I recently registered for the Iditasport 200, which means it’s time to start towing the sled around in the snow again. Plan A for today was to drive to Stevens Pass, which received 9-12 inches of snow earlier this week, and take the Pacific Crest Trail northbound. I went about 1/2 mile up the PCT and quickly realized that although some areas had up to 12 inches of snow, there were still lengthy sections of bare ground. Not ideal for towing a sled, so it was time for Plan B: Drive towards Sugarloaf Peak via Plain and Entiat Summit Road. Stop the car when there was enough snow coverage to tow the pulk, and hike the rest of the way up Entiat Summit Rd to Sugarloaf Lookout. Unfortunately the snow never really got that deep – at most, there was 3-4 inches on the ground above 5000 ft. However, in contrast to the PCT, the coverage on Entiat Summit Rd was relatively consistent and even, and I was able to get in a little over 8 miles round trip to the Sugarloaf Lookout and back. Here’s the caltopo map/GPX file of my route.
As I was driving out, I got stopped by a tree across the road that hadn’t been there on the way in. I turned around and exited via Eagle Creek instead, so it wasn’t a big deal. But it means that if you want to access Sugarloaf Lookout from the north via Plain, you should bring a saw, or be prepared for approx 10 miles round trip of road walking.
All photos were shot in color… it was just that gray of a day.
Evergreen Endurance Coaching 