Led a friendly group of Mountaineers on this popular easy trail under somewhat-less-than-friendly weather conditions. Fog and rain (ranging from drizzle to steady precip) obscured views (e.g., we caught glimpses of Dewey Lake and some nearby peaks, but never saw Mt. Rainier!), but some of the wildflowers were out, including glacier and avalanche lilies, lupine, bear grass, Indian paintbrush, phlox, and, of course, some others that I couldn't identify readily in absence of reference books. Looks to be a good crop of huckleberries in the making. Also saw signs of deer and elk, and scat of various other wild critters (I'm not an expert on that yet, either...). Based on recent reports re: the changing snow conditions, the snow lingering on the north and east portions of the loop (i.e., the beginning portion if done in the traditional clockwise direction) seems to be melting out fairly quickly; there are a few short snow patches left on the north side (maybe 10-20 ft each), with some longer stretches on the east side until you reach the viewpoints toward Dewey Lake. None rise to the level of needing an ice axe, but I recommended use of ski/trekking poles to my gang, some of whom were beginning hikers not accustomed to crossing snow-covered slopes. Where necessary, I kicked some steps into the snow for surer footing for the benefit of those new to this stuff. (That being said, there were plenty of non-Mountaineers on the trail today in t-shirts, shorts and tennis shoes, out on the snow, in the rain, without packs ... glad we weren't them!) An option that we considered that others might choose: if you're skittish about crossing any lingering snow patches on the steep slopes, instead of taking the loop approach the hike could be done in ""reverse"" as an out-and-back, i.e., start near the Tipsoo Lake trailhead at SR-410 at the southwest side of the loop (instead of the bridge over SR-410 near the Chinook Pass parking area at the north end of the loop) and do the hike counter-clockwise; simply turn around if the snow isn't melted out yet (which it may be by the time you read this). If the skies are clear, don't forget to turn around to look at the views of Rainier, which will be behind you, instead of in front of you as they would be on the more traditional clockwise loop. Of course, you can always wait a couple more weeks for the snow to melt out completely, but likely with a different flower show by then. Stopped for excellent burgers and real ice-cream milkshakes (blackberry, wild cherry) at the Naches Tavern in Greenwater on the way home for a satisfying finish to the day.

Started on trail from Tipsoo lakes parking lot near the restrooms. The trail had many snowfields to cross and footing was somewhat treacherous where the sun shown all morning. I stepped through to my knees in several places. Most of the lower valley and gorges were clear of snow and the plants and wildflowers making a hasty appearance. Some of the wildflowers were just blooming. In a week to 10 days, most of the flowers will be in full swing. Trail was muddy in places and some tracks through the snow. The trail now passes right next to the waterfall on the North side and follows the wall next to a deep snowpack. The Dewey Lakes and the South side are all melted out. The views of the Mt. Rainier are great. I could clearly see a large avalanche area on Rainier. If clear, you can see Mount Adams as well.

Novemeber 12th promised to be a nice sunny day so I decided to head for Chinook Pass and scope out the snow conditions above 5000 feet. The road conditions to Cayuse and then up to Chinook pass are very good. Ice and packed snow in places particularly the shady spots. Studs or good snow tires highly recommended. The PCT at Chinook pass has about 18"" of snow. Someone has kindly broken trail through the snow for the entire 3 mile length of the route. Postholed in places and it was fairly slow going. I should have taken the snowshoes! The open slope on the south side of peak was beautiful and offered some fantastic views of Goat Rocks, Mt. Adams, the Tatoosh range and of course Mt. Rainier. Talk about solitude, I had the entire trail all to myself. If we get another day or two of heavy snow, I'm sure they will close the road. Be safe!

Probably the last time we can hike this trail for the season. It was cold...probably 12 degrees...with a slight breeze blowing at the trailhead. The snow, 6 or 8 inches, was light and fluffy. Lots of tracks crisscrossing in the snow; elk, deer and mountain goats. It was a nice hike and only one other person on the trail. The top half of the mountain remain hidden in clouds. Soon we will start snowshoeing and skiing in this area as long as the road remains open.

this report is meant to correct the incompleteness and inaccuracies in the goldman scrambles book [a list that just grows longer the more scrambles that i try] on the naches peak-yakima peak scramble. from the parking lot at chinook pass, after leaving the big trail along the mather valley by going up naches peak, you will run into two forks. keep on the west side of the rising crest on the northwest side of naches. at the forks, bear left. avoid traversing right--you will end up with trails running out, and having to scramble up the meadows, hunting for the trail again. if you can see tipsoo lake, you have gone too far. once at the top, the book calls for going right along the base of the naches peak column. this requires a traverse on scree with a long exposure. alternatively, perhaps more direct and sure-footed, climb up the ridge from the northwest side--and if you can handle the exposure on this ridge--clamber along the solid rock to the south summit. it is best to do the summit with at least one other strong hiker/scrambler. the scramble to seymour peak--an optional one--takes off this west face traverse. you can see the path from there. it looks pretty straightforward, but there is very little attractiveness about it to warrant taking the extra time. for yakima peak, the path up the rock is on the south side, not the west. the west side is possible, but has quite a bit of exposure and needs some rock climbing, maybe class 3. i see no reason to do this. the north side has lots of scree. the east side looks like the most gentle slope, but i could not see a traverse along the north fact to get there. for approaches, there is probably a more direct route up the grass/meadow directly from the bridge at chinook pass. once above tree line, look for the semi-rock slide and head for an opening at the ridge. go thru that opening on to the west side, and follow the ridge to the top. alternatively, if you travel north along the pacific crest trail--as the book describes--take the first gully directly above the horse trail entrance, hug the edge of the evergreens and avoid losing 15 minutes by heading to the u-shaped ridge on the north side of yakima that is so obvious from the top of naches peak. on both scrambles, there are boot trails. so they are only nominally scrambles. an ice ax is not essential, but welcome with all the exposure on these two climbs. ps: you will find that all those hikers in all those cars in the parking lots don't do these scrambles. so up high, you will have few, if any, other hikers.