White Pass to Chinook Pass — Saturday, Jul. 29, 2017

Excellent three day hike. Started at white pass around 11am. First big break at pipe lake seven miles in. We were ready for a swim then and pipe lake was the spot! Then about a three mile push to snow lake for another break. Finally a 2.5 mile push to the campsites at the large creek crossing with wooden bridge. Great camp spot. Arrived around 5pm. The next morning we got started around 745am after filling our water pouches from the stream and headed down to the bumping river ford. There is a large tree trunk you can use for the crossing about 100 yards east of where the trail meets the river. I used the tree last year...won't do it again. Too risky. This year we pitched our boots and crossed with sandals on. No prob. After the river, it's climbing for hours. After the climb, you're treated to beautiful views of Mt Rainier. We stayed the second night at Two Lakes about 0.3 miles off the trail. Nice spot. Got in early...around 145pm. Plenty of time to swim and relax. The third day we got a later start around 9am. The small stream running down the hillside and into Two Lakes was a great water source to replenish before heading out. The first two hours or so we were treated to off and on views of Mt Rainier. We lunched and swam after four miles at Anderson Lake. We swam again at Dewey lake. Then there's a bit of climb out of Dewey lake followed by a long downhill to chinook pass. Great weather. Only a 30ft stretch of snow to pass just prior to Dewey lake. Bugs were a significant problem. Cover up and bring bug spray. This is a great starter hike for those that want to build up to doing longer section hikes.