White Pass - Pilot Ridge Loop, North Fork Sauk River, Bald Eagle Mountain, Dishpan Gap & Glacier Peak Meadows — Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020

I headed out on the Mountain Loop Hwy and FS49 (Cadet Creek Road on old maps) for a 3-day loop via the Bald Eagle Mountain Trail, PCT and North Fork Sauk River Trail.

The road is rough but drivable for any car as long as you watch the potholes. I came in from the Granite Falls side and found the unpaved section of the Mtn Loop Hwy to be worse than FS49. The North Fork Sauk TH was packed when I arrived Sunday around 10am. I skipped it and parked at the Bald Eagle TH 3 miles further down the road, which only had 3 other cars parked.

The Bald Eagle Trail is one of my favorites. It is overgrown in many places but always easy to follow. There are a few blow-downs but only one requires scrambling over. There are a few good campsites as you ascend, starting at Curry Gap. I only saw two people all day, camped at another lovely site about halfway to June Mountain. Water is abundant along the lower trail but becomes scarce higher up. The entire area from June Mountain to the Blue Lakes and along the Bald Eagle Trail to Dishpan Gap is dry. There are a few snowmelt puddles to filter from but they will likely be gone in the next couple of weeks. I camped on June Mountain the first night. The moon was so bright I didn’t even bother with my headlamp. The “campsite” on June is more of a bivy spot: a tiny patch of dirt in the meadow with a little fire ring beside it. If you are visiting this area as part of a larger party, or if you have a larger footprint when you camp, I would suggest not camping where I did. There are some nice sites past June Mtn where the Bald Eagle Trail meets the Pilot Ridge Trail that are big enough for tents.

I broke camp in the morning and headed for Dishpan Gap. My original plan was to do the Blue Lake Loop and head out Pilot Ridge, but I would have finished in two days and I wanted more meadows. I took the Bald Eagle Trail to Dishpan, skipping Blue Lake and the High Route, and hiked the PCT north to Red Pass. There are a few lingering snowfields to cross on the Bald Eagle that may require traction. The slope is not steep though, so I chose to cross awkwardly without spikes. The PCT has water, but sources are spread out, so take advantage of each one as you pass. Holy guacamole, that section of the Bald Eagle and PCT are really something. Flowers. Marmots. Eagles. Mountains. Meadows. Joy. Freedom. More flowers. I only saw four people all day: 2 thru-hikers along the trail and 2 more at White Pass.

I got to Red Pass and took a break. It was still early afternoon so I decided to continue down to Glacier Peak Meadows and find a campsite down yonder. There are leftover snowfields on the north side of the pass but they are easily avoided or crossed. I found a sweet little spot down by the cinder cone and made camp. I don’t think I technically made it to the official Glacier Peak Meadows area, but I was close. I scrambled the cone and explored around a bit, but the best part was just sitting and soaking in all the colossal scenery. The second night was bright like the first, and Glacier had a little tantrum, hurling strong winds and thick clouds down on the basin. The wind kept changing directions, and I was afraid my tarp would be blown away or shredded apart. Lucky for me though, the mountain proved unable to dislodge me from my awesome campsite.

I woke before dawn and quickly packed. My aim was to get back up to Red Pass for some dawn photos. I made it to the pass just as the sun rose and snapped some great pics of Glacier and Sloan Peak. After breakfast at the pass, I headed back along the PCT to the North Fork Sauk River Trail and took it back to the trailhead, road, and eventually my car. The work that was done on the switchbacks last year really improved things! The trail is much less eroded and safer to hike than it used to be. Past Mackinaw Rubble Hea- I mean, Shelter, the trail is darn near perfect all the way out. WTA and others work out here all the time and it shows. I passed many parties as I headed down; most were climbers. Two groups were doing the White Pass/Pilot Ridge Loop, and one was headed to Glacier Peak Meadows. I checked out the river crossing at the junction with the Pilot Ridge Trail and it looks very doable. My brother did it last week as part of a trail run and he said it was fine. There is a log to cross on and the water is not too deep. I can’t speak as to the current conditions of Pilot Ridge, but I’ve done it before and I will say only this: planning on doing the White Pass/Pilot Loop? Clockwise. For the love of God, clockwise. Hiking UP Pilot Ridge makes the North Fork Sauk switchbacks seem like a pleasant afternoon stroll.

In all, this was a grand and glorious 3-day loop, which I hope to repeat in the future. I love this area for many reasons, but among them is flexibility. There are so many trails and loop options that you can change your route on a whim if you want to. Oh, and I forgot to mention the bugs. You will definitely need repellent, but the bugs are not bad everywhere and they tend to come and go. I only used my DEET lotion the first day.

Summary: RT: ~36 miles w/~7k gain took it easy averaged like 11 miles/day

“He loved mountains, or he had loved the thought of them marching on the edge of stories brought from far away; but now he was borne down by the insupportable weight of Middle-earth. He longed to shut out the immensity in a quiet room by a fire.”

-J.R.R. Tolkien, "The Return of the King"