I arrived at the trailhead at around 11am, but there was plenty of parking available along the side of the road. You follow a river for the first two miles and its mostly flat. Eventually you ascend the ridge to Colchuck and it gets steeper, but the trail is very well-maintained and should be easy to follow. I arrived at the lake just after 12:30, took a quick break, and headed up to the pass.
Once you get to the boulder fields, large cairns show the trail, but they can be hard to see sometimes. You go through some brush at the bottom, but once you start ascending the trail stays to the left of the stream running down the pass. It's very dusty; poles can help prevent you from slipping both on the way up and heading back down. The conditions (in general) are also very dry. If you have a water filter, make sure to fill up before leaving Colchuck.
The ascent from Colchuck took another hour and a half; it was definitely not a walk in the park. I did see a few mountain goats though, so that was nice.
Looking forward to doing the thru-hike next weekend!
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