Lake Valhalla, Mount McCausland — Friday, Jul. 17, 2020

**FOUND: A smartphone was left at our campsite that wasn't ours! It was an Android (not sure which model - sorry) and had a camera lens attachment to the main camera. It was left at our campsite on 7/18. If you think this is your phone, we passed it on to a ranger we met on the way out on 7/19. Call the ranger station (I think the ranger worked at the Skykomish station, but I forgot to ask so they could be at Wenatchee) to claim it! The ranger said it would be passed on to the Sheriff's Office after a few days if not claimed.**

I spent two nights at Lake Valhalla with a few friends. We hiked in via the Smithbrook Trailhead on Friday night. Bugs were bad at the trailhead, which was something I hadn't experienced much before, so that can kind of give you an idea of what they were like at the lake. The trail was in pretty good shape until the junction with the PCT. There was one tree across the trail but it's not too much of a hassle to pass under. There wasn't much snow up until this point. Once you meet the PCT, turn left to go to Lake Valhalla. After this point there is one more tree down that isn't a big deal and snow.

There is still a decent amount of snow covering about half the trail. There has been enough traffic that it's easy to follow the muddy prints and not get lost. You can make it pretty easily without spikes or poles, but it gets pretty slushy in the afternoon. You can also see many spots where the snow is pretty thin with water running underneath it, so I think for the next few weeks you'll want to be careful with your steps. The snow probably won't be totally gone until a week or two into August. Once you reach the lake, it gets a bit more difficult to follow the official trail because so many people (including us) have unknowingly followed streams instead. If you see a "lake access" sign, stay to the right to follow what I think is the actual trail. But the day use area and campsites at the lake are free of snow and are beautiful. Where there isn't snow, there is mud from all the melt, so don't wear shoes you care about getting muddy.

We hiked around the lake on Saturday, and I'll just say that there isn't really much of a trail all the way around. There's a bit of a boot path that's brushy but easy enough to follow if you go to the right from the day use area. If you make it to the other end of the lake, you have the choice to turn around and come back the way you came, or try to go all the way around across the rocky slope on the other side. We were feeling adventurous and figured there would be a trail once you got past the rocks. It was fun at first, but the farther counter-clockwise you go the dicier the rock climbing gets. Its not for the faint of heart or those who aren't entirely comfortable on their feet. And once you do make it past the rocks there really isn't much of a trail. What's there is steep and eroding. I took a bit of a tumble into the lake (I'm okay!) so if you do choose to go just be very careful.

As for Mount McCausland, it was a great way to get away from all the day hikers at the lake. The trail up the mountain isn't marked, and currently its hard to see because the branch off from the Valhalla trail is covered in snow. Basically, the turn off to McCausland is right at the top of the ridge before you start going down to the lake. If you're hiking in the direction of the lake, it'll be on your right. Look for a snow field which will have our and a few other boot tracks on it. You should be able to see the trail just above the snow. There are a few snow fields across the trail, one or two that get slippery as the snow melts in the sun, but again passable without spikes or poles. Once you get past the snow, the trail is steep, but the views are worth it! You can see Rainier in the far distance on a clear day.

Sorry for the wordy report! Hopefully some of the info is helpful and whoever lost their phone gets it back. Overall it was a great weekend!