We hiked to Nosh Nosh Wahtum on June 19th. It took some time to drive the 12-mile forest road to the trailhead, but other than one significant stream crossing (which posed no problem in a high clearance vehicle), it's not too rough.

The beautiful trail to Nosh Nosh Wahtum climbs steadily but not too steeply through the forest. The lower part of the trail was buggy and we suffered a few mosquito bites, but by the time we were about halfway up the bugs had mercifully disappeared.

Water frequently ran across and over the trail from recent snow melt, and there were a few stream crossings, but nothing deep or difficult. We ran across numerous snow patches as we neared the lake, and had to cross several on foot. Now that it's almost July, I expect the trail may already be completely snow free.

The trail itself is in good shape, although quite rocky at times, so watch your step. We passed only a few other hikers, and enjoyed having the trail to ourselves. Nosh Nosh Wahtum is a lovely little lake, with a pretty picnic spot near the shore. The water is clear and cold, and would be a refreshing place to take a plunge on a hot day.

For a more in-depth review and many more photos, please check out the link below.

Spent two nights at Nosh Nosh Wahtum plus a day hike further up to Cathedral Rock. My two sons and I had the lake all to ourselves for the two nights, perhaps because of mosquitoes bad enough that we had to wear netting most times out of our tent, even during the day.  Note the mosquitoes were far worse up the trail at the junction with the PCT.  We saw six other groups of backpackers (13 total) and 2 day hikers during our trip, all headed to further flung destinations. The lake water was surprisingly warm for an alpine lake and we spent a lot of time swimming. This lake has a back country toilet which was clean and appeared to be recently serviced.

Road: Is in very good condition for a gravel road.  Well graded, no potholes, barely any rutting.  I drove an Outback, but would happily drive a 2 wheel drive sedan along this. The ford was running about 8 inches deep at most, note that the left-hand side of the ford (driving in) is shallower than the right.

Trailhead: 8 cars total parked on a Wednesday afternoon (July 5th), toilet was clean but had no toilet paper (only gets serviced weekly).

Trail: had been brushed, but had several blowdowns as others have described.  The first at 0.3 miles appears to have been recently removed.  The biggest ones are at 0.5 and 0.6 miles in and require a minor detour and some clambering to pass.  Lots of loose rocks up to Nosh Nosh Wahtum, the trail was clearer and easier from there to Cathedral Rock.

No cameras or phones found per previous reports!

A beautiful day out in Salmon La Sac!! Started off from Cathedral trailhead at 12pm on the dot. 

*Stream running through Cle Elum Valley Road about a mile before the trailhead; my Subaru Forester JUST made it through the foot and a half of running water so beware of that!*

About a half mile into the trail, there is a large down tree obstructing the trail, so I would recommend Gaia Maps just so you know how to get back on the trail. Otherwise, beautiful trail with lots of little steam-waterfalls. The flies and mosquitoes were a bit of a bother, but eucalyptus oil repelled them from actually biting. 

I only went up to Nosh Nosh Wahtum to check out the campground and it is beautiful and completely melted! Looks like a great camping area for the longer trek that is Deep Lake. 

From trailhead to Nosh and back, was almost exactly 5 miles and took me about 2 hours up and down. Have fun!!

So happy we got to do this loop! It was challenging enough to be satisfying and the lake temps were fantastic. We arrived at Cathedral Pass TH around 10 am on a Wednesday. There was still parking available in the lot, maybe 8 cars there. Privy was in good shape and had a trashcan.

Quick conditions rundown:
Lake Michael: Trail to lake is rough. No switchbacks, loose footing, and blowdowns to climb over/around. No water between Trail Creek Trail junction and .75 mi before lake. Lake was warm and clear, saw lots of medium-larger sized fish swimming around. Some bugs but not bad. Appears that far edge saw some winter/spring damage that may have washed out addtional campsites/trail around lake.

Waptus Lake: Beautiful and clear, not too busy on a Thursday. Water temp was swimmable. Enough of a breeze that bugs were not an issue.

Deep Lake: No noticeable bugs during day time. Pretty lake, warm enough water. Great views.

Peggy's Pond: As always, trail is surprisingly sketchy when traversing under Cathedral Rock. The trail forks after the rockiest parts. Continueing straight is a little brushy, longer, and has some steep parts but pretty and takes you by other small lake. Heading right and up is shorter but there is a very steep and loose section before lake. Lake was cold and windy. Camped near smaller lake and bugs were noticeable but wind helped. Busier than expected with most sheltered spots taken but a lot of space for tents in the more open "common" areas near the shore.

Day 1 (Wed): TH to Lake Michael via Trail Creek Trail

Trail good up to junction with Trail Creek Trail. Saw lots of frogs. Once we turned onto Trail Creek Trail, we didn't see another person until later the next day. The trail is a little brushy but a steady grade. Some campsites as we neared junction with Lake Michael trail. The trail up to Lake Michael is an unapologetic slog up loose dirt, gravel, and ankle rollers. Its steep in parts, and clearly sees more hooved traffic when it sees any. Some parts were a little overgrown, mostly noticeable as it was drizzling and the wet bushes soaked everything from the hips down. Several spots with yummy ripe berries on the way up, especially at higher elevations. Some old blowdowns to climb over or around. Lake was surprisingly beautiful and clear. There was a campsite near the trail right as the lakeview opens up, then nothing until the far end where the stock camp is. We didn't check the western shore for sites. Very quiet and peaceful midweek.

Day 2 (Thur): Lake Michael to Waptus Lake via Trail Creek Trail

Hiking back up out of the lake basin then down the loose footing was almost as bad as the way in, but hotter. Trail Creek Trail had increasing blowdowns as we continued but most were able to be stepped over. Lots of berries in spots. Getting to Waptus took us through the river twice, but it was shallow enough. Knee-high at the deepest parts. Camped in the main Waptus Camp area, where there were maybe 4 other groups total. Saw a few people on the other shore but there were still open beach sites.

Day 3 (Fri): Waptus Lake to Peggy's Pond

This section had a lot of switchbacks on the PCT but the footing is good so we just chugged along up to Deep Lake. The shade was nice, its not super exposed even in the afternoon. Nowhere to fill water between bottom and just before Deep Lake. So many berries along here that we stopped to pick some into an empty water bottle. Deep Lake is very pretty, but we just stopped for a long lunch break. No bugs that we noticed but not sure how it is in the evening. Continued up more switchbacks on the PCT until we hit the spur for Peggy's Pond. There is a "No Stock" sign but no trail sign. The spur trail is very rough and exposed. I put away one pole so I could use my hands more as there are spots to climb up or down larger rock/root areas. Pay attention to the trail ahead so that you don't accidentally end up lower than you need to be. There is a split in the trail after the longer exposed traverse. Going right/up takes you more directly to the lake but there are some very steep spots with loose footing. Straight at the split is longer and bushier, but mostly less steep and takes you by other lake. Either way is viable. We took right heading up and came down the other way.
Peggy's Pond was much colder and windier than the other lakes, which I expected being at a higher elevation and at the base of the mountains. There were four or five groups already camping and fishing. Campsites up there are either in the trees or out by the lake. We followed the trail back around to the little heart-shaped lake behind Peggy's. There were at least two solid campsites above the lake. We ended up camping there, and found a couple more sites while wandering. Weather rolled in for the evening and alternated between windy and rainy so we spent the rest of the evening in the tent. Bugs were a little annoying.

Day 4 (Sat): Peggy's Pond to TH via Cathedral Pass

We made our way back across to the PCT, up and over Cathedral Pass, and back down the the TH. Lots of berries in the meadows east of the pass. There is a cell phone signal at the overlook before you start the switchbacks down to Deep Lake if you need. The trail is all downhill after the pass. There were a lot of backpackers and dayhikers coming up the Cathedral Pass trail. When we got back to the TH, cars were parked for about 1/2 mile down the road.

Bugs: We overprepared for bug conditions based on reports at other lakes/old reports. Treated clothing with permethrin, brought a Thermacell, head nets, picaridin lotion, and deet. Ended up only using the Thermacell and got maybe 5 bites total.

This trip report is a bit late, so I apologize in advance.

In brief:

Trail: Well defined and in good shape most of the way. There are some areas, particularly around Peggy's Pond, where there are numerous hikers trails - but it is fairly easy to navigate regardless. There are a few snowfields to cross en route to the summit.. and they are at a decent grade. 

Bugs: Not pleasant. My hiking partner was having issues with the heat on the way up, so we were traveling rather slowly past Peggy's Pond.  Despite numerous applications of bug spray, the mosquitoes were just terrible all the way up to the saddle below the East Peak.

Road: In good shape overall. Scatter Creek is running low and is passable for all vehicles (we did it in a Honda Fit).

Gear: Traction devices (axe, micro-spikes, poles, etc.) should be considered necessary for most hikers at this time. There are good steps kicked in, but I definitely had my axe out for the snow sections - just in case. Bring whatever gear you have to deal with mosquitoes - they are prevalent from the parking lot to about 0.5 miles from the East Peak Summit.

Full report:

The hike begins at the Cathedral Pass Trailhead, about 28 miles north of Cle Elum. The road is paved for all but 12 miles, and even the final 12 miles is very manageable for any sedan. The Cathedral Pass trail leads you up past multiple lakes, meadows, and a junction with the PCT.  The trail is well defined all the way to Peggy’s Pond. From the Pond, there are multiple hiker’s paths leading up towards Daniel - most of which culminate on the ridgeline.

From the trailhead, follow a well-defined trail that winds its way through the woods at a moderate incline. At approximately 2.5 miles, come along the first body of water (of many) called Squaw Lake. Not a particularly large lake, but the setting and ease of difficulty make it a worthwhile destination itself. Moving past the lake, continue the hike through the woods for another 0.8 miles until you reach Spinola Meadows (passing a running stream on the way that currently represents a good water source for filtered water). Enjoy views of Cathedral Rock while you continue your gradual ascent through the meadows. At 4.0 miles, reach an unnamed pond (camping for 1-2 groups possible) with great views of the surrounding area.

From the pond, there is a junction with the PCT. Keep to the left as the grade gradually increases, but remains fairly moderate until you reach Cathedral Pass at 4.25 miles. From the pass, descend roughly 100 vertical feet as you begin to skirt around the SE corner of Cathedral Rock. Views of Deep Lake in the valley below become consistent (The PCT cutoff will take you to Deep Lake if it of interest to your group). As you continue south and west around Cathedral Rock, you will have some light scrambling to deal with, before re-entering a wooded section of the trail. Keep in mind that there are multiple hikers trails in this area, all of which will ultimately lead to the summit.  Some will bypass Peggy’s Pond and some are more direct than others. However, they all generally end up on the Mount Daniel ridgeline eventually. If Peggy’s Pond is the destination (standard route), then follow the trail that continues to skirt around the base of Cathedral Rock. If you find yourself hiking away (west) from the rock, chances are you are on a side trail and will have to backtrack to get to Peggy's Pond.

At 5.25 miles, reach Peggy’s Pond. A popular camping location, not just for the lake itself, but for the large stream tumbling down the mountain northwest of it (good camping there as well). From Peggy’s Pond, the trail trends west and slightly north up an obvious ridgeline. When we climbed (late July) the ridge was mostly clear of snow until the traverse near the saddle (below the East Summit). The ridgeline ascent is very straightforward. Attempt to stay near the center of the ridge for most of the ascent, until you reach an area where continuing on the ridgeline would be perilous and an obvious snow traverse exists. The snow in this area tends to linger here late into the season (as it currently is) and the grade is moderate/steep at times. An ice axe and micro-spikes (crampons may be overkill for most) are recommended. At 6.85 miles (1.6 miles from the Pond) reach the saddle below the East Peak.

• If the East Peak is your goal, then the summit is approximately 0.2 miles and roughly 225 vertical feet above you. Some low level (Class 2-3) scrambling required. Stick to the east (right as you look at the summit) side of the ridge as you ascend the East Peak for the least technical route. The views from this peak rival any of the other peaks on the mountain.
• If the West Peak is the goal (or all 3 peaks), continue past the saddle heading N/NW along the base of the East Peak above a moderately steep runoff. An obvious (and semi-flat) ridgeline connects to a high point between the East and West Peaks. Follow the ridgeline up the sub-peak, and then back down the far side - trending N/NW once again. The route to the West Peak (true summit) is obvious at this point. To achieve the North Peak, simply retrace your steps and ascend the roughly 150 vertical feet to that peak’s summit. Return the way you came.  Total distance (one-way) for all three peaks (East, North, then West) from the trailhead is 8.25 miles.

My Garmin tracked me at 15.5 miles and 8,004 feet elevation gain total (RT).