The goal was McCall Basin for a 2 night basecamp with a day hike south on the PCT from Tieton Pass to Old Snowy. Besides some rain on the hike in (isn't the first week in August supposed to be the surest bet for fine weather in the PNW?), accessing the trail (#1118) to Tieton Pass was complicated by the fact that the road (NF 1207) to the trailhead at Scatter Creek Campground is closed due to a washout 3 miles before Scatter Creek. Road walking is easy but boring and it threw our timing off, resulting in a dusk arrival at the McCall Basin campsites. (It also proved to be a hot, dusty, sunny anticlimax on the hike out). Trail #1118 itself was in good condition except for a few small stream crossings mucked up by stock animals.If it were wetter, that would have been problematic.There were signs of recent sawing of large blow downs.(Thanks WTA?) The weather cleared overnight and the Basin lived up to it's billing from one of my hiking partners. Beautiful. The next day, the southbound PCT was in great condition. We met northbound through hikers already closing in on the Canada border. The ridge trail towards Old Snowy had some small snow patches but they were comfortably crossed with boots and poles (no microspikes needed). Views in all directions were perfect and the wildflowers (lupines, heather and Indian paintbrush for the most part) were in full bloom in the higher elevations. Back in McCall Basin the new-moon dark sky was impressive. One lingering question from the Basin: There was what appeared to be a large stock camp in one of the prime camp sites. No one was around the entire time we were there. Is this a long-term basecamp? A commercial camp in anticipation of elk season? Not sure what to think, but I wonder in view of the budget cuts and corresponding lack of any ranger presence. All in all,a great hike for three 60 somethings.

Road 1207 closed about 4 miles from the trailhead adding a long additional section to the hike. The road/bridge look like they are in good condition and could be opened since it has been closed for over 4 years. The trail was free of snow until about 6000 feet due to the very low snowpack this year. Saw no one else on the trail for three days. Camped at L Lake then day hiked up to Elk Pass. There were soft snowfields above 6000 feet which were passable with just hiking poles for safety/self arrest. Summited Peak 7210 for glorious views up to Mt. Rainier. Trail blowdowns (for potential trail crews): Above McCall Basin to tree line: 1 blowdown McCall Basin to L Lake: 8 blowdowns L Lake to junction of trail 1118 with the PCT: 6 blowdowns in three places Trail 1118 to trail head: 18 blowdowns We cleared a lot of small debris off the trails.

The trailhead is on the North Fork Tieton River Road, but the road is closed about three miles short of the trailhead. Plan for a little extra walking. Trail 1118 is in good shape, with just a few easy blowdowns to cross, a moderate grade through forest for about four and a half miles to Tieton Pass. At the pass I turned south on the PCT, passed Lutz Lake and turned onto the little spur trail that leads into McCall Basin. The basin is really two basins a quarter mile apart. The lower basin is more or less round, about a half mile in diameter. There are several large meadows separated by forested areas and several small creeks. Many camps are available, or one could just pitch a tent in a meadow. The Devil's Horns are visible to the southeast, as well as the north flank of Tieton Peak. The unmaintained trail 1151 is supposed to lead to the lower basin from Tieton Meadows – an alternate route from the same trailhead. I looked hard for the upper end of that trail, and found several that might have been it. They all looked more appropriate for elk than for humans. If the trail is still passable, it probably would be rough going, and not much shorter than taking 1118. In other words, not worth the trouble. Ten minutes' climb above the lower basin gets you to the upper basin. This is a flat, oblong area about three quarters of a mile long, mostly glacial till with braided streams running through. The basin floor is partly bare, partly covered with scrubby willows and bushes, and a few small meadows. Only one camp is available, about a quarter mile west of the entrance to the basin, but other tents could be pitched in a meadow. The south wall of the basin rises steeply about 600 feet, mostly rock and scree. There were no bugs to speak of on the trail, and few in either basin. Lots of water is available everywhere now. I spent a whole day exploring the upper basin. The rocky west end of it is above tree line, with unlimited opportunities for scrambling. Several creeks and impressive waterfalls channel runoff from the many snowfields and small glaciers above. The highest point to the west is the watershed of the Cascades, just north of Old Snowy, and the PCT runs right along the ridge for a short time there. One can see the hikers moving along the horizon, nearly a mile away, and 500 feet above.

Parked a few miles up 1207 at the barrier. Rode bike in 2 miles to the "washed out" bridge. Big news! The bridge is fixed. Not so big news - the road is still closed. So I finished the next two miles to the trail head, parked my bike and walked in. Trail is in need of some maintenance, many blowdowns and spots in disrepair. To be expected from a trail that has been essentially closed for four years. Snow not present until almost Tieton Pass, then patchy on trail until after Lutz Lake then heavy at times. Camped at Lutz - zero insect problem, quiet uneventful night. Woke happy and refreshed, lay in bag thinking about getting up. Heard a tree thunder to the ground fifty yards away or so - close enough to wake me up. Walked out to bike, had a flat tire, pushed it back to the barrier, loaded up and drove home. Hopefully the USFS will open the road soon - that extra eight miles of road walk got real tired.