Bridge Creek to Colonial Camp via Park Creek Pass, North Cascades National Park

While the scenery was gorgeous as always, yesterday was only the second time I've gotten sick on a run. The first time? Last year when I also did the same PCT section from Rainy Pass down to the Stehekin River. I'm fairly convinced it's just so easy to run that 13 miles that I don't drink and then hit the bottom of the valley, which is hot, and I can't turn it around. After Park Creek Pass when things got bad it was a rough walk out the 17 miles of Thunder Creek... 

Relevant trail conditions:

• PCT/Bridge Creek: lots of water running over the trail; handful of easy blowdowns within the first few miles leaving Highway 20. 
• Old Wagon Road: mostly growing back to singletrack.
• Park Creek Pass: A little brushy, but not as bad as Little Beaver last summer. Snow started around 5200' and is no issue reaching the pass. Expect to stomp through a lot of streams and ponds in the meadows. Descending into Thunder Basin I checked out the summer trail route and ultimately decided to glissade the central gully which was still holding enough snow. With the melt, that probably won't be feasible much longer.
• Thunder Creek: a bit of snow and debris through the upper basin, no issue past the Thunder Basin camp ford.

Stream across PCT/Bridge Creek

Paintbrush and Lupine coming out below ~3600'

Memaloose and Goode ridges, from PCT/Bridge Creek

Bowan Mountain and pass; snow doesn't look bad, Bridge Creek ford definitely not passable

Seven Sisters area (l) and Le Conte-Sentinal ridge on the Ptarmigan Traverse in the back

The giant cedar at the bottom of Bridge Creek; can't miss it

Bridge "creek" from the Old Wagon Road

Old Wagon Road

Old Wagon Road

Park Creek and Goode Mountain

Cat scat

Reaching Park Creek basin; shoulder of Storm King (r), Buckner and Booker

Goode Mountain

More cat scat

North face of Buckner, rising 5000' over Park Creek Basin

Park Creek Basin

Falls coming off of Booker Mountain

Marmot tracks

Park Creek Pass, Buckner and Booker

Marmot near Park Creek Pass

Looking south from Park Creek Pass, prominent peaks: Bonanza (r), Martin (c), Devore (l)

Bear tracks going over Park Creek Pass

Looking north to Redoubt, Mox peaks and Spickard, from Park Creek Pass

Thunder Basin

Corresponding bear scat 200 yards over the pass

Looking back up at Park Creek Pass; summer trail contours left above the trees before descending, I glissaded the central gully

Thunder Creek falls

Thunder Creek ford not an issue

No postholing this time!

Chilling in a stream...suffering a bit...

Buckhorn Wilderness loop, Olympic National Forest

Bordering the north-east side of Olympic National Park, the Buckhorn Wilderness can hold its own against ONP.

From the Upper Dungeness trailhead, we took the Dungeness-Marmot Pass trails, summited Buckhorn Mountain (6988'), went down Tubal Cain to the Tull Canyon turn off, took the Tull Canyon-Silver Lake high route to Silver Lake, then up and over Mount Townsend (6280') and back to the FS road.

Thanks to Ben, Dave and Ethan for coming out; a tough and beautiful day.

Old growth along the Dungeness River trail

Ethan adds another Wilderness area to the list

Dungeness River

Basin below point 6599'

The only patch of snow we encountered, near Marmot Pass

Ethan on the first climbing section to Buckhorn

Dave on the Buckhorn trail, with Fricaba, Deception, Clark and Walkinshaw

Ethan nearing Buckhorn's summit

With Ethan and Ben; Dave's photo

Sorry Dave...Buckhorn summit

From the summit of Buckhorn, looking west 

Descending Buckhorn, with Mystery (l) to Walkinshaw (r)

Ben and Ethan, descending meadows to Tubal Cain; Buckhorn summit top left

Mr. Nuun himself

Dave's photo

Ben checking out an adit on the way to Tull Canyon

Upper Tull Canyon

Looking down Tull Canyon, starting the high route portion to Silver Lake

Climbing up to the ridge dividing Tull Canyon and Silver Lake

Finding the descent route down to Silver Lake

Descending to Silver Lake

Silver Lake from halfway down the descent

Lots of talus

Silver Lake

Mount Townsend summit

Beginning the descent off Townsend