[pct-l] Indian pass to Miners Creek Detour

[ietura at viajarapie.info]

> have past hikers been taking the Jonathan Ley alternative?

I've only been twice in the area but both times I took Ley's alt. over  
High Pass. I remember I told the story here before. Over at  
nwhikers.net there must be many who can tell about it much better.

I think it's really no big deal in good weather. It'd be difficult in  
bad weather with low visibility though. For the PCT hiker, it means a  
shift from the follow-the-trail mentality.

In my case, it helped to have done it first southbound, which is  
easier: it's mostly downhill and in the parts where the trail is faint  
you just follow the valley down. When I was going northbound, it  
helped to already know where to go.
Going northbound, there's a trail all the way along the Napeequa. It's  
a bit overgrown but easy to follow. Then, there are a few key spots:  
Where the valley turns left, the route goes over a hanging valley to  
the right, climbing through alder over very steep terrain. There's a  
trail through the alder and it's key to find it. There was pink  
flagging there in 2006. Once up in the hanging valley floor, the trail  
becomes faint, it dissapears at times but it's mostly treeless, easy  
off-trail steady climbing. It's still useful to look for trail traces  
because they can help when you get to the valley's headwaters. High  
Pass is to the right and the pass itself is not visible until you get  
almost there but there's a visible trail most of the way up from the  
valley floor. This is the part where it's so much easier going  
downhill because the valley channels you in the right (only)  
direction. Not so when going up. This climb is a bit steep at times  
but nothing serious, you just walk. From a last bench, the pass is  
inmediately to the left.

Once at the pass, there's a rocky bowl to the right. You can see trail  
resumption at the other side of it, some 2 or 3 hundred yards away.  
There are some rock cairns across the rocky bowl. This is tricky,  
maybe snowy terrain (there were still snow patches in september 06)  
but no big deal in good weather. Once on the other side of the bowl,  
there's a narrow but clear, good trail all the way to Buck Creek Pass.

This stretch is one of the most scenic of the whole PCT. On the  
Napeequa, you hike under the Clark and Richardson glaciers, then have  
then in front of you as you climb towards the pass. Once in High Pass,  
the views are spectacular, mountains and glaciers all over the place  
and Glacier Peak in full glory to the west. You keep these views most  
of the way down to Buck Creek Pass.
rainskirt