I am a scoutmaster out of the Yakima area and we took 2 Boy Scout groups on this hike starting on Saturday, but going opposite directions. Both groups experienced similar conditions but since I was only with one I will write about our experience. We backpacked from Chinook to White Pass over three days. On our first day we stopped for lunch at Dewey Lake after crossing a handful of easy snow patches within the first mile or so. Once we started to descend to Dewey the bugs became a nuisance and didn't get any better until we passed the turn off to American Lake. The trail has not been logged out yet so their are a few downed trees but nothing very challenging to avoid. We camped for the night right next to Two Lakes. The second day we experienced many more downed trees as well as a bridge was out right after Fish Lake. There is a sturdy log that we choose to use to cross the stream just to the East of the regular crossing. We had been told by our partner group that the bugs were unbearable in this area but we found the tolerable while hiking and with a fire likely because of the rain and mist we had most of the day. This day we camped at Pipe Lake. Our last day we hiked out from Pipe to the trailhead and this pathway was wide and easy to hike. There were very few obstacles on this last section.

We Made It,/; Wesley! Beautiful trip and I would highly recommend it, but it can be difficult at times. We did 3 days and 2 nights. We went South to North, but we saw many people doing North to South. Our initial plan was to spend night #1 at Pipe Lake and night #2 at Cougar Lake. We set out at 10AM on Saturday and it was very early in the afternoon when we got to Pipe Lake so we kept going. This was a great decision, as the mosquitos were some of the worst I've ever experienced at that point. From Snow Lake and beyond was much better. Many small lakes/pond through most of this day. There was no shortage of water sources throughout the entire trip. We ended up doing 14 miles day #1, arriving at Fish Lake around 6PM. The site was fairly open, so the wind made it chillier. I slept in a 40 degree bag, hiking pants, socks, UnderArmour ColdGear shirt, and a light beanie. I felt fine that night. There was a group of 3 guys already and we shared the camp with them. They had planned on doing White Pass-Chinook originally too, but opted not to because they checked out the snow at Chinook the week before. We decided the push ahead anyways, but made some plans for either doing a large loop or heading straight back in case things got too bad as we headed North. Day #2 was the most difficult, but the most awe-inspiring. Fantastic views! We started at around 9AM and got in at 6PM. The first 3 miles was a 1500' climb with some down trees that added difficulty. After the ascent we got snow on and off. Never enough to not see the next spot on the trail. The rest of the day was more difficult than I expected since after the initial ascent to 5700' we were supposed to end up at 5200' feet at Dewey. Felt like more ascents, but probably because of sore legs from day #1 and the snow. Day #2 we hiked 11.7 miles and spent night #2 at the far end of Dewey Lake (better camp sites at that end). This only left us a short distance the last day, so even if the snow was really bad, we figured we could still make it (it never got as bad as we feared it could). No camp fires allowed at Dewey Lake, but very beautiful. We thought it might be a colder night because of the snow and elevation difference to Fish lake, so I added long-johns to what I wore the night before, and we put the emergency blanket over our sleeping bags. I was actually quite toasty most of the night. Only 2.7 miles out the last day. We left at 9AM and got out at 11:15AM. Initially there was a 600' climb over 1.2 miles. You will hit the peak for the day right after the trail junction to Tipsoo Lake (to your left). That is when the most snow will begin as you turn and follow along Naches Mountain to your left and another ascent to your right. Even if the snow makes you lose the trail these will keep you going the right direction (just don't try to climb straight up any mountain and you'll end up at Hwy 410). The snow was packed pretty well. We didn't have any poles or other gear. The most snow was for about a mile and then spotty again before ending. Happy Hiking!

I hiked the first 8 miles of the PCT north of White Pass. There was no snow and no blow downs over the first 1.5 miles. There were a few blow downs and many snow patches over the rest of the trip. The blow downs were east to get by. The snow was never challenging to cross or to find where the trail continued. There are a few peek-a-boo views of surrounding mountains. There are many lakes and meadows. The flowers are just starting to come out. The lakes, bogs, and all of the standing water from melting snow made this hike very heavy with mosquitoes. I did not stop for more than 90 seconds, they would start to swarm. A non-deet repellant didn't seem to do much good.

A quick 14-mile overnight up the PCT into the lake country north of White Pass. We had our eye on Dumbbell Lake (and would love to get back there), but ended up in a nice camp spot north of Dumbbell near one of the other gazillion lakes in the area. This section of the PCT has a totally different character than the areas further north that we've explored. Very pretty country, even without the big views I typically seek. Trails: We're in pretty good shape, and pretty wide in spots. Totally clear, and just a few trail structures eroded in places. A bit horsey if that bothers you (we don't mind). People: Were, of course, all lovely. Passed about 8 thru-hikers headed north, 3 trail runners who were working on some long miles, a few other backpackers, and about 4 groups of day riders (all super nice). It sounds like a lot, but the area felt pretty quiet and there is lots of room to spread out. Camps/water: Lots of camps tucked here and there on named and unnamed lakes. The established camps seemed like they were all pretty clean -- good leave no trace practices used by those who came before us. Thank you! Running water is pretty scarce for this area, so refill at the cleaner watering holes/lakes. Sand Lake is probably the best example of how dry things are right now off of White Pass -- super shallow and mucky around the edges. Still, plenty of water every few miles. Bugs: The area is notorious for bad bugs, but they honesty weren't bad. An upside to the lack of water. A bit annoying, but our experiment to replace DEET with lemon eucalyptus oil held them off. Wildlife: We danced along the first mile trying not to step on the hundreds of baby frogs kicking it in the trail. The other highlight was a dusk elk spotting. Dogs: They had an awesome time, except that our youngest, Lula, sprained her tail with happiness. For reals. Again. We encountered enough horses, I was glad we kept them leashed to manage encounters. A great trip, and a great start to Hike-a-Thon. If you found this trip report helpful, sponsor our team: Ultra Slow (and we are). wta.org/hikeathon

After considering this hike for several months I talked my friend into hiking it with me. We parked a car at Chinook Pass then headed to White Pass. The nice lady at the White Pass gas station allowed me to park my car there as we only had 1 forest service pass. We walked down Highway 12 a quarter mile to the trail head and headed out. The first section up to Sand Lake (3miles) was a bit of a climb for us. During this portion we saw hundreds of tiny frogs on the trail. After a short break at Sand Lake and with no plans of camping anywhere particular, we continued on to Pipe Lake, about 4hrs from the trail head. We found a nice campsite along the lake and posted up for the night. We settled in and enjoyed a little whiskey, wine and went for a dip. There was another nice campsite on the water but it was taken. The next morning we slept in a bit and headed out about 10:30am, again with no plans on where to camp. We followed the trail, relatively flat for several miles until we came upon a creek with no apparent crossing. After surveying the area for a couple minutes wondering if we missed a turn we decided the trail continued directly across the creek, which it does. So…rock hopping we went, glad I brought my hiking poles! After crossing the creek and a few more miles of hiking we encountered another relatively strenuous climb sidewinding up the side of a hill. Wouldn’t you know it, as soon as unzip the legs on my pants converting them to shorts I get stung in the calf by a dang bee…Ouch! We continued on, up and up. I’ve read this is a ‘decent’ elevation gain, but it was strenuous for us and I developed two blisters on each of my heels. We filter water at laughing creek (I think). It has a nice bridge crossing? Up we went again. Another strenuous climb along a rocky ridge and onto Two Lakes. Our IPhone step counter app had us a 15.03 miles from Pipe Lake to Two-Lakes (7.5hrs). I have to say it felt like it! We finally made it two lakes about 6pm and set up camp in the soft grass along the lake. There were three more campers at the first campsite on the dirt. We set up camp, finished the wine and whiskey, filtered our water, and made some freeze dried Pad Thai. We went to bed around 9pm as it was getting a little cold out. The last day we woke up at 8:30 and headed to Chinook Pass. It took about 4.5 hours to get to the car and my step counter had us at 13 miles from Two-Lakes to our car. Again, I have to say the hike out of Dewey Lake was tough with our packs and the sun beating down on us. I highly recommend this hike for any novice hiker that wants a bit of challenge! The wta website says it 28 miles but we clocked it a bit longer. 7.5 miles to Pipe Lake, although it felt a bit longer:) 15 miles to Two-Lakes, and 14 to our car at Chinook. I am guessing it was around 35 miles. Enjoy:)