Cathedral Rock, Peggy's Pond — Tuesday, Sep. 9, 2008

Snoqualmie Region > Salmon La Sac/Teanaway

The plan was ambitious for me: summit Mt Daniel solo, my first such attempt, solo or otherwise. It turned out to be too much, but was a great learning experience and a fabulous trip overall. I do feel good that I turned around due to perceived danger, not due to being tired or lazy. I left the TH at 11 am Sunday, and cruised slowly the 1,500 vf up to Squaw Lake to conserve energy and preserve my hydration level. From there it was another sluggish pace to the PCT junction (800 vf). The first mosquitoes were encountered at the tarns along this stretch. After a short jaunt on the PCT southbound, the Peggy's Pond trail is reached. There is a new trail sign at the junction with the PCT This trail was a challenge. Lots of ups and downs, rocky, small, ball-bearing-like rocks on a tilted trail above a steep cliff, it was "yikes" in a couple of short stretches. It was very hot with the sun beating down and the rocks practically glowing with heat. There were also a couple of tricky scrambling spots that needed care, especially due to the exposure. It may not be much of a challenge to scramblers, but for a marked trail it was pretty intense. It wasn't the short flat-ish path I had imagined from the maps. When I got to the Peggy's pond area and stopped to photograph the first pre-pond, the skeeters attacked all out! It was panic time, getting the repellent out while fighting for my life. Unbelievable. Luckily they stayed at the pondlet when I left, and I found a nice camp spot near to Peggy's. I spent a quiet evening wandering the area and getting in some pictures. Monday was the big day! I left most of my stuff at camp, taking only food, water, and minimum overnite survival items. Plus camera, of course. The first thing I noticed was how cool the whole Peggy's area is, lots of small ponds, meadows, views of surrounding peaks, giant boulders, and wildlife. I knew to take the left turn before going over the tiny ridge that leads to Hyas Creek Basin, and soon I was climbing the SE ridge of Daniel. The trail was very easy to follow, breaking out of the woods and into meadows and boulder fields. Then I also knew to take the "grassy left" to climb up the ridge instead of the spur trail that leads to an overlook of HCB. It gets kind of scrambly after a while, but it was fun and I was totally energized. The next route detail was to avoid the trail that contours to Circle lake. From there on it was up and up, the trail always easily followable with some care, expanding views opening up practically with every step. Then I was on top of the SE ridge, what an awesome place. A worthy destination all by itself, for a hiker. I made may way along the narrowest part, glad there weren't any strong, gusty winds. I made it to the last hump before the snow traverse begins. There was a little bit of actual rock climbing to be done there, I went up that OK, but when I saw the snow traverse, I knew my day was over. Four people had just come across going down, the only people I saw all day, and they all extolled the necessity of an ice ax and crampons for safety. I had neither. I could have crossed and most likely been OK, but the alternative was death. Gulp. I'm not sure I'm ready for that kind of situation yet (if ever). And I knew that crossing one way meant I absolutely had to cross back. I was a bit disappointed, since I was less than 1,000 vf below the summit, and I felt that I easily had that much more oomph in my legs, plus it was only 12:30 or so, plenty of time. Once I got over turning around, the rest of the trip was a blast. I stayed up on the ridge all day, lounging, taking in the views, picnicking, exploring, photographing, working my way slowly back along the ridge, stopping at every interesting view or rock or dead tree. I didn't want to get back to camp before it got cool and drove away the mosquitoes. I was even bothered some on the ridge, but only occasionally. I took so many pictures of Cathedral rock with PP beneath that it was almost funny. Tuesday I figured I had extra time and energy beyond hiking out, so I explored the lower part of Hyas Creek basin. I went to the base of the first headwall, and saw the nice tarn there plus all the awesome boulder fields. I just love basins. I hung out there for three hours even though it was super windy and very cold, even at 1 pm. No mosquitoes! The hike out took 5 hours from the headwall, 2 of those just to get to Cathedral pass because of the rough trail. Today I'm somewhat sore, less than usual for that much vertical gain. Overall the hike was fantastic, and the dry weather, breezes, and generally mild temperatures made for pleasant hiking, something very rare for me when going uphill.