Tried to repeat my July 25th loop. A few things went wrong. First it was raining when I left the trail head. I convinced myself that this would make the initial elevation gain easier than if it were hot (true). Unfortunately it rained on me for 10 of the 12 hours that I was out. The other 2 hours were no better - I was in a blizzard above 6000 feet.
So - the good news is that other than the horsemen that I met 23 miles into my odyssey, whose mule had fallen in the mud - was that there were no bugs and it was not hot.
So, the Crow Lake trail is still brutal for a day hike, but it is now also pretty muddy. This trail ends on the Crow Creek trail, which is pretty flat with the noted exception of the end where it hits the PCT.
By the time I reached the junction of the Crow Creek trail and the PCT, it was snowing pretty hard. I tried to continue to Basin Lake and then to Union Creek, but the snow covered the trail. I decided to retreat and 1) get to a lower elevation and 2)get back into the woods where the trail should still be visible.
So - no bugs, a few flowers, a fair amount of mud, a few elk, very wet, very cold - the shorts I brought for the anticipated heat ended up as ear muffs on my head (literally), under my ball cap. My extra socks became gloves.
Not one of my better hikes but I will remember it. - The black lab/husky (Java) thought it was great.
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