[kitya]

Indian Head peak is a prominent and second highest (after Mount David) on Wenatchee ridge. It was named by Albert Hale Sylvester because the shape of the mountain reminded him of a Native American hair dress. I don't know if this name is racist, but I'm yet to see a mountain called "White Man's Fanny Pack". Anyway, I wanted to visit Indian Head peak since me and Cookie seen it from the top of Mount Saul this June (Mount Saul TR). I really liked how gentle the grassy slopes look on the south side and I wanted to check out this little glacier on the north slopes for Cookie, hopefully it will have enough snow for her to roll in. There are many ways to approach Indian Head Peak, but none are too direct. Obvious choice would be to go Indian creek trail, but since the bridge was washed out this spring, I didn't want to try it. Summitpost's Indian Head peak page recommends going via North Fork Sauk river trail, but being the main entry point for people climbing Dakobed this trailhead and trail is always super busy and I have bad memories of it because of that. So I decided to go via Little Wenatchee river trail. I love that trail! It feels a lot less of a highway than North Fork Sauk and Meander Meadows are always so pretty. I love Little Wenatchee river trail so much, I think this is the only trail in cascades me and Cookie already visited 3 times on various routes around it (last time almost exactly a year ago when coming down from Poets Ridge + Kodak traverse: Poets Ridge + Kodak + Meander Meadow TR)! It might also be a shorter way to get to Indian Head peak than any other trail, though I have not checked. As we drove to the trailhead the rain was pouring down like crazy and there was lightning and thunder too. So pretty! Finally smoke completely cleared and air was fresh and sweet. The last part of the road is very bumpy, but passable in any car. The trailhead is really well developed with an open bathroom and parking for about 10 cars. It was all full. Not with hikers though. Bear hunters This area is super popular with them. We met 3 people going up to Meander Meadows, everyone was carrying huge guns. This makes me so sad. The area around Poets Ridge and Meander Meadows is one of the most blueberry rich areas of Cascades. And bears do need these berries to fatten up for winter. There is fish in the river too. It would be such a perfect location to be a bear. Yet people have to bring murder (( It was raining with almost no breaks and the brush that Little Wenatchee Trail is famous for was not only head high, but also completely wet. We immediately got soaked and me and Cookie felt like two salmons swimming upstream. Mount Saul view from the pass:

We quickly got above the Meadows and used PCT to go around Kodak peak. Since we already been on top a year ago and this time there were no views either, we didn't bother going up, though it is a pleasant summit. After dropping down to Indian creek pass we found a dry creek bed and followed it up to amazing open grassy and berry slopes of Indian Head Peak. There were many marmots, but we were completely in the clouds and couldn't see them, only hear. Also sooo many berries. Little bushes just an inch of the ground seem to have more berries than leaves. Cookie ate a dozen or so berries. Soon we got off grass to rocky ridge and finally saw this glacier I always wanted to see. I know it is probably actually tiny, but with 0 visibility I could imagine it goes on forever. The hike to the summit is easy, just a walk on rocks, sometimes loose. But be careful: the mountaineers summit register is on the west sub peak, not the summit. So if you found the register, you still need to go down and than scramble back up on more loose rock. The real summit is supposed to be 5 feet higher. Because if you cannot see anything from one summit, one not not see anything from two summits while you are at it? Since it was super windy and cold and wet and no visibility at both summits, we didn't take too many photos for a change and made our way down the same way. Only 24 miles r/t and we got back before sunset. Lots of mushrooms too - picked some up cows, kings and hedgehogs, but there is a lot more left there and more is coming.

COW (Chicken of the Woods):

Hericium (aka hedgehog, monkey head, lions mane etc.):

King boletes (aka porcini):

[Sky Hiker]

Nice write .Correction the high hunt for deer opened the 15th. While bear season is still open the wilderness areas are where high hunters are at.

[Mike Collins]

[kitya]

[Nancyann]

That is a nice way to get up to Indian Head now that the biting fly season is over. I went up to Meander Meadows the last week in July a few years ago and ended up tying big ferns around my arms and face to camouflage myself from an insane cloud of hundreds of flies that completely ignored DEET repellent. Monsters! That’s pretty inconvenient the Indian Creek bridge is gone, along with the White River bridge for those of us pondering a circumnavigation of Glacier Peak. I wonder if it will ever be replaced...

[kitya]

[timberghost]

[NBL]

I saw an insane chicken of the woods stash on the rachel lake trail yesterday but it was well harvested on my hike out.

[kitya]

[fyodorova]

[Downhill]

Another great trip report and awesome photos Kitya!! I love your write up and the views are stunning. I hiked up Chatter Creek trail to Lake Alice on Friday (the day before your hike) and passed two bear hunters coming down the trail, packing out a bear they had shot somewhere near Lake Edna. I have recently encountered bear hunters on two other occasions up along the Icicle River Trail. This is common in other years as well - I once witnessed a hunter shoot a bear on the Chain Lakes Trail just minutes after we passed him (the hunter) on the trail. The "Lady Lakes" and those trails along both sides of the Icicle drainage are popular with hikers and some are used by horse packers. Sharing these spaces with active hunters is something worthy of caution and consideration when entering these areas this time of year. I'm not making a personal statement for or against hunting, just letting people know to be aware and careful.