Took a day off to explore an area I'd never visited before - not a soul was seen from the moment i left US 2 about 5 miles past Stevens Pass. Given how quiet it was - very little wildlife - i was glad Seamus the Mountain Terrier was with me or I'd have been spooked! Fairly smooth 3.5 mile road to the trailhead parking lot - this is new since my edition of 100 Hikes. Parking at the switchback above cuts off a little bit of trail. The old trail from the narrow climb to Rainy Pass is obliterated. Smithbrook Trail #1590 switchbacks steadily to Union Gap where it meets the PCT. Forest all the way, no real views. 700' 1.5 miles, about 35 minutes. From the Gap, you drop 600', no real views, then cross an avalanche chute, with views out into the valley. The whole area looks more like the Smoky Mountains than the Cascades: rounded, forested peaks, no distant vistas. Finally, you cross a pretty creek at a nice waterfall, round a rib, and climb 200' to Lake Janus. There were many nice camps, but the lake is pretty unremarkable: shallow, just a few rocks on the shore, and the surrounding mountains are forested & rounded. Totals: 8 miles, 75 minutes each way, saw one Kingfisher, heard one rattlesnake. Overall assessment: good for taking kids on, but otherwise, don't bother.

Four days, three nights in the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness north of Stevens Pass. The kids -- 16 and 17 --who had avoided rain on backpacks finally saw their luck run out. But the weather cleared in time for a dayhike into the high country from Janus north to Grizzly Peak Sat. Left Smith Brook trailhead about 1:30 Thurs., made good time to Lake Valhalla. Bushwhacked along forested shore -- occasionally tenuous footing with full packs -- to glorious campsite near outlet. Wind and occasional showers through the night and into Friday morning; C. woke me at one point, convinced in her half-asleep state that some giant sea monster was slurping water from the lake. Fog in the a.m. Played around on the boulders on the lower slopes of Lichtenberg Mountain before bushwhacking back to the PCT and heading north to Janus. PCT badly eroded between Union Gap and Janus in spots. Every campsite at Janus occupied by 5 p.m. Friday, and the bugs were out, but weather improving. Serenaded by a half-dozen Lutheran women at the stock camp singing Holden Vespers. Ravens, diving ducks and a pair of great blue herons at Janus Sat. a.m. Clouds lifted by mid-morning, perfect for ridgetop dayhike to Grizzly Peak, with Glacier Peak always around the corner. Glasses Lake, far below the PCT, captured C's imagination. She wants to find a way to get there someday. Flowers on Grizzly Peak at their, um, peak. Not as many people at Janus Sat. night, and bugs not as bad. Up early Sun., back to Smith Brook trailhead and car by 11:30. Lunch at Zeke's, of course. Totals: 11 miles with full packs, 9.5-mile dayhike. At 55, it takes me longer to recover from even an easy backpack like this, but it's always worth it.

Ahhh...wilderness. The peace, the beauty, the risks, the bugs, the good times... We had it all on this trip into the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness Area along the PCT. With thoughts of the recent and disturbing event near Pinnacle Lake, we were hesitant, yet determined, to head back to the wilds for a couple of days to reflect and renew. We chose a curious corner of wilderness off Hwy. 2 and FR 6700. The Smithbrook Trail is in good shape, save for a couple of blow-downs to be crossed. The PCT to Lake Janus was also in decent shape. We did encounter some patches of snow and mud by the lake. Beyond the lake, one can easily see that the trail does not see as many feet as the stretch leading to Janus. There is intermittent snow on the trail all the way to Grizzly Peak, with a few muddy spots here and there. All in all, there is nothing to prevent travel to the experienced hiker. Now, to the good stuff... Lake Janus is pleasant and offers several nice campsites. However, our group decided to press on to the ridge, about 1.5 mi. from the lake. We did find a decent campsite off the trail that sported peek-a-boo views south to Mts. Hinman and Daniel and north to Glacier Peak. Just around the corner from our campsite, the view really opened up to the north and east. We got an unobstructed look at Glacier Peak, Labyrinth, Poe, Longfellow, Whittier, and more. The expansive boulder field along that stretch of trail is quite nice for scrambling and sunbathing! Look and listen for pikas and marmots. After breakfast our second day, we hit the PCT out to Grizzly Peak, just over 3 miles away. The trail is comfortable, with no major gains or losses. The view improves along the way, catching glimpses of small lakes tucked under rounded peaks and more expansive views to the north and east. Eventually, Glasses and Heather Lakes can be seen down below on the north side of the trail. There's a nice, short side path to a fantastic viewpoint to take it all in. Further, we found Grizzly Peak about midday and lunched in the shade. While no 360-view can be had from the top, one can work their way around the mountain for more views toward Baker, south to Rainier and east to Stuart...and lots in between! Just as we were wrapping up lunch, a sub-adult bald eagle landed on a snag atop the peak. Wow. It's wingspan was impressive against the blue sky. Plus, the glacier lilies, spring beauties and emerging corn lilies are quite impressive in the meadows on top right now. With the melting snow, it feels like springtime at the summit. After our hike back to camp, we enjoyed dinner and star-gazing. We hiked out on Monday morning/afternoon, some 5 miles, and didn't see one person. Besides the eagle, we saw marmots, pikas, chipmunks, squirrels, a kestrel, a baby grouse, a Cascades frog or two...and more than our share of mosquitoes. They're pretty bad, especially around dinner time. I came back with the most bites I've ever sustained on a backpacking trip. Thick layers of clothing are the only thing that seems to prevent the biting. They're pretty agressive right now. During the day, they're manageable. Flora (in bloom): both white and pink heather, arnica, Sitka valerian, lupine, bluebell, queen's cup, tiarella, a few lingering trillium, bleeding heart, elephant's head, mountain-ash, shooting star, thimbleberry, salmonberry, huckleberry, blueberry, yellow violet, glacier lily, spring beauty, marsh marigold...to name a few. A fantastic trip with incredible weather to top it off! We saw few people, magnificent views, wildlife, an amazing array of plants and we all had time to ourselves to contemplate recent events. I feel so fortunate to have a wilderness experience so accessible.

We thought we'd try an early season trip into Lake Janus on the PCT to get a jump-start on the summer. It turns out summer is still a few weeks away. The SmithBrook road is only drivable about 1/2 mile off of US 2 before sections of deep snow make vehicular travel poorly advised. There are a few large blowdowns to clear as well. Some sections of the road are dry but about half is still snow covered. There's still a solid 3 feet at the summer trailhead leading up to Union Gap and the PCT junction. We were able to follow bits and pieces of the trail up to the Gap, but past there route-finding was more difficult and progress slow. The prospect of puzzle-piecing for another 2 1/2 miles to the lake was not appealing, so we camped in the snow field below Union Gap. Clouds blew in and out but it cleared by evening to allow the full moon to illuminate the snowy scene. Homeward bound was much easier and we enjoyed a late breakfast at the Mt. Index Cafe. (fair warning: the ""skillet"" breakfast is huge.) Summer is at least a month away in the high country.

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!