Forum Index > Trip Reports > North Fork Sauk River to Red Pass, 09/28/08-09/30/08
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jeremybe
Ol' One-shirt



Joined: 17 Jul 2008
Posts: 275 | TRs | Pics
Location: Seattle
jeremybe
Ol' One-shirt
PostSun Oct 05, 2008 12:44 pm 
The final weekend in September beckoned. The weather looked to be fantastic. Unfortunately, Nicole and one of her toenails were at odds with one another, so if anything were to be done, it would have to be done solo. Somehow I decided that a mere dayhike wouldn’t suffice; this meant I’d be going on my very first all-alone backpack: two nights in Glacier Peak Wilderness. I actually didn’t give it much thought at the time (that is, before I set up camp the first night in near-darkness and questioned every sound I thought I heard). It just seemed like the natural progression of things, something that I knew I’d do eventually. As I may have mentioned in the past, Glacier Peak Wilderness (hereafter, GPW) has held near-mythical status in my novice hiker mind. Maybe it’s because Spring & Manning called it the last wild volcano. I suppose that has something to do with it: unlike Mt. Baker or Mt. Rainier, you ain’t parking your Subaru on the side of Glacier Peak. You gotta hike to get anywhere near it, man. So when, a week or two prior, I saw a post on NWHikers about Sloan Creek Road re-opening, it stuck with me. Sloan Creek Road (aka Road #49) had been closed for some time (forever, as far as it concerns me, since I wasn’t going anywhere near it before this summer) and it’s one of the nearest access points to GPW. So it seemed predetermined that this trip would utilize the opportunity.
Beautiful old-growth cedar.
Beautiful old-growth cedar.
NF Sauk trail.
NF Sauk trail.
I decided I’d hike the North Fork Sauk River Trail (#649) on Sunday and spend the evening at or near Mackinaw Shelter, then get up Monday morning and hike until I reached the Pacific Crest Trail (#2000) and take that to Red Pass. If I could, I’d investigate White Chuck Glacier or climb Portal Peak, spending the second night in the area. Tuesday morning I’d hike all the way back out and get home sometime in the afternoon. Since I was leaving the where-and-when with Nicole, I figured it best to stick as close to the plan as possible, and act conservatively. Sunday morning’s departure was slightly postponed due to an uncooperative Green Bay Packers game. Instead of putting it away early (or imploding immediately) they stretched the game out for nearly the entire four quarters. At 13:15, I finally pulled out of West Seattle. The drive went by quickly and I reached the trailhead two hours and thirty minutes later, the final ~20 minutes of which were spent on the Sloan Creek Road, which is in pretty great shape–pretty much any car should be able to make it. At 15:55, I was on the trail, which starts out at 2100’. The trailhead signs noted sites washed out at Mackinaw Shelter, but some spots open. The register seemed to reinforce my hypothesis of solitude–it didn’t seem like anyone was going to be around for two nights, aside from a summit pair. 15:55 is a pretty late start for our short autumn days, so I was a bit anxious to make good time and get camp set up for the night. I should note that my pack was heavy! I was carrying everything that Nicole and I normally shared, 4 liters of water (even though I was hiking next to a river!) and more than enough food, as I found out later. The trail parallels the North Fork Sauk River, through plenty of old growth forest. This part of the trail is all trees and mushrooms, folks. Some of those trees are in the way: there’s at least 6-7-8 blowdowns on the way to Mackinaw Shelter–some quite sizable, but none incredibly difficult.
One of many blowdowns.
One of many blowdowns.
After only a few minutes on the trail, I met some nice women picking mushrooms, and I have a suspicion now that they’re fellow posters on NWHikers. They said they envied my trip, but I envied their ability to identify non-poisonous mushrooms. I kept onward, forgoing photography for the sake of timeliness, but I did give some of the many mushrooms names in my mind: trumpet mushroom, sesame seed mushroom, and red bliss mushroom. At 16:40, I was startled by what sounded like a large explosion. Maybe it was a gun (but it sounded more like a canon) or perhaps it was an avalanche or a single, giant tree falling. Whatever it was, it freaked me out. At ~18:00, I came across that friendliest of trail signs, the one for a toilet. I thought at first that this was been Mackinaw Shelter, but I hadn’t gone far enough and there was no shelter in sight…plenty of decent campsites, though... After consulting my map I decided to push on, as the campsites at Mackinaw Shelter were probably only another mile or so away. At about this time, I realized I lost my sunglasses. I’d had a hate/hate relationship with those sunglasses. I’d been really good at dropping them, and it finally happened for the last time. Just after the campsites, the trail comes to a sizable creek. This, and my Green Trails Map #112, gave a name to the campsites: Red Creek. There was no immediately obvious place to ford for those unwilling to take off their boots, like me–there was a good amount of water, and the rocks were spaced and slippery. I walked along the edge and took a picture or two of the water spilling over a log. My lens cap fell from my fingers and began to roll toward the water. I took a stab at it with my trekking pole, but missed. Now I’d hike the entire time with my camera around my neck, sans lens cap. Great. And the pictures were blurry anyway, unsurprisingly. With that, I set off from rock to rock, just downstream from the trail. It took a bit of balance, and I decided that on the way back, I’d check upstream as well.
Washout near Red Creek.
Washout near Red Creek.
Shortly after Red Creek, the trail works its way down near the North Fork Sauk again, and there’s a small amount of storm damage. The trail is easy enough to stay with, though. At ~19:05, as it was just starting to get dark, I came upon Mackinaw Shelter, ~5.4 miles from the trailhead. It’s an eerie little building in a spooky grove of trees. At least, that was my immediate impression. I walked around the area and looked for a campsite. Apparently there had been some really nice campsites here, but I didn’t see ‘em. I picked the flattest, noisiest spot I saw and quickly set up the tent with headlamp on. Being alone was really starting to work on me. I was hearing noises. There was no way I was cooking at this point, so I settled for a quickly-eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwich, clapping my hands intermittently and a shouting a few times for good measure. By 19:40, I was in the tent taking deep, calming breaths. I hadn’t worked hard enough to exhaust myself to sleep, however, and I ended up turning and tossing all night. I wondered if solo backpacking was really for me. I looked at my watch for the first time at 05:00 the next morning–I’d stubbornly refused to look at it any sooner, for fear that it’d tell me I had to stay hiding in my tent for another 4-5-6 hours. At 06:10 the stars had faded from the sky above me, but I wasn’t up for good until 06:50. I was in no hurry today, so I made myself mashed potatoes for breakfast and treated myself to hot chocolate. At 08:45, I broke camp. Before and after Mackinaw Shelter, there are some pretty brushy sections, and if you’re going through them in the morning like I was, you’ll get some damp pants. Once leaving the shelter, the trail turns away from the river and finally begins to gain some serious elevation through the trees for the next ~hour. The trees start to thin out, providing views across the Sauk and it isn’t long before Sloan Peak is visible in the West. At 10:00, you break out of the trees into a large avalanche swath. With that, there’s a bunch of blowdown over the trail, which actually switchbacks through it, so you have to cross two sections of it, not just one. While it is a bit tedious, it still only took me ~10 minutes to make it past, and you’re able to look uphill at vast meadows that, at this point, are pleasingly near.
Sloan Peak as the switchbacks take you up to the PCT.
Sloan Peak as the switchbacks take you up to the PCT.
Avalanche evidence and the upper meadows above.
Avalanche evidence and the upper meadows above.
Looking down at the North Fork of the Sauk River, with Monte Cristo Peaks in the distance and the avalanche area at the lower left.
Looking down at the North Fork of the Sauk River, with Monte Cristo Peaks in the distance and the avalanche area at the lower left.
After crossing the avalanche debris, the trail continues up through sparser trees, with several blowdowns and increasing views. It isn’t long before the grade lessens and the trail is out in the big open spaces that are typical of the rest of the trail. Across the valley, the Monte Cristo peaks rise into sight. The fall colors were beautiful, and the trail was pleasant. I stopped at 11:00 to snack and enjoy the views for ~20 minutes or so. It was around this time that the breeze really picked up. It was quite gusty from here on up, until the sun started to go down. Otherwise, the weather was perfect.
Sloan Peak and the Monte Cristo area.
Sloan Peak and the Monte Cristo area.
Big [autumnal] colors.
Big [autumnal] colors.
After my brief break, I reached the junction with the PCT at 11:35, 6000’. To the right: White Pass and Indian Head Peak. To the left: an out-of-sight Red Pass. The White Pass area looked quite inviting, but since I’d gained ~3000’ in the ~3 miles since Mackinaw Shelter, at that moment I didn’t feel like walking a another mile or two to check it out. I continued northwest on the PCT, picked a blueberry or two, met some wind-resistant marmots, and took pictures en route to Red Pass.
NF Sauk & Pacific Crest Trail junction.
NF Sauk & Pacific Crest Trail junction.
Sloan Peak.
Sloan Peak.
The PCT back toward White Pass & Indian Head Peak.
The PCT back toward White Pass & Indian Head Peak.
At 12:30, I reached the pass. Just below it, there looked to be a pretty pleasant campsite, with some trees for some shelter from the wind. I wandered around Red Pass and tried to figure out what to do. I climbed up the small point opposite Portal Peak, which is 6636’ and has an easy trail to the top. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to continue down over the pass and try to find a space to camp near White Chuck Cinder Cone or over toward the White Chuck Glacier. It was plenty early in the day, but I was pretty exhausted from carrying the load and the elevation gain. I also knew that whatever distance I covered today, I’d have to cover again on the way out tomorrow, when I’d have to go from camp to car. Just returning from Red Pass would be ~10 miles, and I wasn’t sure how much I wanted to add on to that.
White Pass to Red Pass Pano
White Pass to Red Pass Pano
Red Pass North Pano
Red Pass North Pano
Zoom of Glacier Peak from the south, just above Red Pass.
Zoom of Glacier Peak from the south, just above Red Pass.
The view north from Red Pass.  Glacier Peak!
The view north from Red Pass. Glacier Peak!
So I dropped down on the south side of Red Pass to investigate the campsite. There was one small snow patch, but water was scarce–actually, it had been nearly dry since leaving Mackinaw Shelter, so I’d carried up water. The site sat quite a bit above what looked to be an upper branch of the Red Creek basin, and several side paths looked like they’d descend, but faded away not far from the campsite. I finally decided that I’d set up camp, and possibly explore something later that afternoon. By 13:20, the tent was up, staked in all over the place, and all of my gear (sans food) was in place to hold the tent down. The wind was blowing. I took off my boots and took a rest. The boots would end up being off for the rest of the day. I spent the afternoon snapping photos, wandering up to Red Pass to look at Portal Peak and Glacier Peak in my flip-flops, filling up pots with snow, and staring at my maps. I didn’t bring a book because the book I started weights about four pounds. I was a bit bored.
Around the campsite...
Around the campsite...
Loved the campsite and the colors around it.
Loved the campsite and the colors around it.
Slope of Portal Peak.
Slope of Portal Peak.
Colors all over.
Colors all over.
I made dinner early (~18:00) using a bit of the melted snow water for cooking, but it didn’t look good enough to drink. I sat around waiting for the sun to set, which it did, right behind Sloan Peak. Since I was carrying enough weight already (how much, I’d like to know), I left the tripod at home. But it was beautiful to be up there all alone.
More sunset.
More sunset.
Monte Cristo at sundown, from Red Pass.
Monte Cristo at sundown, from Red Pass.
Sloan Peak at sunset.
Sloan Peak at sunset.
After seeing three people the first day, at the beginning of the trail, I’d seen three people the second day–two on their way down through the avalanche swath, and one person on the PCT above me as I was lying in my tent. I went to bed much more comfortably then I did the night before. It may only be in my mind, but camping in open, alpine spaces seems safer (re: bears) than camping amongst trees next to a river. The stars came out and the Milky Way appeared above me as I drifted off to sleep. Tuesday morning I was up at 06:15 and broke camp ~07:00. On my way up the path to Red Pass, I spooked a Ptarmigan. I’d had my head down, so I only saw it fly away, but it was still the first Ptarmigan I’ve seen. At Red Pass, I watched the sun rise over the White Chuck, and then started back along the PCT the way I came. By 07:40 I was back on the North Fork Sauk Trail; at 08:05 I left the meadows and the views of Monte Cristo behind; at 08:40 I passed through the avalanche swath, staying on the downhill side and stopping to finish the sandwich I’d started in the morning; at 09:25 I was back at the Mackinaw Shelter; at 10:05, I forded Red Creek via a small log upstream; at 11:20, I reached the Pilot Ridge junction, and shortly thereafter I spent ~10 minutes talking to a backpacker heading up for a White Pass/Pilot Ridge loop; at 12:20, about 5.5 hours after leaving Red Pass, I was back in the parking lot. I made pretty good time, but I definitely had an eye out for the final hour or so for my lost sunglasses. My memory card was filling up, but since I wasn’t stopping for pictures of mushrooms on the way in, I stopped for a few on the way out:
One of many varieties of mushroom.
One of many varieties of mushroom.
Fungi.
Fungi.
This trip was a great experience for me, since it was my first time out solo. Sure, I had a bit of the fear in me the first night, but that’s something that will just take some getting used to. I was a bit bummed that I didn’t get closer to Glacier Peak, or scramble up Portal Peak, but I wanted to make sure I would make it back alive for Nicole. I think I will be able to handle future solo trips, but when we can, we should keep it the two of us. And Glacier Peak Wilderness is an area we need to get into deeper.
These leaves are big; trust me.
These leaves are big; trust me.
Stats: ~20+ miles round-trip from Sloan Creek Campground to Red Pass and back, spread over 3 days, with ~4500’ of elevation gain (and loss). Day 1: 5.4 miles to Mackinaw Shelter, ~3:00 hiking time, ~900’ gain. Day 2: 4.5 miles to Red Pass, plus, ~4:00 hiking time, ~3600’ gain. Day 3: 9.9 miles out, ~5:00 hiking time, ~4400’ loss. As always, more photos at Flickr, and a an easier-on-the eyes version of this trip report at the blog.

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More Cowbell
Warrior Princess



Joined: 01 Jul 2006
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More Cowbell
Warrior Princess
PostSun Oct 05, 2008 12:54 pm 
Yep, that was Quark and I. We don't know the secret NWhinkers gang sign so we stayed anonymous. I had a hunch both dudes we saw on the trail were fellow NWH'ers.

“If you want to forget all your other troubles, wear too tight shoes.” - Unknown
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gone
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PostSun Oct 05, 2008 2:45 pm 
Hey, I know that fungi! Nice trail shots, beautiful colors - thanks! up.gif

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Ingunn
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Ingunn
Hiking Viking
PostSun Oct 05, 2008 3:31 pm 
Congratulations on your first solo! Beautiful photos, I love the fall colors..

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MtnManic
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PostSun Oct 05, 2008 5:25 pm 
Gorgeous country - I remember backpacking through that section of the PCT back in '94 - my favorite stretch in Washington, I think, but starting on Labor Day weekend from Rainy Pass (to Stevens) meant we didn't have those colors. Several years ago a friend and I backpacked to the shelter - we were too pooped to make White Pass, so we made it a day trip before going out, only to be the only car in the parking lot - and a dead battery. Did I say I love those pictures!

Backpacking: limited to one pack at a time. Cameras: limited to as many as I can carry.
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jeremybe
Ol' One-shirt



Joined: 17 Jul 2008
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Location: Seattle
jeremybe
Ol' One-shirt
PostMon Oct 06, 2008 9:39 am 
Thanks all! It really was beautiful up there. MtnManiac–ugh, that would be terrible; how'd you get out?

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Hiker Mama
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Hiker Mama
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PostMon Oct 06, 2008 10:07 am 
Good job getting out on your first solo. The fear at night thing is what has kept me from going solo, myself. I think there is a thread about that somewhere on here, but I'm too lazy to look for it. rolleyes.gif

My hiking w/ kids site: www.thehikermama.com
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Quark
Niece of Alvy Moore



Joined: 15 May 2003
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Quark
Niece of Alvy Moore
PostMon Oct 06, 2008 10:14 am 
Camping next to a river is always spooky. The sound of rushing water morphs into all kinds of human voices - talking, screaming at times, shouting, calling for help. When solo, I nix camping close to the sound of rushing water, if I can. The board at the trailhead mentioned that much of the area around Makinaw shlter had been washed away - useta be OK sites there, though dark and slimey-looking.

"...Other than that, the post was more or less accurate." Bernardo, NW Hikers' Bureau Chief of Reporting
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Gray
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Gray
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PostMon Oct 06, 2008 11:37 am 
Quark wrote:
Camping next to a river is always spooky. The sound of rushing water morphs into all kinds of human voices - talking, screaming at times, shouting, calling for help. When solo, I nix camping close to the sound of rushing water, if I can.
Hmmm. I always prefer to camp near rushing water. It kind of turns into a lulling white noise to me, making it really easy to fall asleep. Rain falling on the roof, or a box fan running, while at home do the same. --Gray

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Quark
Niece of Alvy Moore



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Quark
Niece of Alvy Moore
PostMon Oct 06, 2008 12:31 pm 
That's because you're crazy. You should hear voices when you're near rushing water.

"...Other than that, the post was more or less accurate." Bernardo, NW Hikers' Bureau Chief of Reporting
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jasonracey
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PostMon Oct 06, 2008 12:43 pm 
In 10 years of WA hiking I've never been any closer to this location than Curry Gap. I think I'll finally check it out next summer thanks.

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wolffie
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PostTue Oct 07, 2008 9:27 am 
another good loop trip from this trailhead:
At the Pilot Ridge Trail fork, check to make sure the river is crossable. Then go White Pass, PCT, Kodak Pk, Dishpan Gap, Blue Lake High Route. Bivvy on Pt 6532 if good weather; the trail goes to within 200' of this unnamed summit, which is higher than Kodak, Skykomish, June Mt or Bnechmark. Then Johnston Mt. and out Pilot Ridge. From Red Pass and White Chuck Gl, the south ridge of GLacier Pk is an easy scramble.

Some people have better things to do with their lives than walking the dog. Some don't.
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