Hiked in a party of three along the White Pass-Blue Lake WTA route, spending 2 nights and 3 days on the loop.
Day one [July 3] up to White pass: The trail was overgrown in places with a steep ascent approaching camp. Water was abundant. Only a little snow near the top. Camp was thawed and great. For WTA: the toilet is near full.
Day two [July 4] from White Pass to Blue Lake: The trail was mostly covered in snowfields, snow bridges, and required extensive route-finding and GPS, with occasional dry glimpses of dirt path. Water was abundant. Very exposed and hot under the full sun. Not wanting to slog another 4 miles through snow, we took the Blue lake high trail. We made it through with boots/trail runners, poles, and a bit of glissading. Boots were nice for kicking steps, but the trail runners were dry before dark. The snow quickly turned slushy as the day went on and we began post-holing on the snow bridges. Blue lake camp was also mostly thawed and wonderful.
Day three [July 5] from Blue Lake to trailhead: Trail was about a quarter snow covered for the first couple miles, much easier going, and with way more visible path. No water (only snow) was available for the top half. Second half crisscrosses a stream and was nearly snow free.
Road: 7 miles of potholes but my boat of a sedan made it through with careful maneuvering.
Bugs: Hover flies were everywhere and really annoying - they didn’t bite or sting though.
Weather: Sunny, 70s during the day and 40s at night
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