All the beauty sandwiched between Snoqualmie and Leavenworth is well worth the trip. The Grand Tour is a tough 90 miles and 23k feet of vert and spans from lush verdant cedar and fir groves to harsh granite and snow passes, around pristine blue lakes and through high and dry ponderosa and madrone areas prone to burn.
The route is described by UltraPedestrian Ras Vaughn as part of his UPWC series. There is also a description of the FKT completed by Christof Teuscher and Megan Lacey. I completed the challenge in an unsupported manner but with the company of a couple of my friends with whom I shared food, a stove, and a tent. For those who want support there are a couple opportunities along the way since the wilderness route is perforated at a couple points by forest road access. I used a Garmin Forerunner 935 to create record of our route which can be found on Strava and Garmin Connect.
We completed the route in 75 total hours with 40 hours of hiking time and three nights camping. We travelled pretty light- fastpack style, but aside from me jogging a few downhill sections, we hiked everything. I think this was probably for the best since my feet are having some persistent blister issues and it is also a shame to ruin such a beautiful route by rushing through it.
Sharing gear on this trip made our life easier. My friend Pat brought an ultralight tent, the MSR Carbon Reflex that is advertised to fit three, but practically fits two big guys and their gear comfortably. It weighs 2.3 pounds, and between splitting the weight between us, it is like carrying nothing at all. My other hiking pal Duy brought a stove that we all shared. Many hands make light work, provided you all stay together as a group.
Another observation of the trip is the vast difference in human volume between popular trails and lesser known trails, even though both might be similarly beautiful. For example, we saw many hikers on the PCT stretch, even though the previous stretch through Dutch Miller Gap and along Lake Ivanhoe was a much more scenic route and yet we saw only one group of hikers there. There’s something to be said about the path less traveled but I won’t go deep into it here.
I should mention the berries as well. We hiked during August 19-22 and there were berries all over. Mostly we ate huckleberries and blueberries but also thimbleberries and a few salmonberries. There is a stretch of trail on the descent from Paddy-Go-Easy Pass including Meadow Creek Trail and Jack Creek Trail that was literally dripping with huckleberries during our traverse. There are ample opportunities to turn your hands, mouth and poo into a hot purple mess if you time your trip right.
Overall the route and trails were fairly easy to follow. I goofed up one section by hiking on the 1030 road instead of Middle Fork Trail for a couple miles. They are about the same distance but I’m sure the Middle Fork Trail would have been the more scenic route. A couple of the trails were a little overgrown such as the Rock Creek Trail and some of the Middle Fork, and the Jack Ridge Trail was difficult to see through the meadows since it has been consumed by grass and flowers, but trivial to pick up with a GPS track at the meadow edge. I don’t think trail conditions slowed us down appreciably at any point, in fact we were far more slowed down by berries as well as the jaw-dropping beauty of some of the vistas.
Regarding permits and trip planning, it would be grand to camp at Colchuck lake. We did not have permits, so we camped the final night outside the Enchantments permit area in a little spot along NF7601 near the 8-Mile trailhead. If you attempt the route, keep in mind the constraint that you need to hike through the Enchantments in a single shot if you don’t have permits. I think if we had gotten permits to Colchuck lake, and also made reservations to Goldmyer Hot Springs a couple nights before, it would make the Tour even more epic. We did the trip in late August, and the weather was perfect for us. Cool nights and even a little rain during one night. The days were pleasant and mostly bug and sweat free.
Philip Brundage's wanderings 