[Stefan]

After a last minute change to my original plans this weekend, I was off to Hozomeen campground on Saturday May 26. I walked I believe almost 18 miles to west of Elbow Basin. Just over 8 hours and it felt like 5000’ of gain. I can tell you the trail is easily followable all the way from Ross Lake, up Three Fools Creek and up the ridgeline. There are trees fallen down on the trail at some points, but there are absolutely NO big messes of trees or bad vegetation to go through. I encountered solid snow at 5500 feet. I camped at an open dry spot south of point 6420. Since I was by myself, I was going to tag some peaks and come out the same way I came in by following the trail. As a sidenote, the Green Trails map shows 2.2 miles for the section from Three Fools Creek to the pass below 6420—it is more like 4.0 miles—trust me. Sunday, I woke up and was moving by 6:00 am and walked on the section of dry trail to Elbow Basin. Snow started again permanently at 6400 feet and I donned crampons because the snow was solid. I easily went up Welbow Peak (6840+) and Funny Bone (6763) and was back at camp 4 hours after my departure in the morning. Snow was still too stiff at this time, so I made myself an early hot lunch. At 11:00am I left for Skagit Peak from my camp. I went over the first closed contour and went down and around the second closed contour. The second closed contour you either have to go up and over the top or down and around and then up—choose your poison. After the second closed contour there are 3 small pinnacles all easily to get up and over. You really only have to do the first two pinnacles. You can skip the 3rd small pinnacle. It is low class 3 to get to the top of Skagit Peak. Almost 2 hours one way. NO REGISTER. I was looking forward to seeing this register from my report I have of Mitch Blanton when he did Skagit Peak way back in 2003. Another gone register. I leisurely had a nice time in the great weather. Shortly after the summit break I went back down the way I came to the north col and easily glissaded down to the saddle north of Skagit Peak. Easy walk on snow up to 6362 (T-Gaks Peak) (I do not know why I have T-Gaks Peak in my database as the name. Does anybody know where this came from?). Mitch said he went down from 6362 to Lightning Creek in his trip report in 2003 and he experienced cliffs and heavily jack strawed trees. That was not what I was going to do. I retraced my steps all the way back up to the north ridge of Skagit Peak and back to camp following the exact same route I had done earlier in the day. After I packed up, I then walked down to the nice camp at Little Fish Shelter on the map. By the way, Three Fools Creek is NOT a creek. It is a RIVER!! Monday, I woke up and walked the 14 miles back to Hozomeen. You know, If I did this trip any different, I would have taken a kayak from Hozomeen to Lightning Creek Campground and then taken the trail. These long forest walks are not my cup of tea! Something like over 40 miles of walking in three days. Tennis shoes help.

The north face of Skagit Peak from Peak 6362:

Looking at the second closed contour with Skagit Peak in the background:

skagit peak

[raising3hikers]

nice back up plan

[Matt]

Sorry to hear that the register was gone on Skagit. It was still there when Mike and I visited in 2015.

However, we did see your name in a few other places on that trip.

We also counted 789 logs on the trail Lightning Creek and the Welbow crest.

[iron]