What a fantastic loop! My 45 pound aussie mix and I spent 3 nights along the way at : Mackinaw Shelter, Indian Pass and Blue Lake. The hike description well outlines the water situation right now, tho there were a couple surprises of sources between the mac shelter and white pass (wish I hadn't carried so much up!) and again between Indian Pass and Dishpan gap. Elk shared my camp at Indian pass. The high route to blue lake is tough, but I only needed to lift assist my dog over bolders twice going up. Sure wish I had packed my deet bug repellant, as the "natural" stuff didn't do the trick. Particularly while filtering water at inspiration pond and the ponds by indian pass, mosquito heaven. The last 2 miles of pilot ridge trail coming down to the north fork has several large trees covering the trail (Ranger also mentioned this and said they wouldn't get moved for some time). But if you've made it that far, climbing over a few big trees is not a problem. The log crossing at the end was much easier than had been described to me by the ranger. No bark left on the log, but it is quite wide, and my dog and i both felt comfortable crossing the north fork sauk after a long day of hiking. Next time I would allow for 5 nights, and do side trips up Red Pass and Johnson mountain for sure, or even just for another day at the beautiful Blue Lake. On two of the days I went at least 8 miles without seeing another human. Blue lake on a wednesday night hosted 2 large groups, and I would imagine more on the weekends. When the weather is clear like it was this week, the views are incredible. I will seek out ridge loops more in the future!

This hike and these two days ended up being the perfect way to end a summer full of new and glorious adventures. Although I don't backpack by myself very often, when I do, I am reminded of the glory of the solitude and wonder of living in the midst of so much mountainous beauty. The first six miles of the North Fork Sauk trail is truly memorable with old growth forests and lush trail that is soft underfoot and always following the river. Just past Mackinaw Shelter (a fine break spot but not an inviting shelter), the trail starts to gain elevation and as it does, the magestic Sloan Peak comes into view as do the huckleberries, fall leaves and wildflowers! What a special time of year! I arrived at White Pass to stare in awe at the valley below and to plan future loop trips south. I then headed up the ridge to the summit of White Mountain where Glacier Peak burst into view. Incredible! And so I continued along the ridge to Red Pass as I enjoyed the views in all directions. I camped near Red Pass where I enjoyed a spectacular sunset. The next day, I hiked from Red Pass to the summit of Portal Peak and then to Point 6910 where I found a summit register! I returned from Red Pass via the PCT to the North Fork Sauk Trail and back to the trail head. This hike includes around 24 miles in two days on trail that was all new to me and it was pure joy.

Took my group of Boy Scouts up the North Fork of the Sauk river to White Pass then south on the PCT to Stevens Pass for a week long adventure. The North Fork trail is in very good condition to Mackinaw shelter, there was trail maintenance taking place to clear some brush and more maintenance going on up high. Water was no problem to the Shelter. From the shelter it's another hot sunny mile to the next source of water. Fill up because it's another hot mile or so to the next water which isn't until you begin the long hot traverse to White Pass. These water sources may be gone when all the snow melts, I don't know the source or seasonality. Camped at White Pass the first night, views were amazing, bugs were manageable. Second day we hiked south on the PCT to Lake Sally Anne. Take your time on this stretch and continually look in your rear-view mirror. The hiking was relatively easy, no problems with the minor snow fields. Water was plentiful though once again when all the snow is gone I'm not sure how the water is in this area. Lake Sally Anne was still mostly frozen and provided an excellent afternoon swim and camping spot. Third day was the trip to Pear Lake. Once again the hike was spectacular, more ups and downs along the way but the tread was good and the views amazing. Water was plentiful and here I think it was more permanent streams through this section. Only a couple of blow-downs to get around. Pear lake felt like a hot tub for swimming compared to the chill of the night before. Bugs were a bit of an annoyance here. Fourth day was the hike to Lake Valhalla. With the exception of crossing Grizzly Peak, this was an uneventful day. The descent to Lake Janus was a bore, I didn't pack enough water, and the biting flies at Lake Janus where we had lunch were terrible. The hike to Valhalla was nice with a few views to keep me going. Valhalla is a beautiful lake and despite it's proximity to Stevens Pass we were alone on a Friday night. Water was warm and pleasant for a swim. Saturday was our trip out, beautiful views on the way out from Valhalla, plenty of water and a fast pace as my Scouts were anticipating the feast of food parents were bringing to the trailhead. A great week in the mountains.

We had originally planned a trip to the Chiwaukum Mtns, but with the wildfires decided to change routes. I was in this area last year at the same time for a climb of Glacier Peak and decided it was so beautiful I should return with more leisure time. Showers were forecasted, with probably rain on the day I planned to hike out but I did not feel this was a huge issue. Jul 21 we hiked in only to the McKenzie shelter area (under 6 miles). Trail in good condition but the low areas are a bit brushy so wear gaiters or even rain pants if the vegetation is very wet. the old growth on this trail is awesome. I could see a few areas where trail crews had cleared some very large trees, thank you. Beautiful sunset on Sloan Peak I was told, but unfortunately you cannot see much from that campsite. From there started out early on Jul 22 with the intent of day hiking to Red Pass, and perhaps further to Glacier Meadows if conditions permitted. Clouds were heavy but high enough to see peaks. Wildflowers galore once you get out of the (beautiful) old trees and into the high meadows. Also marmots galore, so I kept my four legged friend close. Intermittent drizzle. Once on the open slopes, a stiff breeze made it feel like fall. At the junction with the PCT I headed north, and the trail was clear to Red Pass. Stupendous views of ridges and valleys; clouds obscuring the far distance. The descent from Red Pass into the basin below was all snow and the basin appeared about 85% snow. I could not discern the trail but I am pretty sure there is a bootpath. I was not all that interested in navigating and negotiating the traverse, (especially with only poles and my dog ) knowing that views of Glacier Peak were not to be had and I would have to regain the elevation out. Also thought about heading out to White Pass and beyond, but again, the weather did not make that seem so appealing. After a nice chat with some other backpackers near the pass, my buddy and I headed back towards camp. Here is something the other backpackers told me that seemed worth passing along. They said the rangers advised them not to camp in the area near McKenzie shelter because not only are there mice (which I knew, and was prepared for)-- but along with the mice are FLEAS. Makes sense when you think about it. So with this tidbit of info, when I got back to camp mid-afternoon, I quickly packed up and moved about 1.4 miles back down trail to the campsites at Red Creek where we spent our second night. Maybe I was being a little paranoid, but although my dog takes preventive flea medication, I do not. Again that evening, it cleared up and I wished we had some views! However, Red Creek is a nice camp area. The 4 or maybe 5 sites are large and flat, in open woods. That means no privacy if there are other campers, but I had the place to myself. The rushing creek sounds lovely. It rained a bit at night, was dry in the morning so after a leisurely breakfast we packed up. But while eating breakfast, my dog growled twice at something I could not hear. I could see heavy clouds upvalley. Shortly after hitting the trail, in came the rain, and then thunder that I could hear, and later on some lightning lit things up a few times, with loud thunderclaps spooking both of us and making me glad we were not on the high ridges. Then came the real rain. Did I mention it rained? Talk to me about Gore-tex so-called waterproof boots sometime. Two hours later we were in the car with the heater on and we admired the raging rivers on the way out.

Got a late start on Friday afternoon backpacking from the North Fork Sauk TH up to White Pass. Total travel time was about 5 1/2 hours. The trail is in good shape overall. A couple of sections along the Sauk wind through dense brush encroaching upon but not obstructing the trail. Snow is not an issue at all west of White Pass, but snowfields are intermittent south along the PCT from White Pass and more so north of Red Pass in the other direction. Due to rain, fog, and snow on the ground I did not travel farther than Red Pass to the North or more than a mile south of White Pass along the PCT. All of the campsites at White Pass are snow free. Plenty of beautiful wildflowers and robust marmots.