White Pass to Chinook Pass — Saturday, Jul. 2, 2016

South Cascades > White Pass/Cowlitz River Valley

We Made It,/; Wesley! Beautiful trip and I would highly recommend it, but it can be difficult at times. We did 3 days and 2 nights. We went South to North, but we saw many people doing North to South. Our initial plan was to spend night #1 at Pipe Lake and night #2 at Cougar Lake. We set out at 10AM on Saturday and it was very early in the afternoon when we got to Pipe Lake so we kept going. This was a great decision, as the mosquitos were some of the worst I've ever experienced at that point. From Snow Lake and beyond was much better. Many small lakes/pond through most of this day. There was no shortage of water sources throughout the entire trip. We ended up doing 14 miles day #1, arriving at Fish Lake around 6PM. The site was fairly open, so the wind made it chillier. I slept in a 40 degree bag, hiking pants, socks, UnderArmour ColdGear shirt, and a light beanie. I felt fine that night. There was a group of 3 guys already and we shared the camp with them. They had planned on doing White Pass-Chinook originally too, but opted not to because they checked out the snow at Chinook the week before. We decided the push ahead anyways, but made some plans for either doing a large loop or heading straight back in case things got too bad as we headed North. Day #2 was the most difficult, but the most awe-inspiring. Fantastic views! We started at around 9AM and got in at 6PM. The first 3 miles was a 1500' climb with some down trees that added difficulty. After the ascent we got snow on and off. Never enough to not see the next spot on the trail. The rest of the day was more difficult than I expected since after the initial ascent to 5700' we were supposed to end up at 5200' feet at Dewey. Felt like more ascents, but probably because of sore legs from day #1 and the snow. Day #2 we hiked 11.7 miles and spent night #2 at the far end of Dewey Lake (better camp sites at that end). This only left us a short distance the last day, so even if the snow was really bad, we figured we could still make it (it never got as bad as we feared it could). No camp fires allowed at Dewey Lake, but very beautiful. We thought it might be a colder night because of the snow and elevation difference to Fish lake, so I added long-johns to what I wore the night before, and we put the emergency blanket over our sleeping bags. I was actually quite toasty most of the night. Only 2.7 miles out the last day. We left at 9AM and got out at 11:15AM. Initially there was a 600' climb over 1.2 miles. You will hit the peak for the day right after the trail junction to Tipsoo Lake (to your left). That is when the most snow will begin as you turn and follow along Naches Mountain to your left and another ascent to your right. Even if the snow makes you lose the trail these will keep you going the right direction (just don't try to climb straight up any mountain and you'll end up at Hwy 410). The snow was packed pretty well. We didn't have any poles or other gear. The most snow was for about a mile and then spotty again before ending. Happy Hiking!