Washington State - North Cascades

Distance: 31.5 miles
Elevation gain: 6650 feet

Washington Trails Association (WTA) guide: Rainbow-McAlester Loop

This might have been a fun loop, but in early August we were bitten by flies and mosquitoes almost constantly and the area was covered in smoke the day we expected the best views. We passed one PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) section hiker with a bug net over his hat that went down to his neck and were pretty envious. He said he decided to put it on earlier that day after swallowing a fly. Lucky him! I am pretty sure they were aiming for my eyeballs and nostrils.

Nonetheless, the endurance challenge was just right and there were enough ripe huckleberries, blueberries, and thimbleberries to keep me fueled and going. In a couple more weeks the trail will be berry paradise!

We somewhat arbitrarily chose campsites at McAlester Lake and Rainbow Meadows (doing the loop in reverse) based on permit availability (you need to stop by a ranger station to pick up permits to camp anywhere in the North Cascades). We chose to get walk-up permits from the Wilderness Information Center in Marblemount, since it was central to many of the backpacking options we identified. Walk-up permits are first-come first-serve, so it is a good idea to have some backup backpacking options identified in case you cannot get your first choice in campsite permits. Our first choice was Horseshoe Basin/Sahalie Arm, but the main campsites in that area were fully booked.

No filter, just smoke.

The wobbliest bridge I ever did cross.

 If we could do it all over again, we would
a) choose a time when there are fewer bugs
b) camp at Rainbow Lake instead of Rainbow Meadows

Rainbow Lake from above

The haze in the distance was hazing our lungs all Saturday. Thankfully, by Sunday it had moved on!