Cutthroat Pass - My last hike of the season

Coming home from a successful day of fly fishing near Omak on October 4th, I decided to go for a run on a random trail along Highway 20. I really was lucky with this one, and had one of the best trail runs of my life! If you ever get a chance, do this hike. You'll not regret it. I just wish I would have seen some goats, which are often seen at the top. Round trip, running, it took me just over 2 hours. There was fresh snow at the top. Mountain bikes are allowed on this trail, and I wish I had known that there was a geocache at the top.

Trail description:

This is a somewhat lengthy, but only moderately difficult hike along the Pacific Crest Trail offering excellent vistas and high country ambiance. The high elevation and open terrain in the upper zones require a wary eye to be kept on the weather. It also can be done as a relatively easy overnight trip. Flower meadows are lovely in the summer, and the alpine larches fill the autumn with glowing gold.
The trail begins with a mix of sidehill traverse and gentle switchbacks through a forest of Mountain Hemlock, Englemann Spruce, and Alpine Fir, with occasional views across the upper valley of Granite Creek to Black Peak and other nearby summits. Rounding a rocky meadow slope, the track turns north into the valley of Porcupine Creek and climbs gently to a crossing of the creek at about two miles. Gentle switchbacks are followed by a long traverse through the forest which eventually is thinned by rockslides and avalanche slopes as the upper end of the valley is attained. Neck stretching looks up to the colorful crags flanking the valley give hints of what awaits above. Open terrain predominates as the trail swings across the head of the valley to more switchbacks, which climb through lovely larch meadows and a broad shallow basin, studded with possible campsites. The view down the valley nicely frames Corteo Peak and the more distant Dome Peak massif beyond. The wide saddle of Cutthroat Pass is reached at about 5 miles, and the views open up to the east, dominated by Silver Star Mountain and The Needles.