So happy we got to do this loop! It was challenging enough to be satisfying and the lake temps were fantastic. We arrived at Cathedral Pass TH around 10 am on a Wednesday. There was still parking available in the lot, maybe 8 cars there. Privy was in good shape and had a trashcan.
Quick conditions rundown:
Lake Michael: Trail to lake is rough. No switchbacks, loose footing, and blowdowns to climb over/around. No water between Trail Creek Trail junction and .75 mi before lake. Lake was warm and clear, saw lots of medium-larger sized fish swimming around. Some bugs but not bad. Appears that far edge saw some winter/spring damage that may have washed out addtional campsites/trail around lake.
Waptus Lake: Beautiful and clear, not too busy on a Thursday. Water temp was swimmable. Enough of a breeze that bugs were not an issue.
Deep Lake: No noticeable bugs during day time. Pretty lake, warm enough water. Great views.
Peggy's Pond: As always, trail is surprisingly sketchy when traversing under Cathedral Rock. The trail forks after the rockiest parts. Continueing straight is a little brushy, longer, and has some steep parts but pretty and takes you by other small lake. Heading right and up is shorter but there is a very steep and loose section before lake. Lake was cold and windy. Camped near smaller lake and bugs were noticeable but wind helped. Busier than expected with most sheltered spots taken but a lot of space for tents in the more open "common" areas near the shore.
Day 1 (Wed): TH to Lake Michael via Trail Creek Trail
Trail good up to junction with Trail Creek Trail. Saw lots of frogs. Once we turned onto Trail Creek Trail, we didn't see another person until later the next day. The trail is a little brushy but a steady grade. Some campsites as we neared junction with Lake Michael trail. The trail up to Lake Michael is an unapologetic slog up loose dirt, gravel, and ankle rollers. Its steep in parts, and clearly sees more hooved traffic when it sees any. Some parts were a little overgrown, mostly noticeable as it was drizzling and the wet bushes soaked everything from the hips down. Several spots with yummy ripe berries on the way up, especially at higher elevations. Some old blowdowns to climb over or around. Lake was surprisingly beautiful and clear. There was a campsite near the trail right as the lakeview opens up, then nothing until the far end where the stock camp is. We didn't check the western shore for sites. Very quiet and peaceful midweek.
Day 2 (Thur): Lake Michael to Waptus Lake via Trail Creek Trail
Hiking back up out of the lake basin then down the loose footing was almost as bad as the way in, but hotter. Trail Creek Trail had increasing blowdowns as we continued but most were able to be stepped over. Lots of berries in spots. Getting to Waptus took us through the river twice, but it was shallow enough. Knee-high at the deepest parts. Camped in the main Waptus Camp area, where there were maybe 4 other groups total. Saw a few people on the other shore but there were still open beach sites.
Day 3 (Fri): Waptus Lake to Peggy's Pond
This section had a lot of switchbacks on the PCT but the footing is good so we just chugged along up to Deep Lake. The shade was nice, its not super exposed even in the afternoon. Nowhere to fill water between bottom and just before Deep Lake. So many berries along here that we stopped to pick some into an empty water bottle. Deep Lake is very pretty, but we just stopped for a long lunch break. No bugs that we noticed but not sure how it is in the evening. Continued up more switchbacks on the PCT until we hit the spur for Peggy's Pond. There is a "No Stock" sign but no trail sign. The spur trail is very rough and exposed. I put away one pole so I could use my hands more as there are spots to climb up or down larger rock/root areas. Pay attention to the trail ahead so that you don't accidentally end up lower than you need to be. There is a split in the trail after the longer exposed traverse. Going right/up takes you more directly to the lake but there are some very steep spots with loose footing. Straight at the split is longer and bushier, but mostly less steep and takes you by other lake. Either way is viable. We took right heading up and came down the other way.
Peggy's Pond was much colder and windier than the other lakes, which I expected being at a higher elevation and at the base of the mountains. There were four or five groups already camping and fishing. Campsites up there are either in the trees or out by the lake. We followed the trail back around to the little heart-shaped lake behind Peggy's. There were at least two solid campsites above the lake. We ended up camping there, and found a couple more sites while wandering. Weather rolled in for the evening and alternated between windy and rainy so we spent the rest of the evening in the tent. Bugs were a little annoying.
Day 4 (Sat): Peggy's Pond to TH via Cathedral Pass
We made our way back across to the PCT, up and over Cathedral Pass, and back down the the TH. Lots of berries in the meadows east of the pass. There is a cell phone signal at the overlook before you start the switchbacks down to Deep Lake if you need. The trail is all downhill after the pass. There were a lot of backpackers and dayhikers coming up the Cathedral Pass trail. When we got back to the TH, cars were parked for about 1/2 mile down the road.
Bugs: We overprepared for bug conditions based on reports at other lakes/old reports. Treated clothing with permethrin, brought a Thermacell, head nets, picaridin lotion, and deet. Ended up only using the Thermacell and got maybe 5 bites total.
Comments
summitsherry on Trail Creek, Lake Michael, Waptus Lake via Waptus River, Deep Lake, Peggy's Pond, Cathedral Rock, Squaw Lake
How many miles did you do each day?
Posted by:
summitsherry on Sep 01, 2022 08:42 AM
Rayan on Trail Creek, Lake Michael, Waptus Lake via Waptus River, Deep Lake, Peggy's Pond, Cathedral Rock, Squaw Lake
8-9 except the last day, which is about 5.5.
Posted by:
Rayan on Sep 01, 2022 11:29 AM