*we did not take the standard route from White Pass to Pilot Ridge, we went up the Curry Gap / Bald Eagle trail to avoid crowds.
Day 1: NF Sauk TH to Curry Camp; easy hike in, lot of bugs, blowdowns, snow at Curry Gap; one campsite not covered in snow.
Day 2: to Little Blue Lake; clear up to the ridge, then snow on the N side of Bald Eagle, and lots of snow on the ridge to June Mtn, passable w ice axes & yaktrax. From June down to Blue Lakes was mostly snow, but easier travel. Incredible views of Monte Cristo, Sloan, Daniel and Hinman; even a peak at Rainier.
Day 3: to Pilot Ridge; easy hike, spent most of the day at the Johnson Mtn Lookout; there's enough snowmelt at the junction to Pilot Ridge to filter water, which we then carried up to camp on Pilot Ridge. We counted 4 bivy worthy camp spots, and one stellar spot on the ridge. The Johnson lookout is fantastic with amazing views of the central cascades and even Baker & Rainier. Too bad it's covered in glass and rusty parts from the old structure.
Day 4: hiked out to NF Sauk TH; more snow, bugs, and blowdowns but easy travel.
Overall great trip, saw only 6 people on a holiday weekend. Amazing views of Glacier, Monte Cristo, Sloan, Daniel, Hinman, even Baker and Rainier.
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