Hannegan Pass and Peak, Copper Ridge, Copper Lake & Copper Ridge Loop — Saturday, Jul. 20, 2024

Thanks to the wonderful rangers in Marblemount and Glacier who helped the 4 of us change our permit after our original plan for a 4-day trip in the Cascade Pass / Sahale Arm area was made unwise by a fire. I'd been torn between there and Copper Ridge anyway so I was thrilled we were able to get walk-up permits for here. 

On Saturday we did the relatively short hike to Hannegan Pass Camp, but it took an exhausting 3 hours because of our late start (due to Marblemount detour) and the heat. We were told to expect crowds there (no permits were available at Boundary Camp) but we easily found a fine site for our 3 tents and there seemed to be enough for everyone even on a nice summer weekend. One member of our party did a sidetrip to Hannegan Peak. The bugs were terrible anytime we stopped on the trail and in camp -- biting flies during the day and mosquitoes at dusk. That's when I realized that I had somehow failed to pack my headnet as my friends had, so...

On Sunday morning I decided to ask hikers heading out if they'd either sell me their headnet or lend it to me to be returned, cleaned, along with homemade brownies. The first person I asked insisted on just giving it to me, an incredibly nice gesture which I will pay forward. Then we hiked 7.5 hours to Copper Lake. The only significant water sources between Hannegan Camp and Copper Lake are a waterfall about 10 minutes before Boundary Camp, Boundary Camp (which requires a 5 minute walk down from the trail and then back; we each carried 3 liters from there), and Egg Lake (only in a bind since it requires descending a good distance off the trail). Much of the climb on the ridge was nicely shaded in forest. We enjoyed the (unstaffed) lookout despite a fair amount of smoke in the sky. The smoke cleared and the sun came out when we reached Copper, and the ensuing swim was a highlight of our trip.

On Monday we hung out for a while at Copper Lake, taking a walk onto the peninsula. Then we returned to the lookout and were entertained by a family of a mother and 6 baby ptarmigans, before proceeding to Egg Lake in 4 hours. We took the first campsite, near a bear box and toilet; there seemed to be another toilet but no bear box for the other campsites at the end of the lake, so those foiks had to come back to the bear box near us.  Our campsite came equipped with a paperback book and a paintbrush, more interesting than the stray tent stake that you typically find. (We carried them out.) Unfortunately a chilly breezy fog descending on us that afternoon and evening, making a swim unappealing. But it meant we found no bugs (and, more important, no bugs found us) despite previous reports that Egg Lake was super-buggy.

On Tuesday the sun came out, with moderate temperatures, for our hike out, which took 5.75 hours. We took a cooling, cleansing dip in the stream by the trailhead before heading to Graham's for some real food.

Flowers were amazing throughout the trip.

I asked the ranger when the full Copper Ridge Loop might reopen after the 2022 fire damage. He said a crew was working on the PNT section adjacent to the loop this year, and then would start on the loop next year and probably spend a couple of years on it. Obviously that is neither official nor certain but it would mean no loop until at least 2027. 

The road to the trailhead is full of big potholes but any car can handle it.