We decided to head to Stevens Pass before avalanche conditions worsened this weekend. We started at the Smithbrook Parking Lot on US-2 heading west around 10AM. The parking lot was a little more than half full when we arrived.
There is a short walk on the snowbanks to get to NF-6700, and we put on our snowshoes & gaiters right away. Several skiers, a man with snowshoes, and a couple snowmobiles got out ahead of us but the trail didn't really feel packed down until the way back. We made it to the Smithbrook trailhead before turning around and logged a little over 6 miles round trip.
Overall, avalanche conditions were minimal until some bare slopes right before the trailhead, and route-finding was easy but a slog in places where we had to break trail.
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