Took advantage of the long weekend to hike Section J – a longtime WA bucket list hike for me! We hiked in 4 days going SOBO which averages over 18 miles a day which retrospectively was a bit more aggressive than we would have liked. The trail condition was great, weather was great, minimal bugs, and there were lots of other hikers from PCTers, to day hikers, to other folks doing section J. The vistas were top-notch and everyday had multiple stunning sections.
Many other folks have written up trip reports for this section but I’ll add a couple call outs given our experiences. One aspect that surprised me was the trail grade was quite shallow compared to trails in the Olympics or otherwise which made the climbs/descents feel much longer and take more time than expected. Other notes: (1) We used bear canisters which may have been overkill but had no issues with mice around our camp which we heard other campers had. (2) Deception lakes were smaller and buggier than expected but do have a privy – follow the orange flags on the tree up a short steep trail and you will find a wood one in good condition. (3) Deep lake is amazing and perfect for swimming. (4) Had to be more conscientious of water than we expected. There's plenty of water but we needed to plan around the good water sources. (5) North Park lake was quite shallow and BUSY but we managed to find some nice secluded sites on the far side of the lake following a small footpath. (6) The whole trail is FULL of blueberries and huckleberries! (7) Our dog was (once again) a crusher; however, we wished we had packed extra food since this was the longest trip he had ever been on.
We liked going SOBO to be opposite of PCT "traffic" and loved the views from that direction. We did a key swap with friends and I don't think our camping locations (due to the requirements of 4-day spacing) were as nice compared to their NOBO itinerary. Nevertheless, finishing with DruBru is always great! An amazing gift to have such wilderness so close to where we live. Happy trails!
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