"55 Hikes around Stevens Pass"and "Day Hiking Central Cascades" say the distance from the TH to the PCT is 1 mile. The map at the TH says it is 1.5 miles and our hiking time to the PCT made the latter seem to be more true. The 7 mile RT trail gains 650 ft in and 750 ft out. After reaching the PCT and heading north the trail drops 700 ft in about 1 mile. There was very little fall color along the trail until reaching Lake Janus where the berry bushes and ash were vibrant! The recent rains allowed many varieties of mushrooms to emerge along the trail. The day was cloudy with light rain so we were unable to see Jove Peak. Because of our late afternoon start, we were unable to explore Lake Janus as much as we would have liked to do. Many areas around the lake were asking us to explore, but we had to leave after 20 minutes to enable us to get back to the TH before dark. This would be a good base camp to allow one to explore the PCT further north.

Day one: Great hike. Conditions were bluebird day one. Loads of water sources (one gap of perhaps two hours making the big climb out of Lemah Creek). No shortage of big climbs. Hiked 30 miles to just shy of Waptus Burn/Pass trail. Camped trailside no tent. No animal issues. Day two: started dry with rain in afternoon. Still loads of water sources. Rain was steady. Covered pack and continued. Trail still in good shape at this point. Hiked over Pieper Pass to Surprise Lake for night two. 30 more miles down. Hungry mice found some food. Sacrificed small morsel for peace the remaining darkness. It worked. Insistence on light travel weight came back to haunt me. Tarp kept me dry but heavy rain got lower half of bag wet. Bring full tent for September hiking in the Cascades! One bridge out but easy cross thanks to placed timber. Day three: Trail next morning super sloppy most of the way to Stevens but still absolutely spectacular. Not raining but trailside overgrowth was bursting with rain water so got wet nonetheless. Shoes soaked but wool socks prevented problems. Walked to Stevens Pass base at 1:30pm. Hitchhiked (15 minute effort only) back to Seattle in fruit growers' cube truck from Wenatchee with pissed Chihuahua who had to give up shotgun seat.

A beautiful day, a well maintained trail, and spectacular views await climbers up the PCT north from Snoqualmie Pass. Take the first exit at the summit of the pass and go north under the freeway toward Alpental. Take the first right (unmarked) after the freeway to an ample parking lot and the trailhead. The trail gains a gentle 1000 ft in 2.5 miles through the trees to the junction with the Commonwealth Basin trail. In the open areas along this stretch the undergrowth crowds the trail but never overwhelms it. From the junction the path penetrates almost to the base of Red Mountain before turning south and taking its sweet time to gain another 1000 ft up to the ridgeline. There is one blowdown in this section that is easily bypassed but two strong volunteers could easily pitch it over the edge. Once the initial ridgeline is reached the trail is a sweet walk in the woods gaining another 700 feet that is almost unnoticeable. The path emerges from the trees at the south face of the Kendall Peaks and crosses first talus slopes and then heather slopes. There is a large boulder on the trail at the talus slopes that the aforementioned volunteers maybe with a little help from a shovel could pitch over the edge. The trail climbs pleasantly around Kendall and up into Alpine splendor. Take a moment to look back and admire Guemes Peak, Snoqualmie Mountain, Silver Peak, and Mt. Rainier along with the tiny vehicles churning their way up and over the pass. Kendall Katwalk bursts into view almost before you know it. Blasted from a sheer granite cliff, it is an engineering marvel. The views east are stunning - the steep backside of Kendall Peaks, Mt. Alta and Box Mountain, the Chikamin Range, and Mt. Stuart in the distance. The gray jays are particularly friendly here, landing on my hat, my hands, and my trekking poles until I fed them. At this point the trail is almost level, smooth, broad and so inviting that you are tempted to keep going all the way to Stevens Pass. The altitude drops here from 5700 to 5300 on the way to Ridge and Gravel Lakes. These are popular destinations for backpackers and day hikers, 7.3 miles from the trailhead. I turned around just before Ridge Lake at 1:30 - 3 hours from the start. It took me 2.5 hours to return to my car (regretfully).

Southbound on Section J was a total treat. Fall colors were just starting out with understory plants turning. Took my time and tackled the 75 miles in six nights bookended by two half days. Weather was great for the first half of the week. Intermittent showers during the later part of the week. Got caught in a brief hail storm Wednesday night. Camp locations were as follow: Trap Lake Deception Pass Deep lake Escondido Ridge Spectacle Lake Ridge lake Passed approximately 2 dozen or so through hikers, great to chat up those who were willing. Little to no day hikers were out during the middle of the week. Great scenery and plenty of wildlife. Birds, Marmots, Black Bears, Mt. Goats, and Deer all spotted up close and personal. Proud to say my legs faired well as did my pup’s paws. Highlights include having Trap and Spectacle Lake all to myself. Both are gems. Thanks to all who reworked the trail sections only recently reopened. The trail looks great. This section of the PCT is a must hike for those considering a multi-day trek. World class - five star backcountry fun. If you are interested, more photos and a by day log to post in sequence to my blog here: http://jhpearce.tumblr.com/

With 2 companions, I did a 4 day 3 night trip to Marmot Lake, Deception Lakes and Cathedral Rock. All of the trails are in excellent shape and the large pile of avalanche debris on trail 1068 to Marmot Lake had been cleared a couple of days before by a WTA youth work party. The first day we hiked in to Marmot Lake, a beautiful spot, with good campsites and a gently sloping granite shoreline, great for swimming or just hanging out. With some trepidation, we headed up to Jade Lake the next morning. Although the route goes up a steep talus filled gully, it is well marked and the rock stable. There is a route on the left side of the gully that avoids some of the talus, but we only found it on the way down. Jade Lake is spectacular and reminiscent of the Canadian Rockies. It was the the highlight of the trip. There is a campsite nearby at No Name lake, but it would be a brutal ordeal to haul a full pack up there. The next day we hiked to Deception Lakes, backtracking on trail 1068 and then heading north on the PCT. Expecting a series of lakes surrounded by meadows, we we're pretty disappointed when we got there. We had planned to spend 2 nights. We tried to hike up Surprise Mountain, but the trail quickly disappeared once we left the shore of the lake. Don't be fooled by solid green lines on the Green Trails maps. Some of these trails are hardly used and hardly ever maintained. So after one night, we decided to spend our last night on the ridge near Cathedral Rock. The PCT between Deception Pass and Cathedral Rock was beautiful. We found a site along the trail at the edge of the meadow near the junction of the PCT and trail 1345. We had to walk about 5 minutes down the into the meadow to find flowing water. There are spectacular campsites on the ridge , but you would need to hike 10 minutes down trail 1345 to find water in a small lake or to the trickle of water we found in the meadow. The last morning of our trip the weather changed abruptly. It had been quite hot and sunny. Within a couple of hours the temperature dropped almost 20 degrees and the clouds rolled in. By the time we reached the trailhead that afternoon it was raining.