FYI the Copper Ridge loop trail is now open! We didn't do the loop but we encountered folks who said they were the first along the trail as it had just opened. My son and I did a 4-day backpack trip, starting last Monday afternoon during the heat wave. Easily found a parking spot at the trailhead where there is an unstocked outhouse. The trail from there to Hannegan Camp, where we spent the first night, is a steady uphill, sometimes very exposed and other times through a shaded forest. Dunking our heads in the creek about two miles in saved us from the heat and allowed us to carry minimal water and restock along the way. We arrived at Hannegan Camp around 7pm - just about all the sites were full but a couple women kindly offered the other end of their rather large site. There's a toilet, a nice creek, and signs for a "cooking area," though it was never really clear where the cooking area is - we just cooked a ways away from our tent which is best practice. It was challenging to find a good tree limb from which to hang our food but we did pretty well considering - we didn't want to carry a bear can since the rest of our nights would be spent within the park where there are bear-proof metal boxes. The women sharing our site got up super early and left without packing up, I assume to hike up Hannegan Peak. This seems like a good way to get to the top close to sunrise if you've got a couple days. We didn't end up going to the peak because we figured the view at the Copper Ridge Lookout from the same elevation would be similarly amazing.
Next day we continued over Hannegan Pass and up to Silesia Camp, another very hot hike along a relatively dry trail that is sometimes shaded and other times unbearably exposed- no water between Boundary Camp and Egg Lake (which is a half mile and 500 feet downhill from the main trail). Silesia is perched atop the ridge with amazing views but also pretty exposed. There are two sites, one amongst a cluster of trees and the other with an in-your-face view of Mineral Mountain. We chose the less exposed one for much-needed shade and protection from wind, and we never regretted it. There are a few spots away from the site for cooking with excellent views - one facing north toward Egg Lake and the other south toward Mineral Mountain. In the evening we trekked down to Egg Lake with all our water bottles and Katadyn Base Camp filter bag, took a stupendous swim and loaded up on water, which lasted until our hike out two days later. Egg Lake was lovely but crowded; lots of pikas and marmots whistling from the avalanche chute on the west side of the lake, my son got some great pictures of them.
Next day there was relief from the heat with some cloud cover and we hiked up to the Copper Ridge Lookout - by far one of the most amazing hikes I've done in the Pacific Northwest, with a trail that winds along the ridge climbing to more and more expansive views. Hung out near the Lookout for over an hour just soaking up the beauty. There's a composting toilet up there that was surprisingly well-used though not for shy folks as it's pretty exposed. There is also a large patch of snow I suspect will be there the entire season for those desperate for water at that point.
Our hike out on the fourth day was much more pleasant though with fewer views as there was cloud cover and cooler temperatures. There were multiple groups doing work along the ridge and the loop - one group doing biology-related field work for the National Park and two others doing trail work. We especially appreciated the care given to us by the former group during a strange experience on our hike out, just west of Boundary Camp. The group was ahead of us and stopped to hike with us past a man lying literally in the trail on his sleeping pad, with a rifle propped against a nearby tree. As we passed he briefly opened his eyes and mumbled something about "only sleeping from one to three last night" and needing to rest. When we got to the pass the group leader radioed staff about the situation (either the forest service or national park, not sure which since he was right on the border). If you happen to be that guy reading this, I'd love to hear your point of view - to all of us it was unnerving. Overall a well-maintained moderate trail through some of the most incredible scenery in the Pacific Northwest, and right now there are flowers in bloom and tons of ripe berries!
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