10.9 miles, 2500' gain, 3100' descent

Our longest day in miles (although not elevation) is dominated by waterfalls rather than big views. It's another hot one. I sweated buckets.

First a big climb up to Reflection Lakes, past Carter Falls, Madcap Falls, and Narada Falls. At Reflection Lakes we intersect the road, enjoying this iconic view and sharing it with predictably many clean smelling day tourists. Then down the side of Stevens Canyon, stopping for a swim at Louise Lake, past Martha Falls and Syliva Falls.

Partway down Stevens Canyon the trail crosses a place that has been washing out for many years now, varying from year to year but often sketchy. This year the washout has become much worse, with nothing much holding the trail up from below anymore, so the park is recommending against crossing this spot. Trail crews have been hard at work roughing in an alternative route, down a scree slope to the river bottom, following cairns along the valley floor below the washout, then a short steep scramble back up to the main trail. The reroute is raw but feels safe, and I expect will become more solid over the years to come. Much gratitude to trail crews for putting this in place.

Foliage becomes lusher and greener as we approach the aptly named Maple Creek. Frank and I both remember a distinctive triple bridge over the creek, but this year we find only two log bridges, and it's not even clear where the third part used to be. This mountain rearranges her furniture on a regular basis!

The day ends with a climb, up through the forest, past Box Canyon, to Nickel Creek where we enjoy another sociable dinner followed by an early night.