North Fork Sauk River, Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) Section K - Stevens Pass to Rainy Pass — Tuesday, Jul. 29, 2014

North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway

Took my group of Boy Scouts up the North Fork of the Sauk river to White Pass then south on the PCT to Stevens Pass for a week long adventure. The North Fork trail is in very good condition to Mackinaw shelter, there was trail maintenance taking place to clear some brush and more maintenance going on up high. Water was no problem to the Shelter. From the shelter it's another hot sunny mile to the next source of water. Fill up because it's another hot mile or so to the next water which isn't until you begin the long hot traverse to White Pass. These water sources may be gone when all the snow melts, I don't know the source or seasonality. Camped at White Pass the first night, views were amazing, bugs were manageable. Second day we hiked south on the PCT to Lake Sally Anne. Take your time on this stretch and continually look in your rear-view mirror. The hiking was relatively easy, no problems with the minor snow fields. Water was plentiful though once again when all the snow is gone I'm not sure how the water is in this area. Lake Sally Anne was still mostly frozen and provided an excellent afternoon swim and camping spot. Third day was the trip to Pear Lake. Once again the hike was spectacular, more ups and downs along the way but the tread was good and the views amazing. Water was plentiful and here I think it was more permanent streams through this section. Only a couple of blow-downs to get around. Pear lake felt like a hot tub for swimming compared to the chill of the night before. Bugs were a bit of an annoyance here. Fourth day was the hike to Lake Valhalla. With the exception of crossing Grizzly Peak, this was an uneventful day. The descent to Lake Janus was a bore, I didn't pack enough water, and the biting flies at Lake Janus where we had lunch were terrible. The hike to Valhalla was nice with a few views to keep me going. Valhalla is a beautiful lake and despite it's proximity to Stevens Pass we were alone on a Friday night. Water was warm and pleasant for a swim. Saturday was our trip out, beautiful views on the way out from Valhalla, plenty of water and a fast pace as my Scouts were anticipating the feast of food parents were bringing to the trailhead. A great week in the mountains.