East Fork Foss - Necklace Valley, East Fork Foss River Snowshoe — Friday, Mar. 20, 1998

Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - West

I was looking for a little adventure and flat terrain for my wife's first hike since her foot surgery. I called the Skykomish Ranger Station to get a report on Foss River Rd #68. The last reports were snow free to the trestle but the snow was melting fast. We decided to see how far we could get up the road and then decide if Trout Lake was possible. Road #68 is clear to Road #6830 Tonga Ridge. There is a two hundred yard patch of snow that is 6"" to 12"" deep then the road is clear until just after the parking lot to Necklace Valley. Two trees are down between the turn off to Tonga Ridge and the parking lot to Necklace Valley. My wife and I took care of one, the other needs a good 12"" folding saw but lies flat on the road and could be driven over by a Jeep. We decided to take trail #1062 to Necklace Valley and our goal was to make it to the crossing. We made it to the the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Boundry before her foot started to get sore and decided discretion was the better part of valor. The trail is in good condition and we didn't see any real snow until crossing the boundry. I looked up the valley from the wilderness sign to get an idea of snow depth. The trail is probably covered in places but the snow is melting fast. One other hiker had gone father then we had the previous day.