Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) Section J - Snoqualmie Pass to Stevens Pass — Friday, Jul. 24, 2020

I ran/jogged/crawled the PCT Section J Southbound this past weekend, starting Friday at 7/24 and finished Sunday 7/26.

• Summary: didn’t use micro-spikes, poles recommended, fords are manageable, mosquitos there but not too bad, still lots of flowers, plenty of water everywhere, starting to get warm out.
• Travel: I booked a ticket on Northwestern Trailways bus line to take me from the downtown Seattle Greyhound Terminal to Steven’s pass. The terminal is a bit sketchy, but it worked out fine. They run the route daily, leaving at 9:15 AM and arriving at Steven’s at 11:30 AM.  I then arranged for a family member to pick me up in Snoqualmie.  The last 6 miles of the PCT-J SOBO has cell reception, allowing you to give your crew a heads up.
• Mosquitos were annoying every afternoon when I would stop to get water. Constant swatting and I only got 2 bites for the whole trip, but annoying.
• The night before I left, I stumbled on https://pctmap.net, and in particular, their Trail Notes (https://halfmilemedia.com/pct_content/halfmiles_pct_notes_orwa_hm.pdf) . I printed out the Section J portion (pages 26 through 29) on a single sheet of paper.   I am so glad I did and continually referenced it throughout.  Any mileage posted below is in reference to the South Bound miles on these Trail Notes.
• Running with a 20 lb pack: not fun. After eating a bunch food, running with a 16lb pack: much more manageable.
• Day #1: from Stevens (mile 188.5) to Small Campsite at mile 210.6. 11:30 AM to 7:00 PM
  • Cloudy, some fog. Normally grand views across the Trapper Creek valley were limited, unfortunately.
  • The first 12 miles or so coming out of Steven’s had a couple of very minor snow patches. Easily traversed and the path was obvious.  Snow-covered the first several switchbacks going up the pass around the first Surprise Mountain Trail junction (mile 201).
  • A hiker told me that he crossed the dangerous ford at mile 211.5 around 2PM on a cloudy day and managed to keep his feet dry by walking across two fallen tree branches, but warned that with the mid-day sun, one should expect the stream level to be a lot higher. I decided to camp just shy of the crossing and attempt it first thing in the morning.
  • I still ended up getting my feet wet on the creek at mile 210.4 anyways
• Day 2: from mile 210.6 to mile 243.4. 7:00 AM to 6:45 PM
  • Sun was out, absolutely beautiful bluebird day
  • Was able to cross the ‘dangerous’ stream without issue and stay dry
  • The views of and around Cathedral Rock were probably my favorite of the whole run. I very much want to return and run Peggy’s Pond, possibly up to Mount Daniel.
  • I put more energy into climb after Waptus River than I should have. The burnt-out arid land coming down into Lemah meadow and all the way through to Spectacle Lake was gorgeous but I think I was too tired to appreciate it
  • If the fabled Rivendell exists in real life, it might be in the valley south of Chimney Rock. Wow!
  • As the notes show, the bridge is out across Lemah Creek at mile 238.8. No avoiding wet feet here, but easy to ford.
  • There’s single-site campsite just after the Delate Creek bridge that would make an ideal spot. Water, scenic, flat.
  • I trudged on to the campsite at 243.4. The site had a snow-bank covering about half of it, but there was enough melted out for 2, maybe three tents.  Fortunately, I was the first one there, but the site had much interest by several hikers who arrived later.  Otherwise dry.  It was a windy night, but the site was nestled between two ridges and sheltered.
• Day 3: from mile 243.4 to Snoqualmie (mile 259.5). 7:30 AM to 12:45 PM
  • Another pristine weather day.
  • It got quite windy getting up over the ridge to get into Cold Creek basin.
  • A few moderate snow-banks from the ridge through to Alaska Mountain. Most were booted out well.  Crossed all without spikes but I was thankful for my poles for additional stability.
  • I saw a whole bunch of marmots playing on the hills.
  • One bad snow-bank south of Huckleberry Mountain (I think) that was steep and required descending 10’ or so to get to a safe spot to pass. Crossed without spikes.
  • Snow covering a bunch of the trail to the east of Alaska Mountain. Crossed without spikes.
  • The whole run from campsite to the end crossed tons of small unmarked streams coming off snowbanks.
  • I don’t know what the big deal is about the Kendall Katwalk. There are several other portions of Section J that are just as exposed.  *shrug*  Fun though.
  • The run down from Kendall through a forest was a refreshing change. Cell reception.
  • An outside lunch at the Commonwealth in Snoqualmie with the family was the perfect end to a fantastic weekend. If I can get my pack weight down 4 lbs, I’d do this again in a heartbeat.

More Information on this Trip Report

• https://www.strava.com/activities/3816997240
• https://www.strava.com/activities/3816997326