There is a customer that comes through not daily but at least once a week and we share hikes that are open.  He informed me that Hannegan pass was open and so I knew we needed to check it out asap.  It is always exciting when the high mountain hikes open up.  When the kids were little we had tried this hike but though the road to the trail head had been open, there was too much snow for us to really follow any kind of trail.  We had to turn around.  This time however was different. The trail head was moved due to a large washout but that really wasn't that big of a deal, it just meant that the parking area was smaller.  We started up the trail which was lined with shrubs and bushes at shoulder height or taller.  We walked along the valley side until a collapsed snow bridge made us bushwhack a bit to cross the stream.  Once we started the switch backs, the bugs became heavy swirling around our faces and ears.  Coating ourselves in bug spray we continued on to Hannegan Pass.  Here there was a junction.  To the right leads up towards the arm of Ruth Mountain.  Straight ahead is the main trail to Cooper Ridge Trail and Chilliwak Trail.  To the left was our destination which was Hannegan Peak.  As soon as we stepped onto the winding and steep trail towards the peak, the biting flies seemed to melt away as if the elevation was too high for them.  It made the hike that much better.  We were now out of the tree line as we hiked along the side of the mountain.  Once on the ridge our path was laid out before us and we could see the destination.  Once on top, it was just a matter of where we wanted lunch and what view we wanted.  As usual, I took out the map and tried to identify the mountain peaks that we saw.  I think I need to take another course in map reading.  Ruth Mountain, Shuksan, Granite Peak and Goat Mountain are ones that you can see as well as Baker.  I can identify three of them for sure and the others are guesses.  This trail is a jumping off point for a longer trek in the wilderness which I hope that in the next couple of years we can make it happen.