A far better way to celebrate our 27th anniversary than the 25th... Cool and moist, kinda spitting rain but not enough to 'dampen' our spirits. Ran into the dedicated volunteers of the wta at porcupine creek as they were putting the finishing touches on a magnificent log bridge. We were the FIRST hikers to use it for its intended purpose!! Smooth, easy trail...knocked off the five miles in about 2.5 hours including lunch stop. Marvelous vistas at the top. Cloud-shrouded peaks surrounding us and a good picture of the lake 1900 feet below. A highly recommended walk!!

Trail in decent shape after last weekends 'Cutthroat Classic'. Just two miles in, near Porcupine Creek, I realized I had left my keys in the ignition of my unlocked car. Alas, we chose to turn back. Everything happens for a reason. 4+ miles R/T, minimal gain, 1:40 total time.

DAR and I headed out - east, as the forecast bespoke rain on the west slopes. Besides, it's LARCH SEASON and time for the annual trip. Saturday, well, there's no hike report to speak of. We hit sunshine in Mazama and headed up to Hart's Pass with a stop at Slate Peak. Of course, we were in a fog-out and the wind chill was, oh, -4, so needless to say we didn't linger. How cold was it' So cold I almost froze my face. Any longer, and I would not have been able to talk until I thawed out. We descended to warmer climes (Early Winters Campground) and checked out the Early Winters trail. Sunday we decided to try our luck at Cutthroat Pass, starting at Rainy Pass. This trip may well go down into history as a larch trip, in larch season, with one, repeat, one, picture for posterity. No light, no sun, no backlighting. Just a nice long, easy grade hike through first evergreen forest, then through larch. The larch looked a bit past prime, i.e. orangish, in the flat light, but in reality was still a bit green. A few more days and some backlighting will really make them shine. Anyone for calling in sick if the weather improves'

Wow, finally got to this place I have been meaning to for years: Snowy Lakes and Golden Horn. Many things stood in our way, including a stove that went up in a fiery ball, and a failed water filter, but we prevailed through adversity. Great weather certainly helped. We planned this as a three day backpack, first to give time to organize in the morning, and a leisurely drive. The first night, we camped at Porcupine Basin camps, about a mile below Cutthroat Pass. Lovely camps, but not much water in this year of the drought. Beyond, the views opened up far and wide as the PCT snakes around rocky hillsides towards Granite Pass where we coincidentally ran into two hiking friends. Beyond, a gentle yet dry traverse took us to the ""junction"" with the trail to Snowy Lakes - a little steep and rocky in places, but very do-able. Once up there, we chose a secluded campsite and proceeded to take in one of the most incredible views I have ever seen: peaks everywhere, near and far, too many to name. Coming out on the third day, we encountered some through hikers on the PCT, pulling long miles with seemingly small packs. A goal for the future!! Overall, trail is in great shape, bugs gone, but so mostly are the huckleberries...

What a beautiful day for a hike! We took off early and reached the trail head at Rainy Pass at about 8:30 am. Sunny and clear and not a bug to fear! We made it up to the pass in about 3 hours and hung out around there for about 30 mintues to an hour then made our decent back down (though it was tempting to keep going up to Harts Pass!). Took us about 2 hours to get down and never encountered a single soul. Considering the problem with bugs on this side, I would recommend driving a little further east and doing this hike because it was well worth the 2-3 hour drive! No bugs, great trail, great views, tons of blueberries, very few people...How could you go wrong'