Little Wenatchee River, Cady Ridge, Meander Meadow - Dishpan Gap - Cady Ridge Loop & Meander Meadows — Saturday, Aug. 30, 2008

Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - East

For Labor Weekend, we planned a three-day hike up Cady Ridge, onto Blue Lake, and then back down the Meander Meadows and Little Wenatchee River. Awful weather forecasts made us cut it back to two days, skipping the Blue Lake detour. We arrived at a fairly full trailhead parking lot at 9.30am after a three hour drive from Seattle. The clouds seemed to be breaking, and although it was just 47F, it felt like the weather was improving. Our hike began up the Little Wenatchee River trail, and as we passed through the meadows between patches of forest, the sun started to warm us up. We met several hikers coming back down bemoaning the dreadful weather they'd had the last few days, but we were hopeful that we'd be luckier. Other hikers warned us that there were ""lots of bears"" at Meander Meadows, so after the steep slog up to the meadows, we hiked singing and clanging our hiking poles to avoid any surprise encounters. We didn't see a single bear. Later we heard that hunters had killed one above the meadows, which in that open country, would seem about as challenging as going to a paddock to shoot a cow. As we approached the ridge above the meadows, the weather took a damp turn, as drizzle started swirling around us. However, the hike along the PCT to Lake Sally Ann started in sunshine, albeit with a very chilly wind. Views to the north and west very pretty much non-existent - Glacier Peak wasn't peeking through today. Then the sky darkened, the rain hit us, followed by sleet, and then driving snow, which only abated the moment we stopped to put on all the remaining layers of clothing we were carrying. After that, more sun breaks, some mountain and meadow views to the south, and a greeting from a pika, hopping around in the rocks on the switchbacks down from Ward Pass. There was only one other couple with their cute pug dog camping at Lake Sally Ann. Across the lake and up the hill was a bear wandering back and forth across the meadows - around sunset it disappeared up the hill. The evening and morning were very cold (37F), a frequent wind and some cloud saving us from a frost. Before sunrise we could see distant mountain ridges poking through under the cloud layer, but that didn't last long as a mist quickly descended. It wasn't until we were wandering through the very lovely meadows on Cady Ridge that the sun really started to break through, and the return to the trailhead was in what felt like very pleasant temperatures. The trail is generally very easy for walking, with a smooth, soft tread. There are a few muddy patches in places, but nothing too deep. The brush along parts of the Little Wenatchee River trail might be annoying when it's wet, but it wasn't when we hiked it. Overall, a lovely hike, and one I wouldn't mind revisiting some sunnier weekend in the future.