FKT: Mandy Stirling - Icicle Ridge Traverse via 4th of July Trail (WA) - 2025-10-03

I attempted this route on a warm fall day. The smoke for the Lower Sugarloaf and Labor Mountain Fires had the Wenatchee Valley socked in. It was wonderful to see the clear blue skies in the Upper Valley. Although it was only 70 degrees with a nice breeze the trail felt quite warm. I underestimated the amount of water I would need and ran out a bit early. It was a brutal 5 miles to the lookout but the views along the way were hard to beat. I climbed the rock to the old lookout and spent a few minutes taking in the views. The way down was not fast with the tricky terrain. I rolled my ankle mile 7 which slowed me down a bit. This was my first time on the Fourth of July trail. I look forward to going back to complete the one way traverse.