Day 1: Sherman Pass TH → Sherman Pass Trail → Jungle Hill TH → Jungle Hill Trail → camp at the junction with the Kettle Crest Trail. Plenty of water on Sherman Pass Trail 03, but after you start Jungle Hill, it's dry all the way until the Kettle Crest. Got passed by 3 motorized dirt bikers(?!) on the Jungle Hill trail. Wildflowers were abundant, and besides the noise and smell of diesel from the motorists, the hike was lovely. Bugs were mercifully absent until until 6000', at which point they became quite abundant, and even more so as we approached the marsh near camp. A couple midwesterners in our party said it the bugs made it feel like hiking in Wisconsin. Be prepared to wear your face net all the time if you camp here. At the camp, many of the trees are dead, so you have to look around a little bit for safe places to pitch your tent. The best source of water is from a spigot two minutes walk "south" on the Kettle Crest. Rained most of the night.
Day 2: out and back on the KCT to the N side of Scar Peak. Much the same. We didn't see any water sources that day; we checked out the camp at Wapaloosie mountain but it was not clear where you'd get your water (a mile south back at Jungle Hill camp?) Otherwise a super pleasant stroll through pretty meadows, where the lupine had collected little drops of the previous night's rain. Bugs not too bad as long as you kept moving. Dirtbikes had ridden this way the previous day and left pretty substantial tracks in the path.
Day 3. Hike back to Sherman Pass via KCT. The first water source we found was about 4 miles and change after we left camp. No bugs. There weren't Dramatic High Alpine Views but the diversity of mini-ecosystems, flora, and fauna all made for a very enjoyable long weekend.
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