Heather - Maple Pass Loop — Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2018

I live in the Okanogan area and had been waiting for a break in all the smoke.  It has been bad over here.  It cleared out and while there was still some smoke haze in the area the views were gorgeous.  The dog and I left the trail head at 8am and there were a few cars in the lot. It was a bit nippy at 42 degrees when starting out and 63 when we got back.  I like to do the hike clockwise and get the big climb over with.  Besides when you go this way you usually do not meet anyone until the top coming from the other way.  There were a few but, not a lot of people on the trail today.  All of the wild flowers are done for the year and no fall colors yet. There are 3 large trees over the trail and if my memory is good they were there last year too.  One you can get around, one over and the other requiring going under.  This is the first time I was able to sit at the top of Maple pass and take in the views and have lunch without any bugs. I only encountered mud in two small spots the rest of the trail was dusty.