We did a 5-day backpack, starting at the Sauk River Road trailhead, climbing to the PCT near White Mountain, then hiking south on the PCT to Stevens Pass.
Day 1: From the parking lot at the end of FS road 49 - Sauk River trailhead, we hiked 5.5 miles to the campsite at the old Mackinaw Shelter. The shelter itself is no longer usable, but there are numerous tentsites, easy access to water, and a camp toilet. The lower part of the trail has been recently maintained. There are brushy sections in the last 2 miles to camp.
Day 2: From camp, the trail climbs steadily 3,000' in just under 3 miles to the junction with the PCT. The trail is in good condition. Water is available about 2.5 miles from Mackinaw. At the PCT, we hiked south, finding another good water source within 0.1 mile of the junction. Water is also available north of Indian Pass. We hiked to Lake Sally Ann this day. We encountered numerous black flies, which become a major nuisance at every stop. These conditions continued for the entire trip. The lake has excellent tentsites & a camp toilet.
Day 3: From Lake Sally Ann, the trail south eventually drops to a low point at the Pass Creek campsite - good reliable stream here. We continued to camp at Pear Lake, which has several large campsites, plus 2 camp toilets.
Day 4: NOTE: from Pear Lake to Janus Lake, about 9 miles, there is no reliable water along the trail. About 0.3 miles south of Janus Lake, there's an excellent stream. We continued south to camp near Lake Valhalla, with a choice of several campsites. The daytime black flies were replaced with evening mosquitoes throughout the entire route: take a headset or suffer horribly...
Day 5: We continued south to Stevens Pass. There are several water sources along this stretch, including Nason Creek.
In general: the PCT is mostly in good condition. We encountered occasional recent blowdowns, with only a couple being somewhat difficult to cross. Some trail segments are heavily grown over with brush, but don't present a serious obstacle. Weather conditions were difficult: lots of smoke from forest fires, poor visibility, no breeze, high temperatures.
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