Meander Meadow - Dishpan Gap - Cady Ridge Loop — Saturday, Jul. 23, 2016

Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - East

This hike has been on my list for awhile - now I know why. Spectacular overnight with great weather and views! The road in had a couple rough spots, but overall is in pretty good shape. My trusty '99 Corolla made it just fine, but do watch for large rocks and 1-2 steep or deeply rutted spots on the gravel road. Took off from the trailhead about 1pm on Saturday. The hike along the Little Wenatchee Trail is indeed brushy right now as others have mentioned. Kind of cool to even get some open, green patches and breaks in the trees at the lower river walk elevations. Views back down the valley are worth a look over the shoulder. Got to Meander Meadow about 5pm. Probably could have even been quicker, but the brush does slow you down a bit! The climb up to the meadow is fairly steep, and would have probably been a bit more fun before the heat and humidity set in. Camped at Meander Meadow with a few other folks, but room for everyone. Not quite a lot of wildflowers making a huge splash, in a couple weeks it will probably be even more impressive. Really awesome evening and morning sun on the hillsides above and below the meadow. A cool spot there on a bench, above the river valley but just below the saddle. Marmots alerted our presence with whistles from all along the northern wall. Lots of bugs, bring bug spray. Thought about going farther to make Day 2 shorter, but didn't really see many viable campsites on the loop later on. Along the way I saw a few spots to pitch a tent, but most didn't have a decent water source. With most of the elevation over the first day anyway, 10+ miles the next day was fine. Took a little side trip up Kodak Peak in the morning too. If you have the time, it's a really great 360 view from there, and the best full view of Glacier Peak on the loop I think. But if you're short on time (or don't want to make the straight up ascent to the top, at least take the 0.7 miles back down to the junction with the Kodak Peak trail - it's a really nice flat stretch, and from that saddle junction you get a good view of the mountain and could skip the peak climb and not miss much. Walking along the PCT and then Cady Ridge was super fun, just criss-crossing the ridges, in and out of cirques. Snow-free now, and the ranger at the station advised that there's little water on the last 5 or so Cady Ridge miles, which is true. Fill up at Ward's Pass. Previous reports have mentioned blow-downs along on Cady Ridge, and there are a few. Most are step-overs though, so definitely not a deterrence. Only about 5-10 really take much navigating, ducking under, etc. The weather put on a show - huge visibility, not a cloud in the sky on Sunday. Definitely the way to do it! Took a dip in the river before getting back to the trailhead....