The cabin was awesome. We took the summer route and the road was great that any vehicle could drive it. The snow we encountered was 1/2 way up the trail just a few inches no need for snowshoes or spikes. We wondered if there would be water in the spring near the cabin but it wasnt something we wanted to filter from and the horse spring was iced up. Luckily we hauled up 2 gallons. We  also melted snow for water for our dogs and to wash dishes. The wood firedplace was awesome keeping the cabin and us warm on a very cold night probably low teens. The weather was supposed to be sunny and clear which it was until we reached the cabin then full on fog, whiteout snow flurries on and off.

I celebrated Washington Trails Day and the kick-off to Hike-a-thon with a longish hike on Kettle Crest South.

I started the hike with a friend who was planning a more ambitious route. We went around the east side of the Sherman Peak Loop to start, plus did the side-hike to Snow Peak Cabin. There's a new trail re-route on the way to the cabin that's roughed in and offers some improved views of the cabin from the trail, and the cabin itself has a fancy new metal roof that looks great & will likely help shed winter snow.

We continued south on the Kettle Crest and I opted to turn back just past the 8 mile mark while my friend continued on for the ultra-marathon version & eventually exited via Thirteen Mile TH several hours later. I slowed it down to fill an empty water bottle with ripe huckleberries on the way back and returned via the western side of the Sherman Peak Loop. The lupines were still in full bloom although starting to fade a bit, but the huckleberries were just starting!

Interested in learning more about Hike-a-Thon? Please check out my page: https://give.wta.org/fundraiser/2810362

Finally got a chance to scramble to the summit of Snow Peak (~7100 ft) and it was well worth the trip.The views were outrageous, alpine meadows with flowers everywhere. Wish I'd planned more than a day outing.

Started at Sherman Pass TH and hiked south on the Kettle Crest Trail. Took the right fork to head west around Sherman and right again to continue south on Kettle Crest. 1/4 mile past the last junction, on the left, is a hard to see (I added a cairn) side path through the pines that makes for good going and you can avoid some of the boulders (if that is your pleasure) ascending to Snow Peak summit by staying near vegetation. Went up to the false summit and followed the ridge to Snow Peak and then down again on the other side. There is one lone dry campsite near a rock outcropping just south of Snow Peak with room for a small tent. Kept going all the way south on the ridge, and then backtracked a bit to descend toward the cabin on steep meadow slopes.

Trail crew was out clearing downed logs and fixing the tread on Kettle Crest south - thanks!

Shout out to Raven - looking forward to the map!

- Beekeeper

With the craziness of Covid all around us, it is refreshing and rejuvenating to be in the woods. If we are lucky we might even be in wilderness. The Puget Sound, where most WTA hikers live, can make it difficult to be alone, to distance, while being outside. From what I’ve read about the transmission of the Covid virus (and I am not an expert so do your own research), transmission takes several minutes of exposure, meaning; it is not readily transmitted while passing someone on a path. Rather it may be transmitted by spending time with someone that you do not live with (perhaps while hiking). Please, for the sake of the health of our community, be smart about wearing face masks, limiting visits to stores while traveling, and limiting those with whom you travel or hike.

Why do I mention all of this? My wife and I were scheduled to go to Alaska this month and the trip was canceled. We also scheduled work to be done on or home so we were essentially forced out. Pressed to stay away from others we loaded the camper van with two weeks of food and booze and we aimed for northeast Washington. We’ve managed 11 hikes without seeing one other hiker!

And yes, if you are still reading, Snow Mountain was one of them. SM is the second highest peak in the Kettle Crest Range. There is a Forest Service cabin available (most years) for rent for hikers and skiers. The setting is sublime.

Our hike was full of wildflowers. It traversed open slopes and lodgepole pine forest. The enormous White Mountain fire in 1988 devastated this area but it is now recovering well. First and second succession plants are dominating the landscape along with the ghostly images of old growth skeletons.

The trail is all in great shape. The cabin is closed due to C-19. Cross country travel to the summit isn’t difficult but be sure to familiarize yourself with the slope before heading up to avoid huge swaths of windfall.