Cathedral Rock, Peggy's Pond — Sunday, Aug. 9, 2015

Snoqualmie Region > Salmon La Sac/Teanaway

I led a Cascadian backpack to Peggy's Pond Fri - Sun. We car-camped Thurs night at Tucquala Lake. The trail to Cathedral Pass was much steeper than I remembered. I guess over 25 years makes a difference to both the body & the memory. The trail over to Peggy's Pond also had a stretch of about 100 yards that was much narrower than I remembered & could be scary to some(the minor obstacle). Also, just after the trail passes below the cliffs of Cathedral Rock there is a new trail that goes straight up the hill. As the old trail seemed to be blocked off with rocks, we took this trail. It climbs directly up to Peggy's Pond, but was so steep that this old man's legs were done in by the time he reached the top. We arrived about 3:00 and after setting up camp Brenda & Jonah headed off to Circle Lake, which took about 2 hrs round trip, while Suzette & Ethan had a nice swim. On Sat Brenda, Jonah, & Julie set off to climb Mt Daniel via the southeast ridge. A little while later Ethan, Karen, & Suzette set off for Pt 7020 on the southeast ridge. I was so wiped out from the climb in and 3 nights of not enough sleep that I just puttered around camp all day. Most of the party also explored the rocky basin left by the retreating Hyas Creek Glacier on Fri evening or Sat afternoon. On Sun we headed out about 10 & took the old trail. It is much gentler and we removed the rock barrier. After a leisurely lunch at Squaw Lake, and were out to the cars by 2:15. There were quite a few people in the area, but they were so spread out that we never felt crowded. This area is known for its mosquitoes, but it we didn't have any, probably because it is so dry. Except for some clouds on Sat afternoon, the weather was sunny & warm with a nice breeze at times. There were not many wildflowers except for some gentians, but much to everyone's surprise, all the meadows around Cathedral Pass & Peggy's Pond had some brilliant fall color. Everyone had a great time.