We had a nice time making a quick loop from Dishpan Gap to Cady Pass and back down this weekend. We did White Pass two weeks ago and enjoyed that this was a much easier grade up to the PCT! Our itinerary:
- Day 1: North Fork Skykomish trailhead to junction with Pass Creek Junction
- Day 2: North Fork Skykomish trail to Dishpan Gap, continuing to Cady Pass via PCT, camping at Pass Creek Trail / PCT Junction
- Day 3: Back to TH via Pass Creek Trail and North Fork Skykomish
Some brief notes:
- The best part of these trails is the solitude! We saw few other hikers, particularly when we were off the PCT.
- Tons of bear scat on the N. Fork trail - be prepared to store food properly at those camps. We did not observe bear scat on the PCT.
- Bugs are pretty nuclear. We spent most of our afternoon and evening on night two in our tent avoiding nickel-sized mosquitos.
- There are some down trees, especially on the Pass Creek trail, but they are not terrible.
- Water availability on the PCT is currently pretty good but I wouldn't expect many of the seasonal streams to last more than a few more weeks.
- Huckleberries are still coming in. There are some bushes with berries that appear ripe along the N. Fork Skykomish trail but they are unfortunately quite tart.
Last note, the WTA website may be slightly out of date in that the Index Galena Road is open again. This road is paved all the way to the FS 63/65 junction, is a pleasant drive, and gets you off US 2 earlier if you're coming from the west.
Happy to answer questions in the comments!
Comments