BRIDGE CREEK TO PARK CREEK PASS TO EASY PASS LOOP (NCNP)
WHERE: From Portland follow interstate 5 north to highway 20 (North Cascades Scenic Highway). Follow highway 20 east to the Bridge Creek trailhead 1 mile east of Rainy Pass.
THE TRAIL: I hiked this trail from July 20th-23rd of 2009. The trail starts at the Bridge Creek trailhead and follows up and down above Bridge Creek for about 14 miles going downhill overall before meeting the Stehekin road. The trail stays far enough above the trees with relatively sparse vegetation on a south facing slope allowing for views along much of this segment. The section contains Western White Pine, Ponderosa Pine, Engelmann Spruce, Hemlock, Grand and Silver Fir, Cedar, Oak, Larch, Cottonwood and lots of shrubby plants. After 13+ miles you intersect the Stehekin road where Bridge Creek meets the Stehekin river. I was pleasantly surprised that huckleberry and blueberries where sprouting up in quite a few spots between 2500 and 3500 feet elevation. How refreshing it is to be able to pick a fresh snack during a long hike on a hot day. Motor vehicles are not allowed on this road starting about 9 miles before the intersection with the Bridge Creek trail. I followed the Stehekin road for about 2.5 miles before reaching Park Creek camp. Along the road there were several piles of Bear pooh which contained fresh and undigested huckleberries. The scat was very fresh and probably less than a few hours old. At Park Creek camp there was a bear proof food locker making food storage easy for the evening as I relaxed in camp.
On the first day views began to open up toward the glaciated peaks however I was still low enough in elevation where only samples of the views to come were experienced. Day two started was to lead for 8 miles to Park Creek Pass going from an elevation of 2400 feet to 6,000+ feet. The first 2 and the last two miles consisted of the lions share of elevation gain while the middle four where much flatter. There wasn't much snow on the trail but it got very steep near the top however the wildflower season was beginning to mature providing a distraction to the steep hike. Lupine, Beargrass, Cow Parsnip, Arnica, and some paintbrush were blooming with the lupine and beargrass being the highlight. As you approach Park Creek Pass a the first window to the north opens up. At the pass there is a snowfield sitting in the saddle that separates the glaciated Mountains Logan and Buckner (both over 9,000 feet) where you can enjoy lunch (if you can ignore the flies and bees). From the pass you can enjoy extensive views to the south and north. Glacier Peak (Washington's 4th tallest mountain is visible from here as a southern extension of the national park). I was scheduled to stay at Thunder Basin camp but decided to continue on to Skagit queen a bit lower and with fewer bugs. The decent from Park Creek Pass dropped into Thunder basin where I encountered a very recent slide of fallen Whitebark Pine, Mountain Hemlock and Alaska Cedar. Basically just go straight across with gaining or losing elevation and there was a blue blaze marking the continuation of the trail at the other end of the slide. Below the slide the trail goes through some dense vegetation with a small segment of Stinging Nettles. I would definitely recommend long pants for this section. Although the brush is dense the trail is still very visible beneath the brush. At Skagit Queen camp I chatted with Paul and Skylar who were both avid outdoorsmen going to school at Bainbridge college for sustainable business.
Day three starting with some more steep downhill until Thunder Creek met Fisher Creek. The creeks converge at about 2,000 feet elevation where I continued up the Fisher Creek trail. The trail follows the creek very closely for the first 5 miles with a few exceptions. This is very beautiful wet old growth forest. Many spots follow a very peaceful Fisher creek with slow moving waters that contradict most of the other creeks in the area. After about 5 miles the trail climbs steeply up before reaching some broken meadows. There are lots of blowdown in the upper stretches of this trail but the path is easily found in all cases with a little caution and attentiveness. Soon I reached Fisher Camp at about 5300 feet elevation. The camp offers wonderful views of steep mountain cliffs and Mount Logan towering above the Fisher Creek Valley. That night ,upon sticking my head out of my tent while investigating some snapping twigs nearby, I saw a black bear staring at me with red eyes from about 10 feet away. Shouting did not encourage it to leave nor did pounding a rock against the ground. The Bear seemed pretty familiar with people and showed absolutely no fear. I listened to it wonder around the camp area for the next 30 minutes with an alert and rigid body. It was the first time I saw a Bear in the backcountry at night (although I am sure many uninvestigated twig snaps from previous excursions were also bears).
The next morning I began a steep 1.5 mile hike up to easy pass which offered views in all directions including the awesome landscape of the Fisher mountain basin. At the pass I saw a very human friendly Marmot who approached to within 5 feet of me while taking its picture. I had to stomp my foot to get it to move back. I had to take my pictures in a hurry as I heard thunder approaching from the nearby mountains. Just as I packed my camera the rain started pouring and it was time to begin my descent to highway 20. The last 4 miles began with a steep decent along easy pass creek past several blowdowns (be very careful when there is snow as this is pretty steep. Eventually the trail flattens out into a beautiful old growth forest of Cedar, Hemlock, Fir and Maple. Upon reaching highway 20 I had to hitchhike about 7 miles to Bridge Creek. I figured that with the rain and my backpack someone would take pity and give me a lift. It took 3 1/2 miles of walking before some backpackers heading to the same trailhead to begin a different loop gave me a lift.