[Quark]

Ever since I got out of school, I’ve been jonesin’ for a Glacier Peak region trip, the PCT in particular. The PCT near Glacier Peak is a favorite solo jaunt for me. I’ve always wanted to go after Labor Day; then the fall color is just beginning. This was the year. And o! what a trip! Sunday, the weather looked iffy, and it was beautiful to see the wisps of fog drifting and swirling around White Pass. I hung out awhile, hoping the weather would settle. It did, mostly sunny, and warm! The brilliance of this area in fall is indescribable.

White Pass from the PCT

I then wandered over to Foam Basin and spent the day roaming the expanses of brilliant red and scarlet huckleberry bushes, dripping with thumbnail sized fruit. I basked in the sun and watched the 4 or 5 resident hawks loll and circle and dive.

Sunglint on a grassy knoll above Foam Basin, from my campsite.

After dinner, I bagged a peak, but the views were obscured by fog hurled out by Glacier Peak (I never did see the damn thing, which both torques me and amuses me, all at the same time. It’s like a game). Monday I decided to pop over the ridge, wander the area of the headwaters of the White Chuck, and spend the night over there, along the lonely PCT. I chose the obvious low spot on the ridge, and – ooops! was met with a yawning, gaping pock that once contained a small glacier. It was now a 50-foot deep, long slot of mooky wet silt, water, and rock. At the bottom of the slot lay a glob of glacier, seething and swimming in it’s own juices. So I decided to just bag the peak to my left and then wander the PCT southbound all afternoon. I dropped my backpack, and when I was close to the top of the peak to my left, when I looked down to see an obvious route around the mooky pit. I un-bagged the peak (it got too technical up there anyway), dropped down to see if I could get to the White Chuck valley from there. Yup, it goes. I went back to retrieve my backpack, and soon was on my way down the gully to the headwaters of the White Chuck. God, what a place!

The White Chuck cometh from the shadows, sunshine hitting flora in foreground

I wandered the massive valley, hung out amongst the waterfalls, ate more huckleberries, and generally enjoyed the hell out of seeing the mighty White Chuck’s beginning.

WC first waterfall

WC silty depression better for posting

I wandered over towards this lonesome stretch of the PCT, closed to thru-hikers. This is a fairy-tale stretch of the PCT, and includes the White Chuck Cinder Cone as an added attraction.

Beautiful fall yellows against brown and red White Chuck Cinder Cone

Dried up tarn at Cinder Cone

I had planned to spend the night this side of Red Pass, but I knew I was pushing it with the weather – 2.5 days of good weather in this area is a stretch, so I decided to do Red Pass while the weather was good, and spend my last night at White Pass again. Good choice; Tuesday dawned with an icy-cold wind. I would have hated to have to do Red Pass today in addition to the 11 miles from Red Pass to my red truck. This trip went without a hitch. Sunday’s coffee was pretty bad – FYI, Gatorade’s Icy Glacier powder drink mix looks exactly like sugar. It doesn’t go. It was psychologically bumming. But I figured to look at the bright side. I killed two birds with one stone. Et dinner at the Glacier Peak café in Darrington where I had the crispiest fried chicken, real green beans, and home-made cherry pie. Damn, it was good! The new owners bought the old Backwoods Café in 2003 – the year of the floods. They’re hoping to hang on long enough to greet the flood of recreationists when they come back once the roads and trails are repaired. The new owners take plastic.

[kleet]

That's a loverly stretch of trail, ain't it? It sure looks different in the fall. Ya brought back some excellent photos, Quark. I especially like the one in Foam Basin. Nice work!

[ree]

Lovely pictures, Witchie-won!

[jimmymac]

That's a great area to just pass through. The thought of freeform exploration in fall solitude... Well, several ounces of stress just evaporated as I's reading your TR. Great way start to the day.

[Quark]

thanks for the good comments, folks. This really was a fantastic trip, and I enjoyed the simple route-finding. It's so open there, I didn't have to consult my map very often; mainly just to identify stuff. I spent a lot of time on the Sauk Rv trail, enjoying the old growth and lushness there. Lots of wierd stuff to look at from the 2003 floods, too. Jack straw logjams everywhere on the River, washed out banks. The banks of Red Creek are washed away near the trail crossing, leaving the typical log crossings ineffective (this time of year, it's a rock-hop). It was quite windy yesterday, and I enjoyed listening to the trees creaking and popping. The FS has done a bang-up re-route, locating the trail off the river area. If you go, check out the rock walls - built by an all-female FS trail crew. There's an impressive hand-made bridge over a gully, as well. I ran into the trail crew on their way out yesterday and we hand a nice visit. Here are a couple of micro-vision photos: Orange Fungus:

Orange shelf fungus

and Frank Lloyd 'Shroom:

Frank Lloyd 'Shroom

[lookout bob]

nice report Q....that is one Wright white 'shroom'......

[#19]

I count 3 nights. What did you have for dinner(s)?

[Slugman]

Great report and pics. It sounds like you made the most of the weather that you had. I've never made it north of Kodak peak myself. Looks like I've been missing the best part of that area. I still kick myself for abandoning a thru-hike from Stevens pass to the White Chuck trail by bailing out the N Fk Sky during the summer before the floods.

[Quark]

Aww, Slug, you missed out, dude. The White Chuck trail and all trails leading to it, was a wonderful trail. You can have another stab at it someday; the new trail has been worked out (it's going high). The hitch is, there's no funding yet. The Sauks the best way to get into that area quickly, always has been. 5.5 miles on a nice forest trail, then up for about 2.5 - 3 miles (it only hurts for a little while). It's not bad, but I'd hate to do it in the heat of the day; south-facing slope, alot of it bare. The forest walk alone is worth checking out; just go in a few miles, then turn around, and you've had a fantastic day. PK, my WhisperLite crapped out on me a couple wkends ago, and I discovered a crack in the pump, I bought another pump Thursday night. I tested it Friday night, and it still didn't work. Luckily, I don't like to cook in the backcountry, so I was able to bring my alchohol stove and not have to re-think my meals. I just bring simple slop; Lipton noodle mixes (garlic & shells) and tuna packets. I figured something out on this trip though; when I pulled into camp Saturday night, it was dark, I was whupped, it was drizzling, foggy, and cold as hell. I didn't feel like jacking with dinner, so ate a bagel and went to bed. So for breakfast on Monday, my exploration day, instead of insipid oatmeal that doesn't give me energy, I ate Saturday's dinner, the Mountain House strogonoff. The energy it gave me lasted all day. Got me up the notch and down the White Chuck Valley, then up Red Pass before I felt like I was winding down. So from now on, I'll bring dinners for breakfast! For lunches I just bring snacky stuff; cheese, dried fruit, naan, peanut butter.

[jimmymac]

When there's snow handy, I've kinda gotten in the habit of squirrelling away half my MH dinner to boost the next morning's breakfast. I don't miss the food at night and it makes a big difference in the way I feel the next day. Yeah, cold chicken curry & rice sounds a little gross, but it beats half the leftover [stuff] I pull out of my refrigerator on any given morning.

[#19]

[polecatjoe]

Wow- that looks like a great trip! Sounds like you had the place pretty much all to yourself. Glad the weather more or less held out for you. How many miles and how much elevation did you put in?

[Quark]

Thanks for the grub tip PK. I'm a bit bored with the snacks-for-lunch routine. Sometimes I fry up a hamburger patty or two and pack those in, or smoked salmon, and I ususally dehydrate some fruit; but this trip was sort've a snap decision and I didn't have time to do anything interesting food-wise. I didn't get serious about the trip til Thursday. polecat, I hastily calculated the total gain at around 5600. Mileage around 25ish (I spent Sunday not doing a whole helluva lot). The loopy dealo I did Monday wasn't long mileage-wise; I sorta did a wide loop around White Mtn, using the PCT on 2 sides. I had wanted to roam more, but I had found a lost dog at White Pass Saturday night (rather, she found me), and I hung around the general area til early afternoon Sunday hoping the either owners would show up, or someone would happen by on their way out, and take the pooch down with them (not a bad gig; I napped in the sun at White Pass, and read). I had met a nice woman on the way up Saturday, and lo! there she was, on her way out. She took the pooch off my hands, and according to a note she left on my truck, she later ran into the owner on his way back up to search for his dog.