This trail's popularity speaks for itself -- and WTA's incredibly thorough and helpful trail description says the rest. I recommend taking screenshots for reference on the trail. A few things I'll add:
- I arrived a little after 8:00am and, despite being the only car on the road for miles, showed up to probably 50 cars in the lot and on the road. The trail register showed that 25 parties had already gotten started. When I got back around 2:30pm (2.5 hours up; a little more coming down; snack and sun at Foggy Lake), there were some 70 parties in the register and probably 100 cars on the road. Despite this, I didn't find the trail particularly packed. The most brutal stretches created some bottlenecks, but most people found their own pace, and I had significant stretches of solitude on both the ascent and descent. I wouldn't say I saw any true crowds until Foggy Lake. Of course, this many hikers in one place can quickly become unpleasant or damaging to the environment, and my positive experience was partially dependent on the fact that almost everyone seemed to be committed to leaving no trace -- please keep up the good work, Washington!
- I'm embarrassingly prone to losing the trail, and I had two moments of confusion on the way up. First, about 2.5 miles in, there is pretty significant treefall blocking the trail. I somehow wandered around the downed trees, traversed the hill, and had to drop down on some unsuspecting hikers like Spiderman. On the way back down, it became apparent that you just need to go over, not around, the trees (duh). Second, as other reports have noted, the initial "stream crossing" after crossing into DNR land is currently a small waterfall over a narrow, but steep, gully. It turned out to be a super simple crossing, but I didn't even register the possibility at first and kept looking for another switchback. Of course, once I looked up a little and saw the trail pick up on the other side, the path was obvious. I literally said "oh" out loud, made a face, and got on with the day.
- As other reports have also noted, the area is blissfully and shockingly low on mosquitoes. I saw various biting bugs but never felt overly bothered. Without any bug spray, I managed to get out with just a bite or two. But I did get swarmed by bees or wasps on the road walk, which was rather unnerving. And between Gothic Basin and Foggy Lake, there are beautiful patches of heather in bloom, drawing out lots of similar stinging pollinators. Those seemed thoroughly uninterested in people, but there were moments when their collective buzzing created an audible hum. A gentle reminder to stay on the trail.
- This is a perfect trail for using a water filter or filtered bottle. Due to the grade and exposure on the uphill, I drank more water than I have on any other similar trail this season. But also due to the grade and exposure, I would hate to lug in all that water up front, and there are plenty of picturesque water sources along the way.
Other than that, the rumors are true. This trail is an absolute banger, but it should be approached with a little respect. While I'm in awe of what trail crews have achieved here, heading back down the rocky stretches is slow, a little stressful, and seriously grueling for the knees. In return, you get an incredible variety of ecosystems, a smidge of fun scrambling, and a great day in the Cascades.
Today's company: a flock of friendly Pacific Wrens -- potentially a family with fledglings; a quick little garter snake; grasshoppers that click when they fly; Apollo butterflies; a Douglas Squirrel; some kind of swift or swallow at Foggy Lake; possibly a lowland pika (heard but not seen); ripening thimbleberries; and lots of good smells from conifers and wildflowers.
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