I did this north-to-south, going from White Pass to Blue Lake and out.
Mosquitos weren't bad, though you will be visited by flies in the wooded areas of Pilot Ridge and the North Sauk valley floor. They like to encourage you to move on to prettier bits.
Between people doing the loop and people making for Glacier Peak, the trailhead parking gets crowded. I came in on a Tuesday afternoon, and couldn't park right at the trailhead. There's a few more spots on the 1/8mi road between FR 49 and the trailhead, which worked fine. Coming out Friday night, I passed several groups making for Red Creek and Mackinaw Shelter late in the day. Sure, it's Friday of Labor Day weekend, which will draw worse crowds than usual. I'd still do this midweek if at all possible. Your most crowded campsites will be in the North Sauk valley, where the loop folks and Glacier Peak folks share a path.
There are few reliable water sources right on the trail between Mackinaw and Blue Lake. There's still more water than you'd think. On 9/2 I passed usable on-trail trickles half a mile north of Indian Pass and on the east side of Kodak Mountain. On 9/4 I found trailside snow on the west face of Johnson Mountain, and a trickle about 2 miles above the North Fork Sauk.
If you pass a trickle, consider tanking up. There's a number of gorgeous dry tent sites between Indian Pass and Dishpan Gap, several unmarked. If you've lucked into a trickle and got stocked up, you'll have the option of taking a dry site. Plus, if you stopped short of Blue Lake, you'll get to Blue Lake early, and maybe have it to yourself for a bit.
The Johnson Mountain summit trail is narrow. I have very big feet and managed fine, though I was paying extra attention in the upper half of it. I didn't find it as sketchy as I'd heard. If narrow trails make you nervous, pass. Otherwise, mind the footing, and enjoy a nice summit.
Blue Lake is full of trails between campsites, which makes it tricky to figure out which trail leads on to Johnson Mountain. If you're having trouble, go find the sign for the latrine. Face that sign. The arrow should be pointing to your right. Turn around, 180 degrees, and go down that trail. It will bend a bit, then you'll see a branch that leads downhill, dropping away from Blue Lake. Take that branch. That will lead you to the junction on the map. From there, wayfinding is easy.
Ideally you'd do this hike with an extra day's food so you can do some more exploring of the branches off the PCT, or just take a rest day someplace nice. It's great up there! There's still some wildflowers out, and it's prime huckleberry season.
Comments