We only decided on Friday evening where to go. From a trip report of Thursday, up to 1 foot of snow, we prepared for cold and wet condition. But I'm too lazy to bring snowshoes, knowing that if it were needed, it would be only ~1 mile. Thank god that we didn't lug the snowshoes up. The snow had melted to just a couple of inches.
Mostly sunny in the Teanaway. A few clouds, warm for October. Perfect hiking weather. I left home at 6am to take the first bus out east, met V at TC. Drizzle on I-90 until Snoqualmie Pass. A lot of camping (hunting?) parties camped along the forest road. We arrived at Stafford Creek TH ~8:45am. The car said 39°. Put on gaiters for the potential 1' snow. When we started hiking (just before 9am), the parking lot was full.
The trail is easy to follow. A couple of fallen trees to walk around, and a couple of easy creek crossings. Saw a camp with 3 tents and campfile by the creek. We were not fast: haven't hiked for 2 weeks. Within the first half an hour, we shed a layer, V had to ran back to fetch sunglasses, and then ran back to look for his hat. So I had plenty rest. Didn't even sweat. The temperature was pleasant, and I was in T-shirt. The meadow was covered with a thin layer of snow. Not much to look at. A tent here. I cringed seeing the muddy boottrack cutting across the meadow. I don't want to damage next June's shooting star. We skirted around the meadow, following the trail in melting snow. Above the meadow, it was more exposed, so a bit windy. We took a break to put on a layer. V insisted a longer break to refuel. I went ahead and waited for him at the pass, for a better view.
The view is, of course, lovely with the larches. Most of the yellow is on the north slope of the pass, and to the right side of the ridge. However, not a lot of larch trees. On the way up to Navaho Peak, the trail was steeper, more snow. But no need for micro-spikes, nor snowshoes. No more larch. The very top rocks were bare of snow. So we can sit without getting wet. I finished my lunch here, bathing in the view. Had to put on my softshell, due to wind. Not very cold. We stayed over an hour, checking the peaks. It's especially nice to locate Little Annapurna, which we just climbed 2 weeks ago. One couple recommended climbing Stuart in Aug, and Dragontail in June. V chatted with everybody at the top, even got the phone number of a girl who's new to WA, now works at CWU's international student office. Increasing clouds.
On the way down, saw the Ellensburg girl (Shelby) practicing with borrowed ice crampons. We stopped, and V adjusted her crampons, and gave her a long lesson. The rest of the descent is uneventful, a bit boring. We reached the car at 4:15pm.
V drove very fast. I was dropped off at the bus stop ~6:10pm, didn't wait long for my bus (runs every 30 minutes before 8pm). A pleasant and easy hike. Didn't feel the over 4000' elevation gain. 39K steps (including walking to bus stops).
