We're up early while it's still dark to begin our drive over Stevens Pass, and four miles beyond, then west on Smithbrook Road (FR 6700) for three more somewhat bumpy miles to the trailhead. (My old Honda copes, so the road can't be too bad.) We recalled there are no facilities here, so stopped briefly at the pass on our way. Boots on! And deet - mozzies are active here! Then we start up the switchbacks of the Smithbrook Trail, which soon levels out, traverses below large boulders and, at Union Gap, ends in a T-junction with the PCT. My hiking buddy Marin and I turn left, heading south on the PCT toward Lake Valhalla, now only a couple of miles away. The trail is good, slightly moist in spots but not muddy, and bordered with asters and valerian. We note a couple of snow patches several feet off the trail, and enjoy a brief sighting of a grouse. We soon reach the gap above Lake Valhalla and begin our descent. There is no breeze, so the lake surface is very still, reflecting the surroundings. At the lake, we seek out the "lunch rock," and have the lake all to ourselves. Nearby, cinquefoils and shooting stars are blooming, although less profusely than last year. Marin observes a frog in the water near the lake shore, and actually manages to rub it beneath the chin. Likely both she and the frog hope it will transform into a prince, but it does not happen before it swims away. We enjoy the views of Lichtenberg Mountain across the lake. This could be an idyllic spot, but mozzies and small flies are very active here, even more than at the trailhead, so after an early lunch break we resolve to continue on to Lake Janus, which we have never seen. Janus lies along the PCT, but in the opposite direction, so first we backtrack to the junction with the Smithbrook Trail, then navigate through a blowdown area and continue north on the PCT. The way is initially downhill - it will be uphill on our return - and it's a bit stonier than in the Valhalla direction. Some nice columbine blooming along the way. A few plops on the trail indicate the recent passage of horse packers, although we do not encounter them. After a little uphill and a small stream crossing, we reach Lake Janus. It's larger than Lake Valhalla, and in a less dramatic setting, but the surrounding are very green and the view is very relaxing. Again, amazingly, we seem to have a lake all to ourselves. The bugs are much less active here than at Valhalla, so we enjoy our leisurely second lunch break, and a variety of wildflowers, before heading out. While we had both lakes to ourselves, we did encounter a number of other hikers along the PCT, including several through-hikers. (they had skipped a section in the high Sierras due to snow conditions, but planned to backtrack to do the Sierra section after they reached Canada.) We enjoyed our two-lake hike. The two lakes are different enough to provide interesting variety, and can be reached from the same trailhead with minimal backtracking. Our total distance for the day was about 12 miles, and it's a trip we would repeat in the future.

Great hike to Lake Janus with the family. The trail was beautiful and in excellent shape. There's one big blowdown just after the intersection with the PCT, but it's very easy to navigate around - we made it no problems with a baby in an Ergo and a dog on leash. We also watched two people leading llamas navigate around it with no problems either. One tip: get to the trailhead early! We were hiking by 8 am and there were already cars in the parking lot. By the time we got back the lot was full and people were parking on the road. We were glad to have started early and finished early. And one word of warning: the mosquitoes are BAD. Bring bug spray! Still a great hike, despite the bugs.

DestinationUp returned to the Cascades today, after a bucket-list 11-day backpack in New Mexico! Truly the trip of a lifetime :-) And today it was time for a pleasant one-day jaunt, taking the Wonder Pup up to Lake Janus. I saw perhaps six people, and just missed talking with two through-hikers. Trail is great, unless you're a horse. Don't even try bringing stock, because of blowdowns. There are zero berries, of course. And the bugs weren't bad at all. I had 40% DEET which I put on at the car...didn't need a re-spray. Oh, and I spent a lovely hour sitting on a rock in the lake, reading my book. A delightful day all around.

3 campsites were occupied last night. The stars were awesome! However, fog came in sometime while we were sleeping and the sun stayed behind clouds most of today. While having breakfast we had our only wildlife sighting of the week-end! We think it was a pine marten. We saw it coming from the lake and across our campsite 3 different times with something in its mouth. We saw it come back to the lake 2 times returning with its catch! Too quick for pictures! After breaking camp we did a short walk along the east side of the lake. The grasslands were very wet and marshy, but the fall colors here were very nice as the berry leaves were still intact. The leaves near our campsite were mostly gone and the color dull.

Despite gray skies in Seattle, the weather forecast did not promise rain, so we headed for Stevens Pass and Janus Lake. By the time we reached the summit of Stevens, the skies were mostly clear, and by the time we reached the trailhead up Smithbrook there was not a cloud in the sky. Fall colors are beginning on the slide alder, berries and devils club and were enhanced by the bright sun. Sixteen cars in the Smithbrook parking lot, but we saw very few people on the trail and only a handful at Janus Lake. Despite the guidebook's warning about crowds, the majority of camp sites were vacant on a fine October weekend. We ran into a group of through hikers positively giddy about being only one week away from the Canadian border -- or perhaps they were just on a sugar high after hitting the stores in Skykomish. The trail is in fine shape, but muddy in spots, so wear something more substantial than tennis shoes. Total of two blueberries spotted on the entire trip, but no bugs. Glorious fall outing to a serene and lovely lake.