ACCESS ROAD NOTE: The unpaved portion of the access road (FS 4330 or Cle Elum Valley Road) is potholed and in *very* poor shape. Speed: count on about an hour to go about 10 miles with a four-wheel drive or higher clearance all-wheel drive vehicle. Low-clearance sedans are not recommended.

The trail to Cathedral Pass is in relatively good shape--there are no blowdowns and only a few small snow patches. There is some mud and water on the trail but nothing to worry about. We set off hiking at 10:45 am on Saturday and despite the many, many vehicles at the trailhead, we didn't see many people on the trail. There are tons of little creeklets crossing the trail the entire way so it's a great hike for a dog. We camped among the tarns about 1/2 mile short of Cathedral Pass (where the trail meets the PCT), and we got the primo spot, in between the last (biggest) and second to last tarn. It's such a pretty spot--just enough trees for shade, but open enough for stargazing. There was no one else around when we set up though some people did come in later. Though the area is quite meadowy, there aren't as many established, flat spots as you'd expect. There are one or two established spots at the pass (one is right next to the trail) but we like this area better--it's very private. There is plenty of water right now though it seems like this might dry up later in summer. Later arrivers had to settle for less ideal spots--they really had to hunt. After we set up we hiked north on the PCT for a couple miles and the trail is in good shape there, too. Bugs were fine when hiking and tolerable at camp, among the tarns, WITH jungle juice, mosquito coils AND headnets. But at dusk, after dinner, WHOA. We were under assault. We fled to the tent. It looks there was probably a beautiful sunset but they were all over our tent and we were not about to run the gauntlet to see. Even with all of my protection I have at least a dozen bites. We took a nice dip in Squaw Lake on the way down. Someone left a campfire not just smoldering, but billowing smoke, at that big campsite right next to the lake, just off the main trail. The baffling part is that the campfire was all of 7 feet from the lake. And they couldn't be bothered to put it dead-out? They also left a pig's ear which our dog found and happily ate, doing his part for litter control. The road in: The last 10 miles of road are unpaved and bad. Not the worst I've ever seen, but I wouldn't bring a passenger car (though a couple people did). It's VERY potholed and rocky. It took us 45 minutes to drive this coming back down (I didn't notice if it took less going up) in our Tacoma.

[sorry for the delay posting our trip report – been a bit busy at work] TRIP NARRATIVE: The Second Annual Father-Daughter backpacking trip headed to Hyas Lake/Deception Pass/Cathedral Rock this past weekend. We began the hike at 1:30 on Friday after a leisurely commute from Seattle. The girls (14 and 15 years old) made quick work of the flat trail along Hyas and even the ascent up the ridge. At 4:00, we found ourselves at the intersection with the Tuck & Robin Lake Trail – too early to stop for the day, but too late to make it to Robin Lake. We compromised by making camp at the nice spot along the T&R Lake path, next to the little stream, grabbing a water bottle and a snack, and scampering up the ridge to see the famous alpine lakes. I use the term “path” and “scampering” on purpose because the supposed trail to Tuck and Robin Lake (shown on Green Trails map) is more of a boot track, with little thought to its meandering ways straight up the ridge. This extremely steep route probably DOES keep the less-hardy hikers away but just about killed us because we were not expecting it. After nearly an hour of grunting we arrived at Tuck Lake – free of snow and having only the most minor of a mosquito issue. We were certainly glad to have left our full packs behind. An early start the next morning (Saturday) got us on the trail in the cool air. Deception Pass came quickly after a lovely, fairly-level saunter through the hemlock and huckleberries. Then we turned SW to navigate the PCT along the ridge. Most streams were navigable on rocks and logs, but we encountered the “difficult ford” and found no easy way to cross. The water level, though, has dropped enough that we were able to do it in bare feet and with a set of trekking poles for support. That was a great experience for the girls. Ascending after the stream coming off Mt Daniel, the PCT gets a bit overgrown, and we were not positive of our way. At this point, the heat was also increasing (back in Seattle it would break heat records of 93 degrees). Additional miles took us higher onto the ridge near Cathedral Rock but the scenery was overshadowed by the increasing heat and mosquito population. The tarns on the ridge harbored a nasty, nasty mosquito population and only liberal amounts of DEET and clothing would keep them off. We heard from other hikers that Peggy’s Pond campsites were boggy and unsuitable so we decided to stay on the ridge, hoping for a breeze to knock down the aerial assault. We squeezed into a campsite at 4:00. The girls were in one tent and the Dads in the other. Only the fine mesh of the tent walls kept the bugs at bay. Sunset arrived with no abatement of our pursuers, but dinner called, so at 9:00 pm the Dads donned full rain gear (hoods pulled up and cinched tight) to light a stove and cook some food. The dwindling light gradually put the bugs to rest, and the girls were able to emerge from their sanctuary at 9:30 to eat. The next morning, Sunday, we awoke at 5:30 am to get a jump on the day. The mosquitos, though, were already waiting for us. We packed as much as we could inside the tents, then sent the girls on ahead while the Dads collapsed the tents and quickly followed. Breakfast would have to wait. There was not a breath of wind, and the heat was already starting. The trail to Squaw Lake was in fine condition, with only a bit of mud. Most people had already abandoned their sites and the trip down the ridge was uneventful. Back to the trailhead by 8:30 am for some early morning stretching and breakfast. TRAIL REPORT: The trail along Hyas Lake is in good shape. The trail to Tuck Lake is straight up, as mentioned. The trail from Deception Pass to Cathedral Rock had only one section of snow. The difficult ford required trekking poles (we removed our boots but other hikers had brought water shoes.) There are several logs across the trail below Mt Daniel. Some we could go over, but a couple required us to crawl underneath. CAMP REPORT: The campsites on the ridge by Cathedral Rock were in good shape. We saw only one that was still a bit damp. FLOWER REPORT: There were flowers below Mt Daniel. I forgot the guidebook, and the only one I recognized was red skyrocket. ANIMAL REPORT: We saw very few animals… one squirrel, three gray jay birds, several dogs (both on- and off-leash), three deer at the parking lot, and several thousand mosquitos. ROAD REPORT: The gravel road to from Salmon La Sac to the trailhead is in terrible shape. Take caution and heed the warnings. Our travel time was about 1:10 to do the 15 miles. However, several people have pulled large camping trailers into the campgrounds, so it must be somewhat manageable despite the dust.

From Talecqua Meadows trailhead trail is clear of snow to Squaw Lake at 4300 feet. Snow begins after Squaw Lake and makes finding the trail very difficult to Cathedral Pass, though it is uncovered in spots. Valley of Deep Lake is largely snow free. Trail to Peggy's Pond is mostly snow free. However a 50' wide snow chute across the trail, about half way to pond, caused us to abort. Could have been traversed with ice axe or avoided by dropping below. Ridge above Squaw Lake is accessible by bushwhack, is mostly snow-free and highly recommended for views of Cathedral Rock, Mount Daniels, Rainier and Stuart.

Stats: 9 miles roundtrip with 2300 feet of gain Hike up in forest to an intersection at two miles in; go right for peaceful Squaw Lake and to Cathedral Rock/Pass. There was a lot of blowdown, but we saw a crew starting to work on the trail as we were headed out. One section of blowdown takes a bit of work to get over. After the lake, you have several stream crossing none of which required getting wet. It was muddy around the melting snow patches through that section. You break out to lovely meadows and tarns. At 4.5 miles you will be at the pass just below Cathedral Rock. There are several roaming possibilities as the Pacific Crest Trail and trail to Peggy's Pond intersect in this area. There was lots of water available along this section of the trail, and the bugs weren't bad. The road (4330) was pretty full of ruts and potholes so you need to drive slow. The Scatter Creek ford is currently about a foot deep so a high clearance vehicle is highly recommended.