North Fork Sauk River, Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) Section K - Stevens Pass to Rainy Pass, Blue Lake High & White Pass - Pilot Ridge Loop — Monday, Aug. 3, 2015

North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway

A lovely 3-day backpack across some of the most continuous high meadow country you will find in the Cascades! Though a bit hazy due to smoke from the Wolverine fire, and the flowers were mostly spent, the meadows were still verdant green and the berries were not just ripe, they were DIVINE!! Our route started early at the North Fork Sauk Trailhead in order to get us up the hill to White Pass before the heat of the day. But the North Fork Sauk River trail is not to be rushed through if you can help it - the profusion of huge cedar, hemlock and Douglas-fir stems make for a stunning shrine-like experience for the first 5.5 miles or so. Then you'll switchback up but it's a pretty steady grade and mostly you are in shade until you get to the final long traverse through meadow - and berries - to the PCT. Look for the side trail down onto a bench to the west of the trail for some lovely sheltered camps, some with stunning views (probably enough space for 10 tents on established dirt. However, water had dried up near the camp to a trickle between mud puddles, so for better flow you might want to stop for water between the junction of trail 649 (N Fork Sauk) and White Pass where there are 2 or 3 nicely flowing little streams crossing the trail that make for easy bottle filling. On day 2 we hiked from White Pass around Kodak Peak (with a quick little run to the top for great views of Glacier Peak) and past Dishpan Gap to the Blue Lake High Trail. Near Indian Pass there was a pond with reasonably clean water but otherwise no water. Some reports call this a very rough climber's trail but it's really well defined and not excessively steep - mostly the trail bed is pretty good. Blue Lake has several camps and an outhouse, and a few folks from our group had a chilly swim! This is one of my favorite camps in the Cascades. Day 3 was an endless ridge ramble along Pilot Ridge across the skykomish river valley from the Monte Cristo Peaks and Mt Sloan, just gorgeous. After about 5 miles the trail began to switchback and kept it up for about 4 miles more, through thick forest. Watch for hornets in places along the trail! There was no water along the trail on this day until you reach the North Fork Sauk again at about mile 9. A good sized log makes for a nice secure crossing of the North Fork Sauk, then it's a short 3 miles back to the trailhead through the cathedral of huge trees.

More Information on this Trip Report

• https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gy9schoi8yxxa10/AADwnCKsdQrJd0o1ir2dd-2La?dl=0