This was an odd hike, so bear with me. Not sure where I got the idea for this hybrid/combo route (several books and this website?) but I drove out the alternately okay/brutal forest road 9070 and parked in the small pullout across from the Mt Catherine TH.  Starting around 7:30 I headed about 50 feet SE and went downhill on Trail 1348 (Cold Creek Trail). It was easy to follow but sometimes the brush was taller than I was--The trail itself was clear but with the brush over it, sometimes I was fast-walking by braille using my feet to guide me. Many spider webs. Ptuey. Blueberries looked sparse but good, and the taller berries (thimble? Salmon? rasp? basically looked like golden and red raspberries)  Plus some devil's club.  I rounded Twin Lakes and then with many switch-backs and huffing and puffing made it to the PCT in 1:58 min. Turned right/west.

Much easier trail after that--wider, clearer, breezy, fewer rocks, and flatter.  About 25 minutes I came along the leftward branch trail to Silver Peak. It took about a half hour to make the top, and for the 30 minutes I was highest up there I was completely swarmed by mosquitoes, swatting four at a time. Even the breeze at the top was no deterrent. Didn't stay at the top long (good views despite the cloudy day) and headed back to the PCT northbound, which was a pleasure to hike on (really good size and condition and no more bugs!). I headed up to the jct with road 9070 and back south half or 3/4 mile to my car at the 4:35 mark. I was spent, but did not spend enough time on trail, so I drank some gatorade and crossed the road to the Catherine trail (also 1348).

It rose steeply on kinda a kinda cruddy rocky trail surface--not my favorite.  Though it's just 1.5 miles up, it's fairly steep and I underestimated it a bit and was really fried by the end, hiking two minutes, resting 30 seconds, over and over for the last 20 minutes or so.  I musta thought I was still a kid or something.  1:05 to the top (decent views despite the cloud layer) and about 35 min back to the car for a total time of 6:25 on trail. I think I was just so happy to be on trail that I pushed harder than I should have--though no aches or pains the next day, so maybe I'm just getting old!

Crossed nobody on lower trail 1348, plenty of friendly folks on the PCT, and the same on the Catherine trail.

Stats: 11.27 miles

3,908 ascent (3,782 descent) 

5:42 moving time; 43 min stopped 

The road has many wide undulating potholes and perhaps is at the limit of what a low clearance vehicle might be able to do, but I could not assess for sure because I was driving a high clearance. It was tricky to find the road, as Hyak Dr NE is signed as Hyak Dr E and it makes a sharp right at the utility facility where it is not signed properly and passes through a gate. In any case, as long as you trust the directions, you will get there. Do not miss the trail at the 4.4mi mark, or you will end up driving on much more terrible Rocky road where the PCT crosses. There isn’t exactly a proper parking lot at the TH. The TH is well-signed if you look for it.

The trail is well-marked. It is initially steep and then flattens out for a while after which there is a choice between a steep scramble or a less steep path (did not take) to the summit. The summit block is not particularly exposed, unless you walk the ridge to what looked like the true summit for extra adrenaline.

I was lucky to be hiking in the fog, so the heat and consequently the bugs were not an issue. I thought the views would be skunked out, but the fog settled by sunset when I reached the summit and the sunset was one of the best I’ve seen. Mt Rainier was faint from all the extra humidity, but now the fog passing below actually made for a really pleasing view! A couple mosquitoes did bite me at the summit.

Hiked back in the dark. All in all a great hike. There was nobody else at the summit or on the trail.

Set out reasonably early for a still lightly-traveled gem in Snoqualmie Pass.  The road heading up (FR-9070) is starting to get really rough again, especially once you hit the hairpin turn past the Twin Lakes TH.  After this upcoming winter, not sure I'd attempt the road in a low-clearance vehicle.

Got to the Catherine trailhead around 8AM and there were only three cars parked in the tiny pull-off.  Made it up to the summit very quickly, passed two groups coming down.  There's a new, worn-in trail to the summit now, just in case you don't want to use the cable.  I know that boot path has always been there, it's just much more noticeable and wider now.  Made getting to the top with my dog a lot easier!

Only passed one person as I was heading down, and made it to Dru Bru for a quick beer before heading back to Snoqualmie.  Always a great (albeit short) hike!

Had the day off of work so RedPandu and I decided to kick off Hike-a-thon by heading to the pass and doing the PCT to Lodge Lake and then to Mt Catherine and back.

There were zero cars in the parking lot when we started at 6:58.25 AM.

The trail starts out heading up a few slopes of the Summit at Snoqualmie where the indian paintbrush was in bloom along with many other flowers (counted about 35 different types along the trail).

After the initial climb up the slopes, the trail levels out a bit to Beaver Lake and then a slight downhill to Lodge Lake. The lake would have been lovely if not for the mass swarms of mosquitos and other flying jerks that did not care in the slightest if you were wearing bug repellant or not. Took a few quick photos and blasted out of there.

Continued to Olallie Meadows in hopes to find other creatures other than bugs, but we had no luck. Just more mosquitos.

Popped out on FR9070 for a quick walk to the Mt Catherine trail turnoff and headed up to see what all the fuss was about. 

Made quick work of the switchbacks and trail to the summit and was met with blue skies, warm temps (actually, I will say hot temps), and more of our best friends, Monsignor Mosquito. Took some photos before getting annoyed and decided to head back down. Passed a handful of people on the way and got back to our car at noon and about 6 cars in the lot.

Trip deets:

• 12.22 miles
• 3,063 vertical
• 4:30 moving time and 14 mins stopped time (4:44:41 - should have waited 3 seconds)

Started off WTA's Hike-a-Thon 2022 with Maovador on the PCT from Snoqualmie Pass past Lodge Lake and up to Mount Catherine. 

The trailhead is at the end of a small, dirt road right off Summit at Snoqulmie's Summit West exit from I-90. The road was easy to navigate for any type of vehicle, and when we started our trip around 7am, we were the first car there. 

From the trailhead, the trail heads into the forest for a few yards before quickly existing the trees and traversing the ski slopes. There were a ton of wildflowers here still in bloom with great views of the flowers, chairlifts, and surrounding peaks. 

The trail takes a gradual climb up the ski slope and flattens out before reaching Beaver Lake. From there, the trail heads into the woods for a few miles before reaching Lodge Lake.

About a mile from Lodge Lake we started to notice the bugs, and the bugs were intense through the remainder of the trip. They were particularly bad at Lodge Lake, and even through we coated ourselves in bug spray, it did nothing.

Despite the bugs, we carried on as the trail meanders through the woods, popping out from time to time for roads. The trail was very easy to follow.

Once the trail hit FR9070, we took a left and headed a few yards down the road to the trail for Mount Catherine on the left. The trail to Mount Catherine had a decent amount of uphill and switch backs to get you there. There were a few false summits along the way. The views from the summit were great but hazy, with decent views of Rainer and surrounding peaks. 

But the bugs! We didn't stay long on the summit because of them, only stopping for a few short minutes back on the road where a stiff breeze kept the bugs away. 

Uneventful out-and-back back to the car. The trail was not busy; we passed 5 people on the way in, and we only passed a handful of people on the trail on the way back.

Trip Stats

• 12.22 miles
• 3,063 vertical
• 4:30 moving time and 14 mins stopped time (4:44:41)