This was a great loop hike! started toward Hyas Lake on a super level trail for 3 miles through forest before arriving at several campsites at the very large lake. Then up several switchbacks for our 1st night camp. We took a 2 mi day hike up the very steep trail to tuck lake (no water available on trail) where we made vegan sloppy joe's for dinner, enjoying great views on the lake before hiking back down for a total 4 mi R/T. Next day we continued another mile or so on a level trail to the junction of the PCT at Deception Pass, hanging a hard left on the PCT headed toward Cathedral Rock. At 2 miles on the PCT a raging creek required fording at knee level, wasn't hard with poles for stabilization. sat on a large rock on the other side and ate lunch and dried off. continued 4 more mile to Cathedral Rock and great views. Several camp sites available. We continued to a last lake where one large campsite resided but was right on the trail, so we continued the final 2 miles to the car for an 18 mi. loop. Excellent weather, bugs required every inch of skin to be covered with jungle juice, some still seemed immune! still would definitely recommend to others preferable as a 2 nighter, but us two ole' guys made it in 29 hours. Left car at 2 pm arrived next day at 6:30 pm...trail in good shape, no snow on trail. enjoy all my pics from this trip at http://gallery.me.com/medic229/100017

I'll be as generous as I can be with this review, but I need to tell you, fellow traveler, why you should avoid this place like the plague until further notice. At the least, mosquitoes are a minor nuisance in the memory of an otherwise great trip. At most, swarms of the disgusting creatures descend upon you the second you've come within striking distance, spreading pestilence and plague! ...well maybe not, but they can easily ruin your time, and that's what this was. I've been on rough trips before. I've pushed my mountain bike up thousands of feet in a swarm of bugs and ended up with hundreds of tiny bites covering my neck, back, hands, legs and face. I've never gotten bug bites that swell up and look like a limpet is somehow under your skin. I've never camped in a place where the bugs swarm around your face thick enough that you can count on the inhaling one or two for every 10 minutes spent outside. I've never experienced mosquitoes that are so completely indifferent to deet-based repellent, even when it's a 40% mixture. We planned a three-day tour of the area, but noticed that all the good campsites at Squaw lake, Cathedral Rock, at Deep Lake and at Peggy's Pond are by stagnant water in some form. So we settled down at Deep Lake for the first (and only) night and we were thankful just to get the tent up so that we could hide inside. The vile creatures coated the outside of our tent until after dark, when we could finally venture out again. At least at night it was cold enough to wear long pants and a jacket, so you knew there were some areas that were 100% safe. We planned to eat breakfast and bolt in the morning, but once morning finally came, the decision to skip breakfast was made. It was unbearable. We thought the situation might be better elsewhere, so we packed up camp as fast as we ever have and made a break for it. Once we reached the Peggy's Pond Trail, we decided we'd check it out. Sidenote - that trail is not for the faint of heart. It's a mountain goat style rock-hop, and in many places, if you fall, you would be in a serious emergency situation. Anyways, we reached Peggy's and were surprised to discover that the swarms seemed to be elsewhere. So we started to unpack and make camp, but right around the time we got the tent up, we were attacked again, and it was almost as bad as at Deep Lake. It just wasn't worth it - we packed up as quickly as before and rushed back to the trail head in disgust. You might think I'm being dramatic, and there's no way you would whine so much about a few bugs. To that I say: I dare you to do the hike to Deep Lake right now. The mosquitoes at Deep Lake must be some prehistoric strain bred to spread pestilence, to feed on nuclear waste, and to make sure you spend your entire trip cowering in your tent.

Friday, July 17, 2009 was another great day for a hike: warm but not hot. The drive on the access road from I90 will take nearly an hour but the drive is pleasant as you past marshy lakes and large meadows filled with flowers. There is a water crossing of Scatter Creek but most vehicles should be able to cross. I was alone on the trail until mid afternoon on the way back to the trailhead. The trail was almost completely snow free with only one minor blowdown. Trees and vegetation are not too different from the westside of the Cascades. The flowers, birds and hummingbirds are out. Because of me bright red T-shirt, I buzzed several times by hummingbirds. Squaw Lake is a nice rest spot and you may spot a trout or two in its clear waters. Small meadows and tarns dot the flat ridge top. Once you start from the trailhead, you do not see Cathedral Rock again until the last half mile or so and then you are greeted by the mass of Mt Daniel and its glaciers. You can hear the muted roar of the cascades off it steep slopes. And behind behind you, you see the pyramid shape of Stuart’s peak behind the Wenatchee Mountains. The more venturesome can try the the narrow trail below the steep slopes of Cathedral Rock to Peggy’s Pond. I turned back halfway into the trail as I could not see a clear continuation and with commitment to a guessed trail that may be difficult to extricate if I had guessed incorrectly. There were plently of mosquitoes and other bugs; bring bug juice. (more pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/steve.d.podleski/2009CathedralRock#

Warning! The ford over Scatter Creek on the way to this trailhead was too full for our Toyota Camry to pass. High clearance vehicles seemed to make it with no difficulty. We backed up and hiked Scatter Creek instead and will save this one for later in the summer when the water level is lower and take the Sienna. It has higher clearance than the Camry and could have made it today.

Looking to escape the clouds and rain, Patches and I drove with the Labs(Chandler and Sophie) over the mountains to hike Cathedral Rock/Peggy's Pond, which "Best Hikes with Dogs" called "doggy paradise." They weren't kidding! For our four-legged companions: meadows to roll in, lakes and tarns to splash in, snowbanks to slide down, and abundant streams to keep them hydrated. For us humans: a gradual climb, easy stream crossings, beautiful wildflowers, and gorgeous alpine scenery, replete with rocky cirques, lush green valleys, and alpine lakes of the purest aquamarine blue. Only two other cars were in the parking lot when we arrived, and there were still only 3 cars there when we left. As the Hyas Lake trail #1376 is under construction and the Daniel Creek crossing was reportedly too high to safely ford right now, we elected to skip the 14-mile Cathedral Rock-Deception Pass loop and just hike to Cathedral Rock and then on to Peggy's Pond. Cathedral Rock trailhead #1345 starts at the bridge and climbs nearly 2300 ft to Cathedral Pass, 4.5 miles up. We saw no one on the trail until we hit Squaw Lake (2.5 miles in, at 4841 ft), where two dads who had taken their young daughters on their first overnight backpacking trip ("hot dogs and pasta for dinner") were packing up camp. The first 2 miles are a modest climb, gaining just 1000 ft. Lupine, bunchberry, and foam flowers (and mosquitoes) are in abundance early on, and you'll easily ford about half a dozen small streams. After the first 0.5 mile or so, the mosquitoes mysteriously disappeared, so the day was blessedly free of the noisy little pests. Beyond Squaw Lake, the trail follows the ridge north, where you'll catch frequent glimpses of the Cle Elum River valley and the craggy Wenatchee Mountains on the opposite valley wall. Snow is first encountered on the trail around 5000 ft, in easily traversed patches. Around 5500 ft, you'll hit consistent snow, which doesn't require ice axes or even gaiters, but I'd recommend waterproof hiking books and not sneakers or low hiking shoes. I thought the trail was very easy to spot even through the snow. At 4.5 miles, you'll reach Cathedral Pass (5500 ft), directly beneath the impressive spire of Cathedral Rock. Here the trail ends at a junction with the Pacific Crest Trail. Go left on the PCT towards Deep Lake (the trail to the right heads to Deception Pass). In about 0.3 miles, you'll see a trail to the right, #1375, which veers off to Peggy's Pond. If you're not afraid of heights or of exposure, definitely hike to Peggy's Pond. However, the trail is more aptly termed a path, in some places no bigger then a foot across. The trail is rough and rocky and for the first half of the 0.75 miles to the pond, there are quite a few exposed sections of slippery shale where the slope falls away steeply. But the expansive view overlooking the valley floor and gorgeous teal-blue Deep Lake, and the cascading roar of a dozen waterfalls braiding together as they tumble down the mountainside, make up for the unsteady footing. And here, above 5500 ft, is where the wildflowers are peaking! Buttery arnica, fiery orange paintbrush, yellow glacier lilies, lavender and purple phlox (which fill the air with their clean and heady fragrance), and deep purple penstemon cover the rock walls with brilliant color. Thankfully, the most exposed portion of the path to Peggy's Pond is mostly free of snow. The last part is snowbound but the trail is fairly easy to pick out through breaks in the snow, esp. as red algae tends to color the footprints in the snow. You'll reach a mostly thawed out pond-let on the left side, but to find Peggy's Pond, I had to cross the unmarked snow a short ways to where I heard a stream bubbling down from an outlet above. From the outlet where the water cascades down a small boulder, climb up over the snow and you'll soon see Peggy's Pond. It's still about 95% frozen but you can appreciate how, in the summer, Cathedral Rock is mirrored in this exceedingly beautiful tarn nestled in a rocky cirque at the base of the Rock. [Patches took the photos today, not me, so I hope to upload those here soon.] All in all, a beautiful hike with gorgeous views and brilliant wildflowers, tailor-made for our four-footed companions, and completely passable on foot even this early in the season. I've seen this trailhead parking lot full on weekends and later on in the summer, so you'd better hit it now if you want solitude and an early season hike! Round Trip: 11 miles Time In: 3:00 Time Out: 2:40 Elevation: 3350-5600 ft (2250 ft gain) Map: Green Trails No. 176, Stevens Pass Required: Northwest Forest Service Pass Recommended: waterproof hiking boots (until the snow melts), DEET (although we really only needed it at the trailhead), hiking poles Directions: I-90 to exit 80 (Roslyn/Salmon la Sac). Head north on S.R. 908 about 15 miles, passing through Roslyn and past Cle Elum Lake. At Salmon la Sac Campground, go right onto dusty gravelly road No. 4330 and drive 12.5 miles to a wide parking area just before Tucquala Meadows Campground. (En route, you'll have to drive through a creek which appears to be running about 12-18" deep right now.) Bathroom available at the parking area. The Hyas Lake-Deception Pass trailhead starts at a bridge over the Cle Elum River.