While I've hiked the Naches Peak Loop trail several times, this was my first trip north on the PCT from Chinook Pass. We arrived at the trailhead just before 9 AM, and by that time the parking lots were nearly full. As we hiked, looking back at 410 while it was still visible from the trail, we could see the lots fill up and cars begin to line the shoulder, so if you want to hike this trail on a Saturday, be sure to get an early start!
The trail to Sheep Lake was in great condition, and we reached the lake in what felt like no time at all. After pausing at the lake to hydrate, have a quick snack, and take a few photos, we continued on towards Sourdough Gap.
On the climb up to the gap, we stopped many times to admire (and photograph!) the abundant asters covering the slopes in shades of purple. I usually give my attention to showier flowers like lupine and balsamroot, but en masse the asters were spectacular! Along the way we also found what seemed to be the first few early ripe blueberries. The trail was lined with bushes, so soon there should be plenty of opportunity for snacking on this hike.
The views from Sourdough Gap were very much worth the climb, even with haze from wildfire smoke limiting visibility. Before turning back, we took a short detour on a connector trail to a knob overlooking Crystal Lake and a partial view of Tahoma.
While we saw very few other hikers early in the day, the trail was much busier on our hike back down.
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