[pct-l] Re: Glacier re-route

[billmckinley at seanet.com (Bill McKinley)]

Joanne Lennox wrote:

>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".


If you do choose (as suggested above) to hike out the Suiattle River Trail from the PCT at Suiattle Pass, in an attempt to hitch a ride out to Darrington, please be aware that there will be no one at the trailhead to give you a ride.



The bridge at Downey Creek on the Suiattle River Road was wiped out in the 2003 floods. You will have to walk down the Suiattle River Road for approx 3 miles and make your way across the broken bridge. There might be some autos parked there - possible rides to Darrington.