North Fork Tieton to Tieton Pass — Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016

South Cascades > Goat Rocks

The goal was McCall Basin for a 2 night basecamp with a day hike south on the PCT from Tieton Pass to Old Snowy. Besides some rain on the hike in (isn't the first week in August supposed to be the surest bet for fine weather in the PNW?), accessing the trail (#1118) to Tieton Pass was complicated by the fact that the road (NF 1207) to the trailhead at Scatter Creek Campground is closed due to a washout 3 miles before Scatter Creek. Road walking is easy but boring and it threw our timing off, resulting in a dusk arrival at the McCall Basin campsites. (It also proved to be a hot, dusty, sunny anticlimax on the hike out). Trail #1118 itself was in good condition except for a few small stream crossings mucked up by stock animals.If it were wetter, that would have been problematic.There were signs of recent sawing of large blow downs.(Thanks WTA?) The weather cleared overnight and the Basin lived up to it's billing from one of my hiking partners. Beautiful. The next day, the southbound PCT was in great condition. We met northbound through hikers already closing in on the Canada border. The ridge trail towards Old Snowy had some small snow patches but they were comfortably crossed with boots and poles (no microspikes needed). Views in all directions were perfect and the wildflowers (lupines, heather and Indian paintbrush for the most part) were in full bloom in the higher elevations. Back in McCall Basin the new-moon dark sky was impressive. One lingering question from the Basin: There was what appeared to be a large stock camp in one of the prime camp sites. No one was around the entire time we were there. Is this a long-term basecamp? A commercial camp in anticipation of elk season? Not sure what to think, but I wonder in view of the budget cuts and corresponding lack of any ranger presence. All in all,a great hike for three 60 somethings.