Mount McCausland — Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013

Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - East

We chose this hike as a last minute option on our way to Lake Minotour. It was almost 3 and we had another 6-7 miles on heavily pot-holed (and snowy) forest road to the Minotour trailhead, so we decided to stop here. It was a good choice! The trail was muddy pretty much right after leaving the parking lot, but was never much of a problem. The snow increased after turning onto the PCT and was 1-2 feet deep at times after the turnoff to the summit. Nonetheless, we did fine with trail runners and poles. The snow thinned on the summit approach and additional traction was never needed. The steepness of the climb was an excellent excuse to rest and snap photos of Lake Valhalla and the resilient autumn colors popping through a blanket of early snowfall. Despite the number of cars in the parking lot, we saw only a few groups of hikers on the trail (most returning from Lake Valhalla). We were back to the car around 5:30.