Pratt Connector to Pratt River Trail, Pratt Lake Basin — Friday, Jun. 16, 2023

Wanted to get some miles in to shake off the dust before some longer hikes this summer. Took off after work on Friday. I knew it was going to rain, but hoped that it would keep the people and bugs away (and it did). Dropped off at the Granite Mountain trailhead around 4:30pm with less than 10 cars in the parking lot. Passed about five parties coming down within the first mile, so I had a hunch I'd have some privacy. Turns out those people would be the last people I'd see for almost 24 hours!

Anyway - rain started coming down as I began descending toward the lake. It was a little slippery, but not too bad. I found a spot under some trees, made some dinner, and crawled into bed.

I've always wanted to try heading out the "back way" from Pratt out to Middle Fork, and heard stories about how the trail was sometimes "hard to follow". For the first mile or two, the trail was incredibly easy to follow - but as it gets lower, that changes. At one point, I knew I was off trail, so I used my map and compass to set a path to bisect the trail (i.e. head directly to it) - and I overshot and passed the trail. Didn't see it when I was on it.

After that short adventure, the trail follows a flat portion of the landscape for several miles. There were probably 15-20 large downed trees to crawl over or under, a few creek crossings, but I plodded on. Eventually, the trail became much easier to see, but was still completely overgrown in places. Even past the turn off for "Big Trees", there were portions of trail so overgrown with salmon berries (which were ripe and delicious), I just had to put my arms in front of me and stare at the ground to make sure I wouldn't trip, and press on.

I stopped for a snack at the campsite (sometimes labeled as "Pratt River Backcountry Camping). Later in the year, I may have tried fording the river, but that wasn't going to be an option this year, so I hiked 3 more miles up to Middle Fork trailhead - that whole section of trail was in great shape, and I began passing day hikers about a mile and a half from the trailhead.

Overall, fun trip. I don't know if I'd do it again, but it was a great walk, and a good opportunity to practice trail finding skills.