 0.2 if you want to carry water up a ways. 

Blue Lake High Trail to Cady Ridge trail to trailhead. Day 3 I planned to take the high trail back up and over the saddle out of Blue Lake. 100% recommend this. It’s steep climbing and loose rock, but free of any snow. Once you reach the saddle on a clear day you get stunning views, including Mount Rainier. What a pleasant surprise. Coming down the trail back toward Dishpan gap wasn’t too bad, a little sketchy with loose rock, but totally doable. At the fork, there is a great view of Glacier as well. At Dishpan, went south on the PCT to the Cady Ridge trail. Again, only trickles of water on the PCT and a few on the Ridge trail. I cameled up at Blue Lake just in case, but would’ve been able to fill up if necessary. The Cady Ridge trail is nice, but less of a ridge than expected. I had lunch with a view of Glacier which was amazing. There are a couple campsites if you want to hike in water at the top of the ridge. The climb down was very steep for a while, then nice long switchbacks. At first I was regretting coming in via Cady Creek, but I don’t know if I would’ve wanted to hike water up that steep section that was a mega dusty adult sandbox. 

Overall, this was a good loop for those who like loops as opposed to out and backs. There are lots of dry camping options with great views. The established campsites were crowded, but could find space. No snow on trail. Wear sunscreen!

After work on Saturday, my fiance and I headed up the Little Wenatchee to check out Cady Ridge and the surrounding area. It was later in the evening by the time we started, and we only made it 5 miles in that night. As previously described, the trail is pretty monotonous for the first three miles. After that you begin to get glimpses of Wenatchee Ridge and Poe Mountain. The huckleberries were also very plentiful, so it may be wise to bring a Ziploc. If you are backpacking in, know that the number of camp spots along Cady Ridge are limited. There is a nice larger site at about 3.9 miles and we did not find the next site until about 6.25 miles in. Water is even more scarce along the ridge, until you hit the PCT. On Sunday morning, we stashed our gear at Lake Sally Ann and proceeded to day hike out to Kodak Peak. There are plenty of small streams along the PCT that would make for a good water source. The trail to Kodak peak is more of a community trail that heads up the eastern ridgeline. You will want to go to the junction where the PCT begins to head down towards Indian Pass and White Pass. This is a short detour that is well worth the effort. The weather could not have been more excellent, and the views of Glacier Peak were astounding. Expect to run into plenty of people, especially around Lake Sally Ann.

Just got back from a 3-day, 2-night loop in the Henry Jackson and Glacier Peak Wilderness. Starting from the Little Wenatchee Trailhead, we hiked up the Cady Ridge Trail to Lake Sally Ann and the PCT, day-hiked north along the PCT to near White Pass (with a side-trip up Kodak Peak), and then back out to the car via the PCT and Cady Creek Trail.

Cady Ridge Trail was in great shape. A few steep and loose sections, but nothing that crazy. Fairly easy to navigate even with a large pack. Once you are on top of the ridge, the walking becomes much easier for the last several miles. Great views of the surrounding terrain and Glacier Peak. Wildflowers are definitely a little past peak here. As a previous report says, lots of annoying fly things on the Cady Ridge trail but no mosquitoes that we saw. No water. 

Lake Sally Ann made for a great camp site. Lots of spots to choose from, and only a few other groups mid-week. Mosquitoes were present but easily kept at bay with a little citronella and an intermittent breeze. Easy to get water from the stream flowing into the lake. 

On Day 2 we hiked north along the PCT. We had thought about camping somewhere along the crest for better views, but were worried about lack of water sources. There turned out to be an abundance of small streams and trickles along the PCT between Lake Sally Ann and White Pass. I would be worried about most of them drying up in the next few weeks though. We made it nearly to White Pass before turning around for the day. Took a detour up Kodak Peak on the way back to Lake Sally Ann and had dinner up there while we watched the sun go down. AMAZING views from the top, Glacier Peak kept going in and out of the clouds. This would make a great (dry) campsite, though you could grab water from one of the little streams along the PCT just north of the peak for probably at least a few more weeks. Lots of wildflowers along this whole section of the PCT but again seems to be a little past peak already. Peak bug season seems to be past already as well...we didn't notice too many. 

To make a loop and hopefully a more gradual descent, we decided to return via Cady Pass and the Cady Creek Trail. If I had to do it again, I would just go back down the Cady Ridge Trail. All sources have the Cady Creek return at about 8-9 miles from Lake Sally Ann, but it felt like FAR longer. The Cady Creek trail is passable, but super annoying. Lots of roots, rocks, and tall brush make for slow walking and there are basically no views to speak of whatsoever. There were a good deal of ripe salmonberries, huckleberries, and thimbleberries to break up the monotony, but that was about the only good thing I have to say about this trail. 

We did the clockwise loop up the North Fork Skykomish, down the PCT to Lake Sally Ann, then out via Pass Creek. See other recent reports for additional trail info.

We got a late start Friday afternoon/evening and blew past our intended campsite near the North Fork and Pass Creek trail junction. More precisely, this very large camp is to the north of the Pass Creek trail, about .3 miles below the trail junction, after the smaller fork of the creek and before the deeper ford section, on the north side of the side of the trail. Look for a big bark-free log lying along the trail. We were on headlamps by this point and forded, discovered our error, and returned to see where the campsite breaks off the main trail. This campsite is huge.

Next morning we set out up the North Fork Skykomish Trail. From the Pass Creek trail junction, in 2.2 miles there is another large camp area with two potential sites to camp. At this point, the trail steepens until you reach a somewhat unexpected large flat meadowy area that's quite pretty. It was mid-50's and drizzling, but it was a nice break from the work. By this time we were pretty soaked from all the thick brush; many areas are quite overgrown. Water was accessible the entire way from many creeks.

When you reach the end of the meadow, you hit a large slide area where the trail was lost and then re-routed. After this, the trail steepens again and climbs switchbacks toward the PCT. A half mile before the PCT is a campsite alongside a small creek in a copse of trees.

Once on the PCT the 3,200ft gained from the trailhead (not including a lot of ups and downs), the views really pay off. You'll revel in the huge views, flowers, and comparatively (and rare) flat cruise of this part of Section K as you head south toward Lake Sally Ann. Lots of green, lush valleys and ridges to see, and many tumbling streams. Marmots whistling to you as you pass through their basins. 

You come to the lake after 1.5 from the NF Sky junction, and if you're early, you'll have the pick of many excellent sites. We got a great one that had views of Cady Ridge and a nice protective copse for our tent.

Next morning we let the dogs play in the lake before we headed south toward Pass Creek. Again the views were wonderful. It's about 4.25 miles south to the Pass Creek trail junction, including a long section of very gradual switchbacks that had no water. We were thrown off because older maps and Caltopo showed the Pass Creek trail intersecting above the creek intersection coming from our direction, when in fact it's a few hundred yards across Pass Creek. Several good campsite here, but wow the little black flies were super annoying and relentless. So much so we didn't even care about the mosquitoes. Definitely bring head nets and bug-proof clothing; you won't be able to keep enough bug spray on you to keep them away.

Down, down, down the Pass Creek Trail we went until we crossed Pass Creek again. As other reports showed, there is a log, but it's not all that inviting to use to cross, so we put on our water Keens and crossed, again, constantly swatting the flies. 

We didn't notice any obvious campsites since the earlier trail junction, but there may have been one or two, or you probably could just set up in the gravel creek bed.

We forded one more time and then took a quick break back at our Friday night campsite before the final 3.5 rather monotonous miles on the old road back to the car.

We did it clockwise, and it gets all the elevation gain done in about 5 miles from the Pass Creek junction via the NF Sky trail to the PCT. Going counter-clockwise, that elevation gain (around 3,200ft) is spread over 8 miles, so pick your workout. It was a great loop.