Lake Janus and Grizzly Peak — Saturday, Aug. 20, 2005

Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - East

THREE huckleberry trips in one week. Heaven. The harvest is extremely good this year - especially around the Stevens Pass area. Today, Sadie ventured north on the Pacific Crest Trail - catching it at the Smithbrook Trailhead. Drive up the Smithbrook Road (FS 6700) - you go east on Rt. 2, pass the Stevens Pass ski area and in about a mile there is a sharp left turn that will have you crossing over the westbound lanes of Rt. 2 to the Smithbrook Road. The trailhead is about 3 1/2 miles up the road - well marked and with reasonable parking. We were a little late to start this morning - but got to the trailhead about 10:45 a.m. - several cars in the lot - but not daunting. It was a beautiful day and Sadie's friends Rick, John, Kurt, Marc and 4-legged friend Evie joined in. The trail is an easy one - little elevation gain - mostly ups and downs with some nice switchbacks. The Stevens Pass trail book is right - most folks are heading to Valhalla - we only encountered about 6 people at Lake Janus. When the Smithbrook Trail meets the PCT - head north to Janus, not south to Valhalla. The trail is a little overgrown in places, but only of significance if the brush is wet - which it wasn't today. Be aware - there are berries EVERYWHERE! Well, at least there were until we got there! Actually, there are plenty of berries for the picking. And they are super-plentiful at the lake itself. It was a good day for a swim, so we all jumped in - Sadie thought that was great sport - she loved swimming around with everyone - Evie even went swimming, not usually something she wants to do! We had a lovely lunch at the lake (the bugs - black flies and deer flies - are a nuisance - the frequent breeze helped keep them down some). It's an easy roundtrip and a great excuse to go pick some more berries. Lots of jars of huckleberry jam this year!