White Pass to Chinook Pass — Friday, Jun. 12, 2015

South Cascades > White Pass/Cowlitz River Valley

Three weeks ago, we were forced off the trail at the Laughingwater Creek Junction by 3 to 5 foot solid snow cover, so this weekend we went back to finish the trip. The snow is completely gone, flowers are blooming and the skeeters are biting. The trail is in good shape from Chinook Pass to the Laughingwater junction, with only a couple blowdowns causing few problems. The signage again is terrible, with many signs missing, just posts remaining, but the route is easy to find. We saw elk, a small herd of mountain goats, and 1 marmot in 3 days. This part of the trail is scenic, with nice views of Mt. Rainier and many flower meadows. We dropped into 2 Lakes, a very pleasant lake, with fish jumping all over. Our attempt to find Cougar Lakes was unsuccessful due to poor trail conditions and not enough time. We saw only 4 other people once we got past Dewey Lakes. Nice hike.