Up to Union Gap, north on PCT to Lake Janus...eat cookies and bananas, admire hundreds of 1/2 long frogs in wet meadows south of lake, pick major huckle/blueberries.(AAARRGGGHHH!!!! the dreaded Cascade Purple Fingers strike again...) Subalpine cone bombs all over trail. Pikas beeping in the rock slides.... Kids and dogs....magnificent trees...sunny skies....Black Butte Porter on tap....a nice afternoon on the PCT....

This seven-mile round tripper ended up being a great dayhike alternative to a thwarted trip to Rock Mtn via Snowy Creek (see other report). The weather was perfect for hiking, and the trail had a very gentle grade and new culverts - although it was obviously very well used by horses and very dusty in sections. Best of all, the huckleberries and blueberries were huge, ripe, juicy and plentiful. The biggest and most plentiful crop I've ever seen on a hike. We spent about two hours with our faces in the bushes and came out purple. Plus we grabbed enough extra for a lot of pancakes. No bugs hassled us, although there were a few yellowjackets at the trailhead. The lake was pretty, ringed with mature trees with glimpses of high meadows above. It had a couple great campsites and a separate stock camp. Near the lake, a gazillion tiny little frogs (about 1/2 to 3/4 inches long) were hopping across the trail. We had to watch every step to make sure we didn't squish any. And I swear we saw a leech in the lake - yeech! along with some tadpoles that were easily five times the size of the frogs we saw out of water. Maybe that's why the little frogs were running away?

After waiting a couple of weeks for the weather to moderate,we decided to take a hike on the Pacific Crest Trail via Smith Brook.Since the last time I hiked this trail, three or four years ago,the Forest Service has built a nice new trail up to the PCT and Union Gap.They also built a great parking lot with room for probably 15 or 20 vehicles. This is a great improvement over the old parking area which consisted of a couple of pull outs next to the road. The old trail started out in a brushy area and was exposed to the sun,while the new one stays in the forest all the way to Union Gap with nice long,easy grade switchbacks! Kudos to the trail crews for all the hard work! Beautiful meadows between Union Gap and the lake.Columbine and Mountain Aster in bloom,while most of the other flowers fading.Encountered a trail crew at Lake Janus. They were starting to work on the trail north towards Grizzly Peak and had camp set up at the lake. We stayed at the lake 3 or 4 hours,admiring the large meadows near the summit of Jove Peak before heading back.There were small muddy areas on parts of the trail,but not too bad.Take the bug juice along.Lots of flies and mosquitos,especially at the lake.

We headed east of Stevens Pass to turn onto the Smith Brook road driving 3 miles to the trailhead. It looks to be nearly new, but unmarked as is the trail itself. The bugs were at the trailhead and it was a warm late afternnon. We proceeded to head up the switchbacks climbing 860 feet in the first mile reaching the intersection with PCT #2000. This is an easier section of trail, but you lose 600 feet that you must regain before the lake. The bugs weren`t as bad as the first mile of trail. Upon reaching Lake Janus there are some nice sites on and near the lake. The bugs were pretty intense the first night.On Saturday we headed up PCT # 2000 toward Grizzly Peak. This offered some relief from the mosquitoes. We were able to relax and snack and enjoy the scenery. Once we got to the top of the ridge the views were wonderful. Glacier Peak and more. The ridge hike was well worth the trip. We turned around at a snow patch that blocked the trail making one having to climb down the ridge on a steep bank to go around it. There were others that decided to continue around the snow that were ahead of us. So we and our dog decided to make a return trip back to the lake. The wind was beginning to blow and the mosquitoes backed off some. Later that evening it rained, continuing through the night. We headed out Sunday morning in a moist but rain free trip back to the trailhead. Lots of wildflowers to enjoy! Overall It was a nice place and worth visiting, but probably more bug free later in the season.

TWO LAKES AND A PEAK Started the days trek from the new Smith Brook trail head which is below the big switchback on the Smith Brook Road east of Steven Pass. The new portion of the trail switchbacks up though the forest to connect with the old trail. At one of the switchbacks a 6 foot diameter and two smaller Fir trees had fallen across the trail. Hikers had made a bypass trail to get around it. Once up to the Union Gap trail junction with the PCT I headed southerly to Lake Valhalla. Only one little snow patch is left on the trail before getting to the saddle above the lake. After checking out the lake I decided to go up the climbers path to the summit of Peak 5747 that is north of the lake. The path takes off from the PCT at the saddle just east of the lake. It is steep and brushy in places, goes through a couple of small flat meadow areas on the way up to the summit ridge. The path follows the ridge north to the rocky summit. Nice spot to sit and eat lunch with great views out to Glacier Peak, the Monte Cristo Range, Sloan Peak and all the way to Mt. Baker. Down south to Daniel, Hinman, Stuart and to Rainier. Dow Lake is just below the peak and I could see a school of fish swimming around. One of the flat topped rocks on the summit had four 1/2 inch diameter holes drilled into it in a one foot square pattern. One of the holes had an American flag stuck into it. Probably left from the first American team of climbers who conquered Peak 5747 many years ago. After taking some photos and having lunch, I headed back down to Lake Vahalla. Then I hiked the PCT back to Union Gap and down to Lake Janus. A few blown down trees across this section of the trail. There were several groups of backpackers staying at the lake. One of them was going north to Rainy Pass and Highway 20. After a snack by the lake, hiked back up to Union Gap and back down to the trail head. Didn't see to many hikers during the day and only a few ""tourist"" hikers. I had Peak 5747 to myself on this day. The path to the summit does not show on my GT map or described in any hikers guide book. From the trailhead to the summit is about 2 hours. Lake Valhalla is the most scenic of the two lakes. And in the three times I went through Union Gap I thought I would have seen Gary Puckett at least once, but he never showed up.