Tink and I made good time trucking up the Snow Lake trail. We knew it'd be crowded if we waited even a few minutes. Heck, the parking lot was already filling up at 645a and it's a big parking lot. It's not like we ran because, well, I don't run. But we hustled.

Except for stops for pika. How could we refuse these fuzzy little potatoes? I snapped a few pics, dropped a waypoint, and continued on.

Pineapple Pass is a fun trip because of the rocks. So many rocks. Once you leave the Snow Lake and Source Lake trails the climber's trail ascends steeply until you're in the talus. The next half a mile is all rock hopping. Sure, you can find a cairn here or there and yeah, there's a scratch of a trail to climber's left, but why would you?

Tink and I took the path of least resistance as long as it was headed to the head of the valley. We found our September snow, chased a bundle of pikas, and got to the base of The Tooth before anyone else showed up.

Our reverse trip was only mostly along the same route. Each time we come up here it's slightly different. A few climbers were ascending, but the crowds didn't start until we got back to the actual trails. Then it was nonstop hikers heading up to Snow Lake.

I don't blame them; it's a gorgeous place to go. I just hope they learn to explore off the beaten path to places like Pineapple Pass. There's so much more to see.

📍On the lands of the Wenatchi people.