Middle Fork Snoqualmie River, Pratt Connector to Pratt River Trail, Pratt River Bar Trail, Thompson Lake via Granite Creek Trail, Thompson Lake via Mount Defiance, Island Lake - Rainbow Lake, Pratt Lake Basin, Lower Tuscohatchie Lake, Melakwa Lake, Denny Creek, Snow Lake & Rock Creek — Tuesday, Jul. 12, 2022

Synopsis:

I did a 4-day loop through the mountains between North Bend and Snoqualmie Pass in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.  I covered around 60 miles w/10,000ft or so of gain in three days (the fourth was a zero day for fishing).  90% of the entire loop was snow free, with the climb up Mt. Defiance from the NW being pretty much the only part with snow; though it's enough that it still requires some routefinding.  All the trails I travelled are in generally good condition with the exceptions of Mt. Defiance and Rock Creek.  Both trails are popular with runners, so its easy to see and follow (when not under snow) but the tread is sloping and washed out in many places and there are numerous down trees to climb over/crawl under.  Rock Creek in particular is thickly overgrown in places with 6ft tall shrubs and ferns.  Also, if you didn't get the memo, the Snow Lake trail remains open until July 29th!  If you didn't get the memo before the memo, yes, the Snow Lake trail is being closed for repair work.

Detailed Report:

Day 1: Dingford Creek Trailhead to Thompson Lake

The Dingford road is notoriously rough but the nastiest sections have been smoothed out recently.  You still need a higher clearance vehicle but the road is easier to drive right now than it has been in years.  There were a handful of mostly trucks at the trailhead when I arrived, including a Forest Service vehicle.  I started into the woods on the south side of the parking lot, crossed the bridge over Middle Fork Snoqualmie River, then turned right (west) and hiked 5 miles to the Middlefork Trailhead and its cool bridge.  There was a big ol' pile of bear scat in the trail by the bridge.  From there, I continued on the Pratt Connector Trail 3 miles to a campsite on the riverbank at Pratt Bar.

The Crossing:

In order to continue my loop, I needed to ford the river at this point, which I probably shouldn't have done while solo hiking.  The river is still running too high from the lingering snowpack.  I rested a bit in the camp and judged the look of the crossing.  "It doesn't look that bad!  I played in rivers like this when I was a kid!" I thought to myself.  I hiked down to water level and when I got there, I knew I was in for a bigger challenge than first anticipated.  The water was deeper than it looked from above, and the current was swift.  In I went.  The river at the bar is split into two channels with the rocky bar providing a break in the middle.  Each channel is about 30 yards wide.  I made it through the first channel with only minor difficulty; the water coming up to my waist at one point and the current pushing hard.  I took a break on the bar and mentally prepared myself to cross the second (slightly wider) channel.  The second half of the ford was quite intense.  The water came up to just over waist level (I'm 6'2") and threatened to sweep me away with each step.  I braced with my hiking stick and battled the river with all my might, facing directly into the torrent and stepping forward and sideways at the same time.  Even with my feet planted, the river would slide me along the slick stones of the riverbed.  I began to feel panic rise up in the back of my throat.  Just then I heard a voice in my head that said very clearly, "Only those with strength and courage will cross here."  I pushed the fear to the back of my mind and fought on, finally making it safely to the other side.  I don't know if it was just in my head or what, but when I heard those words, I think it was the river speaking to me.

The rather exciting ford immediatly gave way to a dull walk along Middlefork Road to get to the Granite Creek Trailhead.  Once there, I started up into the hills along the old road-turned-trail.  Plenty of ripe salmonberries and a few thimbleberries down low, but still just flowering higher up.  There are no blowdowns until after the Thompson/Granite junction where you will encounter a few as you descend to the lake.  The trail after the old road ends is very, very steep.  There is an old sign by the lake which still refers to the trail you hiked in on as Granite Creek ROAD, which I thought was all historic and cool.  I arrived late and was forced to take a sub-par campsite by the day-use area as all the others were full (on a Tuesday night, no less!).

Day 2: Thompson Lake to... Nowhere!

I took a zero day at Thompson and spent the day fishing and exploring the lake basin.  I moved my camp to a more agreeable spot after another party left.  I found a boat stashed at the lake but it had been scuttled!  Very sad day.  I also found a Shasta Root Beer can from the 50's when I was fishing.  Remember folks, it hasta be Shasta!  The trout were jumping all over the lake throughout the day but I didn't catch a darn thing.  I tried a multitude of lures, setups, and techniques but nothing worked.  I was trying to be a good boy and follow the selective gear rule in place on ALW lakes (no bait, use only unscented lures or flies w/single barbless hook) but it wasn't cutting it.  In desperation I started foraging for natural baits.  I ended up trying worms, grubs, various flies, a water skimmer, spiders, and even frog eggs but to no avail.

Day 3: Thompson Lake to Denny Creek Trailhead

I broke camp and made for Mt. Defiance.  The trail recieves little maintenance but it still easy to follow.  Much of the tread is sloping and washed out, requiring careful footing.  Numerous blowdowns crossing trail.  Some require scrambling over or an army crawl to get under.  After climbing the swichbacks above Thompson Lake, the trail gets lost under about 2-3 feet of snow.  I followed my map and compass up and along the ridge.  The nice thing about ridge hikes is you can't get too lost: just follow the spine!  I ended up finding a goat path (complete with goat tracks) and following it up to the ridge where I regained the human path to Defiance's summit.  The last little push to the top of the mountain was tough with a 45lb pack but totally worth it for the views.

From Defiance, I hiked down past the Mason Lake junction and on toward Pratt Lake.  I passed through the lovely meadows by Sir Richard Pond, Rainbow and Island Lakes with their multitude of blooming beargrass.  The flowers attracted so many bugs the sweet-smelling air was like a haze made of gnats and small flies.  I didn't see any other hikers until nearing the Pratt Lake junction, where I began to run into the Seattle crowds.  I passed Pratt Lake (super busy with most camps full on a Thursday) and headed toward nearby Lower Tuscohatcie Lake.  Low T lake was deserted while Pratt was packed.  I took a 2 hour break to fish and have lunch.  No fish here either though my little cleo spoon elicited a few nibbles.  A passing runner got a laugh after asking if I'd caught anything, to which I replied, "just these" and held up my bag of cheddar goldfish crackers.

After lunch I made my way another 3 miles along wide, clear trail to Melakwa Lake.  My original plan was to spend the night at Upper Melakwa but upon arriving, I discovered trail cameras in the campsites.  I don't come into the mountains to be spied on by electric eyes; there is enough of that s*** in the cities.  I took some photos of the scenery and peaced out.  I continued my route down the rough and rocky Denny Creek Trail and camped near the trailhead instead.

Day 4: Denny Creek Trailhead to Dingford Creek Trailhead

Day 4 dawned and I made for Snoqualmie Pass via the Franklin Falls Trail and Denny Creek Road.  I stopped by the falls which already had visitors at 6a.m. then backtracked 0.1 miles to the road for the pass.  I got to the pass and grabbed a coffee and breakfast sandwich; overpriced but welcome after 3 days out n' about.  As I sat chowing down, a man stopped his car and asked me If I knew where the Snow Lake Trailhead was.  I told him yes but the trail was closed starting that very day.  He smiled and said they postponed the closure until July 29th.  Intrigued, I gave him directions then looked up the info on my phone.  Sure enough, the closure was postponed!  This worked out for me too, as I had originally planned, before learning of the closure, to go out Snow Lake and Rock Creek.  With Snow Lake closed I had planned on taking the longer and much more challenging route over Red Pass and Lundin Peak to the Middlefork Valley.

After breakfast I decided that since Snow was open, I would avoid the unknown snow and trail conditions of Red Pass and stick to the original original plan.  I walked the road to Alpental and hiked up the Snow Lake trail.  I won't bother reporting on this trail as it has been covered very well by many trip reporters before me, and it will all be different soon anyway after the closure (which includes the use of dynamite, baby!).  I will just mention that the climb to the first viewpoint is very hot on sunny summer days, and the descent to the lake is currently a shaded, slippery trek over lots of melting snow.  A very bipolar trail at present.

Snow Lake is georgeous as always and still 50% covered in melting ice floes.  I found a nice spot lakeside, sat down, dropped my fishing line into the depths and basked in the sun for a few hours.  After a good while, knowing my loop was almost complete, I headed down the Rock Creek Trail (one of my favorites) back to the Middlefork Trail and my car at Dingford Creek.  Check out Stuke's recent trip report on Rock Creek for more details.  There were a good 15 cars and one very satisfied backpacker in the lot on a Friday evening.

"Do not spoil the wonder with haste!"

J.R.R Tolkien, The Return of the King