[pct-l] Re: Glacier re-route

[goforth at cnw.com (Joanne Lennox)]

Southbound,  you might be able to do a better route than the eastern reroute 
by hiking down the Suiattle to route 530(about 10 miles), hitching to either 
Kennedy Hot springs trailhead or the Sloan Creek trailhead(These are popular 
in the summer).  If you went back in at Kennedy Hot Springs(5 miles) you 
would stilll have  creek crossings just NOrth of red Pass, including the 
White Chuck(which would be the most difficult - where the PCT crosses it is 
narrow and steep), but you would avoid the worse parts - Kennedy 
Ridge,Pumice Creek, Fire creek Pass, Mica Lake, Milk Creek, Vista Ridge, 
gamma Creek, and the Suiattle Crossing.  If you reentered from the mountain 
loop highway, sloan creek via the N. Fk of the Sauk(10 mile trail), you 
would  reconnect with the PCT between White and Red Pass.  Still seems 
shorter than the "official reroute".

the same North Fork of the Sauk trailhead can be used to access the PCT 
through Curry Gapand June Mountain, Blue Lake and Johnson Ridge, as well as 
Cady and Dishpan Gaps.

Either way you would go through the town of Darrington, where there is a 
post office, and restaurant, motel and grocery store, it would be easier to 
resupply there than in Skykomish, or Stehekin or rainey Pass.

Why isn't anybody using this route??  Looks shorter, less hazardous, 
possibly more of the "real" PCT and the scenic segments north of red Pass 
(one of my favorite parts of the trail).

Last year the bridge was out on the suiatle River at Downey Creek  You might 
still have a river ford there, but otherwise the Suiattle river trail stays 
on the South side of the river and you would not need to cross it.

Also, the last I heard, Kennedy Hot Springs was under a pile of debris.

Joanne
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jeff's World" <jjolson@uwyo.edu>
Cc: <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Friday, June 03, 2005 10:38 AM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Re: Glacier re-route


> My error.  This would not bypass crossing Milk Creek...
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Jeff's World" <jjolson@uwyo.edu>
> Cc: <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
> Sent: Friday, June 03, 2005 10:34 AM
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Re: Glacier re-route
>
>
>> I wonder if anyone heading south from the border intends to take the
> regular
>> PCT around Glacier Peak and ford the Suiattle River and Milk Creek, what 
>> I
>> think are likely the two most dangerous crossings...
>>
>> If not, has anyone thought of walking down the Suiattle River to the
> bridge
>> just a mile or so from the trailhead that crosses the river and heads up
>> Milk Creek?  Wouldn't this avoid both crossings?  (provided the 
>> downstream
>> bridge is still there - anyone know?)
>>
>> Jeff Olson
>> bend Or
>>
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