White Pass - Pilot Ridge Loop — Thursday, Aug. 27, 2015

North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway

Started out from the North Sauk trailhead with my trusty canine running partner Gypsy at around 9am. The trail gently rises and falls thru fantastic old growth. These are some of the largest I have seen recently. Truly a magical place. The trail switchbacks up mostly along the edges of an avalanche track and eventually rises up above the tree line. Stunning views as the trail intersects the PCT. The vegetation is yellow accented by the red baked blueberries. There are still lots of berries but many are dried from the drought. The trail was generally in good condition. I can see how the high trail that drops into Blue Lake would be challenging for a backpacker but as a runner I had little trouble navigating its steep rise and descent. I found plenty of trickles of water to keep my bottles full and to satisfy my dog. Blue Lake was deserted and quiet. I stopped and cleaned out the accumulated dirt and rocks in my shoes while at the lake. The trails were seriously dusty! What a beautiful deep blue color! My legs were beginning to feel some fatigue and therefor was hoping Pilot Ridge was a gentle slope down but it is not. There are several climbs up and down as it undulates toward the switchbacks. There was one drop where I thought I had hit the switchbacks but was instead met with another steep climb up. Looking across at the opposite ridge I saw several areas of smoke and tall flames shooting upward! This is a fire I had not heard about and when I returned home found nothing on the web about it. Hopefully the coming rains will extinguish it. The drop into the North Sauk is a steep one with several large logs across the trail that could pose a challenge to a backpacker. As has been noted water is scares after leaving Blue Lake however I did find a few trickles to again keep my canine partner hydrated. When reaching the river it was a little confusing. There is a log that could be awkward to cross on directly at the base of the trail. There is a small piece of orange flagging on the other side of the river. The last 1.9 miles seemed to last forever on my tired legs. We finished the loop in 7hrs 15 min. And I was ready for a beer! One of the best loops I have run this summer!