For Labor Day Weekend, I did a one-night lollipop loop from the North Fork Skykomish River -> Pass Creek -> PCT -> North Fork Skykomish River trails, camping at Lake Sally Ann. 21.4 miles and 3500 ft elevation. This follows the hike description of "Dishpan Gap" in Craig Romano's Backpacking Washington, 2nd edition.
Road: The Index-Galena road is smooth sailing, while Forest Service Road 63 has some bumpy potholes and one rocky section before the Blanca lake parking lot.
Crowds: I arrived 10am on a Saturday and there were maybe 15-20 cars at the trailhead. There was still space to park. I saw no one on the North Fork Skykomish & Pass Creek trails, then saw ~10 parties on the PCT. Lake Sally Ann was completely full of campers by evening. There were two off-leash dogs, but luckily they seemed well-behaved. The next day I saw ~3 groups at the lake, ~4 groups on the PCT and 1 on the North Fork Skykomish trail. The guidebook mentions campsites at 0.5 miles (Cady Ridge trail), 1.3 miles (Wards Pass), 1.8 miles (Dishpan Gap), and 2.4 miles (creek below Dishpan Gap) from Lake Sally Ann. These might've been better options to avoid the crowds on an otherwise quiet trip, but I was tired and the lake was very pretty!
Water: Plenty of water sources on the North Fork Skykomish and Pass Creek trails. On the PCT, there was water at the Pass Creek/PCT junction, Lake Sally Ann, and a little north of the Cady Ridge trail junction.
Water crossings: All fords of the N Fork Skykomish River were easy (two on the Pass Creek trail, one on the North Fork Skykomish River trail). I did change into sandals for the first Pass Creek crossing just because I'm not very balanced with rock hopping and didn't want to get wet feet, but it was pretty shallow. I rock hopped the other ones, getting slightly wet on the last one.
Trail conditions: Some downed trees on the non-PCT trails, especially on the North Fork Skykomish trail between Dishpan Gap and the Pass Creek junction. All could be passed, though some took effort since I have short legs.
Highlights: Bountiful berries! The most I've ever seen on a trail. Beautiful fall colors, meadowy ridges galore, and very peaceful option for Labor Day weekend.
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