I had this day hike on my "to-do" list for later but with the bad weather coming, today was the perfect day to go for the walk. I was rewarded with a great walk in the woods with a great stop for lunch at Lake Valhalla.

Road to trail: There was about 1-2" of snow on the Smith Brook Road heading up from US2 and it was drivable in my car. Watch out for potholes in the first 2 miles.

Route: My idea, based on review of trail maps and my handy GPS was to take trail 1590 which paralleled the ridge (vice going up the Smith Brook Trail completely) and meet up with the Smith Brook Trail to get to the PCT... bad move. Turns out trail 1590 is blown down and not maintained so I found what remained of the trail and made it up to Union Gap. Snow near the Smith Brook Trailhead was minimal (1-2") and as I went up, the depth of the snow on the PCT was no more than 4" in open areas. The PCT and Smith Brook Trail are in great condition given the time of the year and were easy to follow.

Recommendation: Just take the Smith Brook Trail up to the PCT.

Weather/conditions: The temperature at 8am was around 28F and winds calm. At Lake Valhalla, there was a breeze (5-10MPH) that made it just chilly enough to throw on another layer while I took in the view and ate my lunch. When I got back at 1pm, it was a warm 45F and a lot of the snow had melted due to the very sunny day. I just walked in my boots with gaiters to the Lake and on the way back, I slipped on my Kahtoola spikes for added traction which was great going downhill. The sun was melting snow on the trees and knocking down snow and freezing up sections of trail that were shaded.

Wildlife: It was really quiet, with the exception of occasional birds. I only saw a deer and a squirrel on my way to Lake Valhalla.

People: I was the only one out there until about noon when I saw a young couple with their dog hiking towards the Lake.

All in all this is a great hike and I was glad to do it in late fall. I am excited to do this hike in the summer to see what it looks like then.

Wilderness Women left Fall behind as the snowflakes became flurries and the dusting became drifts. We had no trouble navigating to the lake, or so we thought until our return, when we discovered we'd taken a stream paralleling the trail for a short spell - easy to do on trail trying for streambed mode before the deep snow. Some stream crossings are also becoming challenging.

My first time on this approach to the lake, I did enjoy its more gentle grade and the views of the ridge (but the Smith Brook access is better). Snowshoeing/skiing will be here very soon, although today we had no need of extra traction.

Early on the trail there was a strong skunk smell that may have come from the many crushed and saturated stink currant bushes. There were also many mushrooms and dropped grand fir cones ready for harvesting by critters. Snow-covered huckleberries made tasty micro-slushies, and we met no people until our exit. Auf Wiedersehen, Autumn.

The six of us who went to Lake Valhalla yesterday encountered every kind of weather—sun, gloom, sleet, snow and rain—but we were prepared with warm, waterproof clothing including hats and gloves, and because the hunting season on the Crest Trail had already started (according to the two old guys in camo who sat next to us at the Sultan Bakery), we were also bright in red, hot pink, yellow, light blue and poison green. The trail from the parking lot to the Crest Trail and the first part of the Crest trail were muddy with puddles. About one-quarter mile past Union Gap we began to see fresh snow on the ground, and soon the trail was snow covered. All at the same time, the fall foliage and the new snow on the peaks were gorgeous, and there were flowers along the road to the trailhead. Surprisingly, there were still blueberries on the bushes, some tastier than others. We all had good boots and poles so we had no trouble walking on the snow, but when we began to see snow flurries blowing across the lake, we decided it was time to turn back.

We did not come in from Stevens Pass on the Crest Trail, the long way. We drove 3 miles east of Stevens Pass, turned north on Smithbrook Road, and in another three miles came to a parking lot and the trailhead for Lake Valhalla, Lake Janus and the Crest Trail. We climbed 1 1/2 miles through forest to Union Gap (the sign was missing), the junction with the Crest trail, and turned left, south, 2 miles to Lake Valhalla.

We're up early while it's still dark to begin our drive over Stevens Pass, and four miles beyond, then west on Smithbrook Road (FR 6700) for three more somewhat bumpy miles to the trailhead. (My old Honda copes, so the road can't be too bad.) We recalled there are no facilities here, so stopped briefly at the pass on our way.

Boots on! And deet - mozzies are active here! Then we start up the switchbacks of the Smithbrook Trail, which soon levels out, traverses below large boulders and, at Union Gap, ends in a T-junction with the PCT.

My hiking buddy Marin and I turn left, heading south on the PCT toward Lake Valhalla, now only a couple of miles away. The trail is good, slightly moist in spots but not muddy, and bordered with asters and valerian. We note a couple of snow patches several feet off the trail, and enjoy a brief sighting of a grouse.

We soon reach the gap above Lake Valhalla and begin our descent. There is no breeze, so the lake surface is very still, reflecting the surroundings. At the lake, we seek out the "lunch rock," and have the lake all to ourselves. Nearby, cinquefoils and shooting stars are blooming, although less profusely than last year.

Marin observes a frog in the water near the lake shore, and actually manages to rub it beneath the chin. Likely both she and the frog hope it will transform into a prince, but it does not happen before it swims away.

We enjoy the views of Lichtenberg Mountain across the lake. This could be an idyllic spot, but mozzies and small flies are very active here, even more than at the trailhead, so after an early lunch break we resolve to continue on to Lake Janus, which we have never seen.

Janus lies along the PCT, but in the opposite direction, so first we backtrack to the junction with the Smithbrook Trail, then navigate through a blowdown area and continue north on the PCT.

The way is initially downhill - it will be uphill on our return - and it's a bit stonier than in the Valhalla direction. Some nice columbine blooming along the way. A few plops on the trail indicate the recent passage of horse packers, although we do not encounter them.

After a little uphill and a small stream crossing, we reach Lake Janus. It's larger than Lake Valhalla, and in a less dramatic setting, but the surrounding are very green and the view is very relaxing. Again, amazingly, we seem to have a lake all to ourselves.

The bugs are much less active here than at Valhalla, so we enjoy our leisurely second lunch break, and a variety of wildflowers, before heading out.

While we had both lakes to ourselves, we did encounter a number of other hikers along the PCT, including several through-hikers. (they had skipped a section in the high Sierras due to snow conditions, but planned to backtrack to do the Sierra section after they reached Canada.)

We enjoyed our two-lake hike. The two lakes are different enough to provide interesting variety, and can be reached from the same trailhead with minimal backtracking. Our total distance for the day was about 12 miles, and it's a trip we would repeat in the future.