White Pass / Portal Peak
North Fork Sauk Trail runs along the N.F. Sauk River
The first 6 miles of the trail run through old growth forest, and are relatively flat.
Climbing towards White Pass
After following the river, the trail climbs for 3 miles towards White Pass. Mountains and autumn colors start to come into view.
My campsite for the night
Camping at the top of the ridge isn't allowed, so the campsite is offset slightly to the west. The temperature fell to about 25 degrees F overnight.
An almost-full moon with Indian Head Peak
Clouds obscuring Sloan Peak and the sunset
Day 2: White Pass -> Portal Peak -> Exit
Looking in the direction of an obscured Glacier Peak
I had initially intended to do the White Pass / Pilot Ridge loop, but I decided to do Portal Peak instead.
Mount Rainier from PCT, heading towards Portal Peak
Looking south from Portal Peak. Notable mountains include Mt. Stuart on the left and Mt. Rainier on the right
Looking northwest from Portal Peak, towards Mt. Pugh and the Painted Traverse
I'll need to come back and do the painted traverse at some point; it looks absolutely gorgeous.
Glacier Peak from Portal Peak
"Glacier" Peak is looking pretty barren. Hopefully we get more snow this winter, but El Nino's not looking that promising.
Looking north towards the North Cascades
Mt. Sloan from Portal Peak, with the Olympic range in the far distance
My stuff
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