Squire Creek, Squire Creek Pass via Eight-mile Trail — Thursday, Jul. 1, 2004

North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway

I thought it would be easier to take the alternative route to SC Pass rather than walk the road past the slide on the SC side. Wrong! I don't mind a steep or challenging route, but this one went from bad to worse, and when I finally did make it to the pass, the skeeters formed a cloud around my head, even with the goodly breeze which accompanied the clouds and drizzle obscuring Three Fingers. The rock face at about one mile up was pretty cool, and also provides a much needed assurance that you are on an official, if severely neglected, trail versus some sort of sadistic deer trail. I would think that the Forest Service would have some money saved up to work on this trail after not maintaining the SC road or main trail for so many years.