Pacific Crest Trail Backpack, Harts Pass to Cutthroat Creek, 8.3.12 - 8.8.12, Part 2 of 3

The first night high on the ridge above Grasshopper Pass was wonderful. We had the whole place to ourselves, although a couple of hikers came by in the afternoon. Two were what they call "thru hikers", making their way the entire length of the Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada. They were on their 99th day and planned to finish their journey on day 100. They said they averaged 27 miles each day. Sounds like work to me!

Dawn of day two was calm and clear. I got up to see the sunrise on Azurite Peak and then strolled along the ridge above our camp to the top of Grasshopper Peak. The summit provided amazing views of peaks in every direction. Some of the giants of the Cascades came into view like 8,975’ Black Peak and 9,199’ Mt. Goode. Bridgit soon arrived and then Greg and we watched the morning unfold as the boys slept in.

**Looking back from the summit of Grasshopper Peak towards Grasshopper Pass. Our tents are on the ridge above the pass**

After packing up, we all began our descent into the valley of the west fork of the Methow River. First we dropped about 900' to Glacier Pass. We saw quite a bit of bear scat, some very fresh. Even more ominous was that below Glacier Pass we dropped into the headwaters of Brushy Creek. As the name implies, the trail descends through a very brushy area, sometimes as tall as we were. That makes it hard to see bears and hard for the bears to see us. We made sure to talk loudly and click our hiking poles frequently to alert any bears of our presence. It was also very hot this day (85 degrees) and despite going downhill, the sun, the brush and the miles sapped our energy.

After losing some 2,500' of elevation, we finally arrived at the junction of Brushy Creek and the west fork of the Methow River. There we refilled our bottles and headed up the valley of the Methow, arriving at a nice camp where the trail crosses the river at 5:30PM. It had been a long day (8 miles) and a hot one. Soaking our feet in the cold river was just what the doctor ordered. Amazingly, there were no bugs here either and we had a very relaxing dinner and even built a small fire for ambiance.

We knew day three would be a grind so we got up early, had breakfast and hit the trail. This would be a 6.5 mile day and we would gain about 2,500' of vertical along the way. Luckily, the trail started out in the deep forest in the shade and gradually ascended towards Methow Pass. Once we broke out of the trees things got steeper and hotter and despite the fact that I am a rippled, rock solid specimen of muscular physicality, I struggled those last couple of miles to the pass.

We stopped for lunch at Methow Pass. Poking through the other side we were greeted with a whole new set of views. One was a preview of where we would head two days later. We could see the Crest Trail wind around the headwaters of Swamp Creek to Granite Pass on its way to Cutthroat Pass. But we were much more interested in getting to our destination of the day - Upper Snowy Lake.

Once we popped through Methow Pass we followed the PCT another mile or so to a junction with a very steep side trail that headed up about a half mile to a pair of incredibly lovely lakes called Snowy Lakes. These two lakes are nestled in between two huge mountains, Tower Mountain and Golden Horn. The thermometer read 85 degrees as we slogged up the hill but soon we reached the outlet of Lower Snowy Lake.

It was pretty much a no brainer that a swim was in order so off came the clothes and we dove right in. AHHH, the water was incredibly comfortable! You would expect it to be cold as the glaciers but it is a fairly shallow lake and the water was cool and refreshing without being too cold at all. Heaven on Earth! It felt sooo nice to cool off, freshen up and wash our hair and bodies after the long climb out of the Methow River. What a treat!

**Swimming in Lower Snowy Lake. Heaven on earth!**

After the delicious swim we all got back into our stinky hiking clothes and wandered up a scant 1/4 mile to Upper Snowy Lake where we pitched camp. We knew this spot would be special so we planned to take a rest day to enjoy the area around the lakes and relax for a day.

**Hiking up from Lower to Upper Snowy Lake**

Upper Snowy Lake is a place of special beauty. For starters, it is balanced right in the top of Snowy Lakes Pass so there are views in both directions combined with being enclosed between two huge peaks. Larch trees dot the slopes surrounding the lake and in October the needles turn brilliant gold in color, much like Colorado's aspen leaves.

We made camp on the small knoll above the lake with a few larches for shade and protection. For the first time on this trip, the mosquitos made their presence known. I had not put one drop of Deet on since the start of the trip but I finally succumbed on this night. Still, by Cascade standards, they weren't too bad and it didn't affect our desire to stay out of the tents or feel the need to put on a head net.

We were pleased at how alone we had been so far on this trip. You would think the Crest Trail would be very popular but we hadn't seen anyone on day two. The night we camped at the lake, a mom and daughter arrived in the early evening. They camped around the lake from us and were gone early in the morning.

**Upper Snowy Lake and Mt. Hardy. Our tents are in the trees above the lake.**

**Orange sunset glow on Tower Mountain**

On day four, the boys slept in so Bridgit, Greg and I decided to do a little touring. It felt good to hike with a tiny day pack instead of a big backpack. We headed up towards a high gap on the east ridge of Golden Horn. Climbing up to the gap provided us with a great view of both lakes and the sea of peaks all around us. We followed the ridgeline towards the summit of Golden Horn until we came to an impasse. From here we could see that inclement weather seemed to be moving in. We were a bit concerned about lightning being so exposed so we decided to head back down to our camp. We debated moving camp down to a site on the PCT but decided to stay put for the time being.

**Looking down on the Snowy Lakes from up on Golden Horn**

The rain started shortly after getting back to our camp so we covered our packs and hunkered down in our tents for a nap. The rain was actually a blessing. It kept us from baking in the sun all day and gave us a great excuse to truly relax for a bit and it only lasted an hour and a half.

Once the storm passed through the sun came out and that meant it was time for a swim. We thought the lower lake was better for swimming so we all went down there and killed a few hours. We washed clothes in the creek below the lake, basked in the sun and thoroughly enjoyed the water. The lake was very clear and you could swim under water with your eyes open. We all agreed this was the highlight of the whole trip.

**A family that swims together swims together**

Jamaican Jerk Chicken and Rice was on the dinner menu and dessert was a bag of mini Chips Ahoy cookies. Later, the sun set and we were even treated to a beautiful evening.

Pacific Crest Trail Backpack, Harts Pass to Cutthroat Creek, 8.3.12 - 8.8.12, Part 2 of 3

Pacific Crest Trail Backpack, Harts Pass to Cutthroat Creek, 8.3.12 - 8.8.12, Part 1 of 3

Pacific Crest Trail Backpack, Harts Pass to Cutthroat Creek, 8.3.12 - 8.8.12, Part 3 of 3