Blueberry Buffet

The region south of Glacier Peak provides, in my opinion, some of the best backpacking opportunities in the Cascades. Endless meadows stretch across the many ridges, with beautiful old growth forests in the valleys. A robust trail network allows for many different routes.

The North Fork Skykomish Trailhead has many different trail options that access this region. But for nearly twenty years, the Index Galena Road was washed out, making the alternative drive through Skykomish much longer. Additionally, the final forest road was washed out, adding a few miles of road walking. But all of these roads got repaired in the last year, so it was time to check it out!

Kelly and I, along with two friends from running club, Dominic and Zoe, planned to do a one night backpacking trip, starting up the West Cady Ridge trail, going north on the PCT, and coming back on the Bald Eagle trail to Curry Gap.

The West Cady trail is in shockingly good condition for a trail that doesn’t get as much attention – not a single blowdown and gentle grades. At around 4000 ft, the terrain starts to become subalpine, with open views, shorter trees, and blueberries. Lots of ripe, delicious blueberries. We spent a considerable time just gorging ourselves.

The trail passes through some beautiful grassy meadows as it gradually climbs to the top of Benchmark Mountain.

We took a lunch break atop Benchmark Mountain, enjoying a breeze that kept things reasonable on this hot, late August day.

Suddenly, I heard Kelly shout in surprise. I looked back and our friends Blake and Barrett had suddenly materialized! They were out on a trail run and happened to choose the same trail!

The trail down the backside of Benchmark did not really exist, but it was easy to enough to get back on the main trail. There was a spring here on the north side of Benchmark, about 100 ft off the trail, the first water since early in the hike. But we knew we would reach Pass Creek soon, so we did not need the water.

We appreciated shade for the next few miles before climbing northward on the PCT. While it was a hot day, the eastern aspect was already in the afternoon shade, so it felt cool. I love the first taste of fall, when the blueberry bushes start turning red and the sun gets lower in the sky!

We arrived at Lake Sally Ann, our destination for the evening. There were quite a few parties camped already, but not as many as there would have been if the PCT wasn’t closed to the north. A few summers ago, Kelly and I camped with my family less than a mile away when we did a similar loop, but from the east side of the crest.

After dinner, Dominic and I hiked up through steep, ripe blueberries to the ridge above the lake to watch the sunset.

While not the steepest or most impressive, this area between US2 and Glacier Peak is special. From a high vantage, you can see one ridge after another, layers upon layers of mountains. As far as the eye can see, it’s just mountains. While some mountains conjure fear or excitement in their ruggedness, these mountains cultivate a feeling of zen and infinity.

The sun set behind the Monte Cristo Range, a rugged collection of spires that stands in sharp contrast to the gentle meadows where we were.

It was quite possibly the warmest night I’ve ever experienced in the mountains – I was in shorts and t-shirt the entire evening, and barely needed a jacket in the morning. Once the sun hit us, I could tell it was going to be a hot one!

At Dishpan Gap, we turned off left towards the Bald Eagle Trail. Past the Blue Lake turnoff, this trail definitely sees less traffic. In some places, the grass has even grown back on the trail. This trail is narrower and sometimes off camber, but overall in pretty good shape despite the limited traffic it receives.

After June Mountain, the Bald Eagle trail is mostly in the trees. With steep punchy little climbs and fewer views, the backside of this loop was not as pleasant as the start, but it was not bad. There was a tiny trickle of a spring beneath Long John Mountain, which was welcome on this hot, humid day.

The trail down Quartz Creek from Curry Gap passes through some more lovely old growth forests, but we were suffering a bit in the humidity. Fortunately, we passed an absolutely perfect creek with a spot to dip in some ice cold water.

The West Cady – Bald Eagle loop was a really pleasant backpacking trip in an under appreciated part of the Cascades. After a summer of moving quickly through the alpine and swatting mosquitoes in the subalpine, Labor Day Weekend is always the perfect time to slow down, munch on some blueberries, and just appreciate being out in the mountains.

Notes:

• The loop totaled to about 31 miles and 7500 ft gain. Our camp was nearly halfway through the mileage.
• Other than the obvious lakes and creeks marked, the key water sources were:
  • A spring just off the trail on the east side of Benchmark.
  • A spring trickling on the trail beneath Long John Mountain (not the stagnant marsh just to the east).
• There are plenty of great loop options out here. The shortest is just West Cady Ridge and back along Pass Creek, which is still great.
• There are many campsites along West Cady Ridge and the Bald Eagle trail, but they’re basically all dry camps and mostly used by hunters.