Spinola Creek, Trail Creek, Waptus Horse Ford, Waptus Lake via Waptus River, Cathedral Rock, Deep Lake, Moonshine Lake, Lake Michael, Peggy's Pond & Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) Section J - Snoqualmie Pass to Stevens Pass — Wednesday, Jul. 21, 2021

I did a modified version of the clockwise loop suggested by Nathan and Jeremy Barnes (of hikingwithmybrother.com fame) in their book Alpine Lakes Wilderness--The Complete Hiking Guide. I would not have thought of putting this loop together if I hadn't read the book, and it was amazing! So if you tackle it, please consider buying their book.

Day 1: Arrived at the Tucquala Meadows TH at the end of Fish Lake Rd, aka FS Rd 4430, midmorning on a Wednesday and scored the last spot in the primary parking lot (there is a small overflow lot). I was very surprised by this, as the TH is 12 miles down a very rough road! When I returned Friday afternoon, all lots were full and people were parked down the road. Something to consider for your planning.

Started at Cathedral Rock trail (Note: Gaia GPS shows the Cathedral Rock trail as the Cathedral Pass trail). Turned Left at Trail Creek trail (note: Gaia depicts the Squitch Lake trail as an alternate route that turns off from the CR trail before TC and parallels it, but I could not discern a trail where the map said it was. It appears to be very overgrown.) Trail Creek Trail is a mellow, gradual descent through the forest. Pretty, but no views. Turned left at Lake Michael Trail. The LM Tr Intersection is well signed but a few hundred feet down the trail from where GPS thinks it is. Hiked 1.6 steep miles to the unsigned intersection with Moonshine Lake Trail (not depicted on Green Trails but is on Gaia GPS). The intersection is obvious, but it's hidden behind a small pine on the left so it would be easy to go past it. Hiked another steep .5 mile to Moonshine, a very pretty lake with several camping options. This is a hidden gem! I set up my tent and set off around 4:30, with fixings for dinner, for a day hike to Michael and Terence Lakes. At this point I was wishing I'd gotten an earlier start, because I wasn't sure about making it to Terence Lake and back before dark. Michael is another tough 2 miles, with an extended descent followed by an ascent. It is gorgeous! Circling the lake I passed by a boulder field guarded by a marmot who was VERY concerned about my presence. (Side note: unlike the marmots around Mt. Rainier that are accustomed to humans, this one had an alarm call that sounded like someone blowing a whistle as hard as they could. I actually thought there was a person in distress somewhere, and I was calling out to them before I saw the marmot and realized where the sound was coming from.) Anyway, I moved on before Grandma Marmot had a heart attack and had a sunset dinner on a rocky beach. At this point I accepted that Lake Terence, although reputed to be the most beautiful of this set of three, was another tough two miles down the trail and so wasn't in the cards for me that day. I returned to Moonshine and got to my tent just as it was getting dark.

Day 2: Returned to Trail Creek, and turned left. This portion of TC is an extended descent through forest with a few more views, a bit more scenic than the segment prior to Michael Lake. Before Trail Creek intersects with the Waptus River Trail, there is a knee deep (I'm 5'7") ford of the Waptus River. There was a possible crossing log about 100' downstream but it looked a little sketchy so I didn't attempt it. After crossing I turned right on the Waptus River Trail. A mile down the WR trail there is a sign on the right saying bridge out, take the horse ford a little ways down the trail. So you end up crossing the Waptus River again at another knee deep ford. I made a few quick turns to connect to the Spinola Creek trail and thence to PCT (there are lots trails intersecting here with some signs, but it would be very confusing without a map). Took PCT north (right turn) to Deep Lake. This an extended ascent made less painful by the increasingly gorgeous views of the valley you are climbing out of. Several portions of the ascent are unshaded so I was really feeling the heat. At the top of the switchbacks there is a sweeeet campsite off to the right with an incredible view of the valley. No water access though. The trail mellows out from here to Deep Lake. Made camp at Deep Lake. Most of the camp sites and the toilet are on the west side. There was a group camped on the east side so there is at least one site there that looked like a great setup, but no toilet (and I understand from a previous trip report that there are a lot of poorly buried poop piles around it, ick). The toilet on the west side is a bit hard to find, but it is located up a hill to the west of the lake. If you scout around the camp trails you'll see a small "Toilet" sign propped up against the bottom of a stump. I had planned to double back on the PCT after making camp and take a side trip to Lake Vicente, but after 12 miles I again adjusted my expectations and decided to leave it for another day. My decision was validated when I chatted with a couple the next day who said the final push to Vicente is a fairly technical scramble--not something I'd want to tackle late in the day and tired.

Day 3: Got back on PCT north to Cathedral Pass. Steady ascent for 3 miles, but the long switchbacks take the bite out of the elevation gain. I dropped my pack at the side of the trail, and took a day pack for a side trip to Peggy's Pond. (I left a note on the pack so as not to alarm or confuse any passersby about an unattended pack on the trail.) I was nervous about the PP trail because I'd read it was fairly precarious. And looking at the face of Cathedral Rock (which the PP trail crosses) from Deep Lake way down below certainly made it look scary! It is precarious and involves some scrambling, but if you take your time and stay focused you should be fine. That said, although I saw people on PP will full backpacks, I would not have felt safe negotiating it with my own 30-lb pack. PP itself is another beautiful lake with several camping sites (for those more surefooted than I!) and a toilet. I returned to the PCT and took a 2nd side trip up the unsigned Deep Lake Ridge Trail (so named on Gaia GPS, and depicted but unnamed on Green Trails). This trail departs to the right of the PCT a few hundred yards down the trail from the PP trail. The Deer Lake Ridge Trail is another hidden gem! It meanders along the ridge for over a mile with mellow elevation changes and spectacular views on all sides. If you proceed far enough down the trail, then boom! all of a sudden Tacoma appears in all her majesty from behind the mountains to the west of the ridge. What an unexpected treat. The ridge has no official campsite but several places are suitable to pitch a tent. Water is bit iffy though, I saw only one very shallow pond. After having my lunch in the shade of a pine, I returned to PCT, picked up my pack, and started back to the trailhead. The Cathedral Rock/Pass (depending on which map you're using) trail splits off to the right of the PCT after a quarter mile or so. I passed by a beautiful unnamed lake on the left, followed the CR trail down an extended descent with views galore, and passed the lake called "Sq**w (because it's really a slur, this lake needs to be renamed) on the right. There is at least one camp site and a signed toilet trail branching off just past the lake on the right. From there I continued past the Trail Creek intersection I had taken two days before, and descended on the seemingly endless series of switchbacks to the TH.

Mosquitoes: Didn't bother me until I stopped moving, then showed more interest. They weren't too bad though, maybe because I treated my clothes and pack with Permethrin. I had a head net but didn't really need it.

It was a great trip, although Lakes Vicente and Terence remain on my bucket list.