I headed out on a day hike on the North Fork Sauk River trail, unsure of how far I would go. Starting at 10:30am, the first 6-7 miles on the North Fork trail are very nice old-growth forest walking with some gradual elevation gain. There is a large tree to climb over on the trail at one spot. And keep a watch out for bears, I passed one I could have reached out and poked, right off the trail on my way back out to my car at dusk, between the Pilot Ridge trail junction and the trailhead.
After the nice forest walking, it turned into a grueling climb in the sun up the switchbacks to get to the PCT. The climb itself wouldn't have been too bad, but if you stop to take a break in the shade, the black flies and bugs swarm like crazy. Bring lots of bug protection, possibly a headnet, if you're up here in the next couple weeks. The trail is also quite rocky here with some muddy sections as some streams run down the trail. There are some good views looking back at Whitehorse mountain, and the sun exposure does lend to some beautiful meadows.
Once I got up to the PCT, if was nice to be walking on a more graded trail with wonderful meadows and views. So many wildflowers are out right now! I turned south on the PCT, hoping to get a view of Glacier Peak at White Pass. Once I got there, I realized it was still blocked by a ridge in front of me. So I looked at my map and decided to climb White mountain from the pass to get a view. I left my day pack at the bottom and hiked the little boot path going up the ridgeline. You see great views to the south going up, and then suddenly cresting the top of White Mtn, there was Glacier Peak!! Well worth the extra climb. Lots of marmots running around, and a number of backpackers coming up the North Fork Sauk trail to camp at White Pass.
I turned around at that point and after a small break at the pass, at 6pm I hightailed it back to my car. Ended up making it out without needing my headlamp, back to the trailhead a little after 9pm. I hiked a lot more than I thought I would, 22 miles total and over 7000 ft elevation, but the drive to see more just kept me exploring :)
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