White Pass - Pilot Ridge Loop — Monday, Aug. 22, 2022

We hiked the loop in reverse, starting with ascending pilot ridge to Upper Blue Lake. Our thinking was it would be better to get the river crossing and uphill done early on the first day and ascend in the shade of the woods - it was still a very difficult ascent! Continual steep switchbacks, and we did run out of water around 1-2 hours outside of Blue lake (which is of course seasonal). We anticipated big views on the ridge, but unfortunately it takes a while even after reaching the ridge so be prepared to wait a bit for your reward! Overnighting at Blue Lake was lush - bugs weren’t too bad, and the lake is serene, quiet and peaceful. Day two, we intended for a shorter, easier 4.5 mile day taking the low route to Dishpan Gap (didn’t want to try the high route with a dog). However there is no water at Dishpan gap!! We ended up pushing on to the reflection pond to camp. There was very limited water between dishpan gap and the reflection pond, there was a small creek a mile or two before the reflection pond. Again, definitely seasonal, there were loads of dried out little creek beds, but be aware. Overnighting at reflection pond was again lovely but very buggy! We had amazing sunset views of Sloan peak in a quiet, tucked away place, but be prepared for bugs. Day three we headed out through White pass, descending to the N fork Sauk TH. The descent was manageable and we were able to do it early in the day/avoid the sun and enjoy the views. Plus, red creek is a great place to soak your tired feet on your way out at the end of a pretty long descent! In hindsight, our reversing the route meant you get to ascend in the shade (although it is brutal switchbacks), more uphill the first two days, and a much easier last day. Main highlights were Upper Blue Lake, amazing views along the PCT, great campsites, blueberries; main drawbacks were bugs, and minimal water between Blue Lakes and the reflection pond.