Knapsack Pass, Spray Park — Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020

I've often wondered at turning Spray Park into a loop by going over what I now know is Knapsack Pass. Finally, I got the chance to check it out. 

With a partner, we arrived at Mowich at 8:00am. The road was in better condition than I remember it. We started right away. When you get to the ranger cabin, continue along the lake a bit longer and the trail is obvious as it turns toward the pass. The trail to the pass is not nearly as rough as I expected. It was easy to follow, not overgrown, and winds it's way up through a beautiful valley with great views all around. Highly recommended. It gets a little steep right before the pass, but doesn't require any scrambling. The views from the pass are stunning in every direction.

I was glad we waited an extra week after reading reports of moderate snow in Spray Park. There was no snow while immediately descending, which was good. The trail is steep and involved a small amount of scrambling. Once the immediate descent was over, we had a very large snow field to cross, only interrupted by a boulder outcropping. It's very flat with no exposure, so snow was no problem. 

When we reached the nose of Mt. Pleasant, there was snow and some exposure, so we decided to take the opportunity to go up Pleasant. Part way up, we saw a hiker who came behind us and entered Spray Park directly, presumably without a problem. The climb up Pleasant was snow free and was more exposed than Knapsack Pass but was clear and wide enough to not pose any real danger. We enjoyed the challenge and were glad to be going down the steep trail from the saddle instead of up it. 

The rest of the trip was uneventful. We explored the Park and completed the loop back to Mowich. 

The mosquitoes were non-existent going up Knapsack, moderate on the snow fields, bad enough to stop and lotion up on Pleasant, and mild in Spray Park.

If you're looking for a new way to enjoy Spray Park or an entry-level adventure, I highly recommend Knapsack Pass - as long as the weather is good and the snow is clear.