North Fork Skykomish River, Dishpan Gap, Blue Lake High, Lake Sally Ann & Pass Creek — Sunday, Aug. 14, 2022

Left the North Fork Skykomish TH Thursday, 8/14. Stayed at a campsite about 3/4 mile (5000 ft level) from Dishpan Gap w/water available 200 yds up the trail. The trail is in great shape. Passed the Gap the next morning and took the long way, via Bald Eagle Trail and Pilot Ridge Trail, to campsite at Lower Blue Lake.  We had to get past a few deadfalls on the trail, but not too difficult. There are no sites at the lake itself. Fish were jumping in huge numbers. Stayed at a decent site with water available at flowing tarn downstream from the lake. My buddy side tripped up to Blue Lake and reported good campsites and a brand new sit down toilet right next to the main trail. Backtracked next morning to the Gap and followed PCT to Lake Sally Ann, clearly a popular stopping point for PCT hikers. Very busy! Lots of sites and a sit down toilet with a spectacular view. Smoke came in strong overnight from the White River/Irving Peak fires, so we scrapped our plans to go to Benchmark Mountain and came back out a day early via Pass Creek Trail. There is a sign indicating a toilet at the Pass Creek/PCT intersection and good campsites. The trail is in great shape all the way to the NF Sky River ford, where we opted to put on water shoes to cross. Right where the Pass Creek trail crosses an easy ford over Pass Creek, there is a good campsite next to the creek, including a swimming hole just downstream.

Biting bugs were intermittently plentiful, including deer flies, the little biting flies and mosquitoes. Bugs stay away from my hiking partner, but they love me. I had pretty good repellant success with consistent applications of Herbal Armor. Also, the clothes I wore that were treated with permethrin seemed to work pretty well.