THIS TRIP IS NOW CLOSED TO ADDITIONAL PARTICIPANTS DUE TO LOGISTICS.

Referring to the 103 Hikes guidebook, Sixth edition, this traverse combines Hike Number 78, Skyline Trail West (starting from Skagit Valley Park) with Hike Number 103, Skyline Trail East (starting from Lightning Lake in Manning Park). The guide indicates that Hike 78 has an elevation gain of 1230 m (4035 ft), whereas Hike 103 has an elevation gain of 645 metres (2115 ft) but these gains are approximate due to indeterminate merging of the hike descriptions. The official park campsite at Camp Mowich is relatively low and sometimes seems to be somewhat boggy so camping relatively high seems better for views and to reduce mosquitoes. I do not know what the chances are of the parties camping together but that would be good. The trails are usually cleared of deadfall and are made to park standards, so this trip would be a good introduction for intermediate backpackers to an approximate 20 km overnight traverse on good trails with no technical difficulty.

To avoid lengthy car shuttles, this trip requires two organisers/leaders and at least two 2-WD cars. Alena Dzujkova will lead the party from Lightning Lake and I will lead from Skagit Valley side. Each of us requires at least one partner, and so we need at least two extra hikers for this trip to go. By the last weekend in July probably most of the high snow should have melted to give a good alpine flower display, although hopefully there will still be snow patches on the ridges for water.