We started and ended at the PCT trailhead (not Cutthroat Lake). We got here at 9 am and had to park a mile down the highway, with even more cars arriving after us. It was worse than Walmart on Black Friday. Toilets were out of TP. There was smoke from the Blue Lake fire on the drive there, but we didn't smell it at all on this trail.
The trail's as well-maintained as it gets. The first couple of miles were pretty flat, shaded, and easy on the ankles. It gets rockier after that, starting to climb more, and then you get to the boulder and huckleberry field and golden groves of larches and it looks like the switchbacks go up forever, but if you stop to take lots of pictures like me (or stop to let people pass) it's not that bad. It was gorgeous and worth every step. Backlighting makes the larches absolutely glow in the photos. They're definitely at peak this weekend. 4.5 hours up (starting from the trailhead) and 2.5 hours down.
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