It felt good to get out on my adopted section of trail after only touching a toe last year due to the pandemic.  The trailhead was surprisingly empty for a Monday morning, with the number of people enjoying trails near here I had expected more than 3 other cars even at 7am.

My walk up Smithbrook and along the Pacific Crest Trail was quiet. There was a large downed tree over the trail that comes up to my waist, my friend Jim always gets the big ones on his section.  I bet he will be up here in a few days to cut it.  That brushy section where it opens up to a view of Scrabble was still holding from my brushing job a few years back but I know a crew will take a whack at it and fix the tread come Labor Day weekend. There a just a few ripe blueberries to nibble on and Queen's Cup is abundant.

I availed myself of the toilet at Lake Janus around 9:15am.  I could hear a few voices echoing up from the lake but the sites closest to the trail were empty. I cross the muddy outlet of Janus and begin the switchbacks up to the ridge towards Grizzly Peak.  Here I start a leapfrogging day with 4 women loaded with heavy packs bound for Stehekin as I began making waypoints for logs across the trail.  There are a few that have been here for at least 5 years due to their complexity. Not bad for hikers, not so good for stock.

Those lovely views of Glacier, Labyrinth, Rock, Dirty Face and the Entiat Mountain Range (along with the scars along Fall and Shoofly Mountains) greet me as the trail levels out around quarter to 11. I take a quick break and then continue along anticipating views down to Glasses and Heather Lakes.

I reach the exposed switchbacks below Grizzly Peak at 12:15pm and decide to stop for a snack as I know the bugs will be vicious up on the meadows.  There also isn't really a good place to stop that doesn't involve sitting on meadow flora unless you step into some trees near the beginning of the peak's elongated length.

Oh, but those views!  I take my time walking along with the lush lupine, aster, corn lily, heather and cow's parsley blanketing the landscape and gaze over at Columbia, Sloan and Fortune Mountain on my left. I can even see Peach Lake glistening in the sun.

From here I drop down on the other side and finish the western slope, cross over to the east side where there are a few trickles of water over the trail, the first since the stream between Janus and the ridge.  Luckily I was still good with the water I had brought from the car.  I thought about another break at Wenatchee Pass but it was 2pm already and I wanted to get to Pear Lake before it started to fill up with hikers.

I arrived at the junction of the PCT and Meadow Creek Trail (which is still only marked for the PCT since losing its Meadow Creek sign) and turned left.  I had counted 23 logs over the trail, thankfully none of them hazardous.  The first large campsite area at Pear was empty but I made my way back to see if my favorite spots was available near the second privy. Thankfully it was! There was just one more group of 2 at the lake tucked back in some trees to the east of me.

I had a great evening hanging in my hammock avoiding mosquitos (which weren't horrible) and watching the lake fill up with other hikers (8 groups in total).  It was the busiest I have ever seen it and now I know how the meadow area near the lake gets worn.  I am not sure if the tp in the trees is because folks had an bathroom emergency but there really is a second privy to the right of the last campsite ("Toilet" is hung on a tree), albeit ill-placed as you have to walk across a meadow to get there (another "Toilet" sign is on the other side of the meadow).

My walk out the next day was uneventful and there was quite a bit of traffic from thru hikers, section hikers and day hikers.  I'm not surprised, this is a pretty fantastic section of the PCT!

We hiked as far as Lake Janus before turning around.  It was a beautiful, sunny day in the mid 60's perfect for a hike.  The lake sparkled in the sun.  

We arrived at 10AM and the lot was full, but plenty of parking was available along the road.  Lots of cars but we only saw a few people making me think that most were going to Lake Valhalla.  The trail to Janus is narrow in some spots and several places are severely muddy.  You will cross a few creeks but will have no problems this time of year.  You will have a tree to climb over and one to climb under.  While there is elevation gain the trail is never too steep.

It was a great hike and highly recommended.

This is a trip report for the 56(ish) miles of Section K from Stevens Pass to Mica Lake, as well as some unintended detours. First, the temperatures:

9/8/20 Lake Valhalla 57.7˚F

9/8/20 Janus Lake 64.4˚F

9/8/20 Pear Lake 57.0˚F

9/9/20 Lake Sally Anne 58.1˚F

9/9/20 Reflection Pond 57.2˚F

9/10/30 Mica Lake 60.8˚F

Beginning at Stevens Pass the first eighteen miles or so of the trail are lovely, with gentle grades, numerous lakes to swim in or perch beside and excellent views. The view from the top of Grizzly peak, with its ripe berries, flocks of birds and glimpses of Glacier is particularly exquisite. Popular Valhalla Lake has a nice beach, making for good swimming. Janus Lake is marshy and warm. At Pear Lake there is a large clearing where several groups can camp and a pair of good spots for swimming. 

North of Pear Lake the good views continue with Sloane and Kyes peak rising beyond West Cady ridge. Past Lake Sally Anne, which also has good camping and swimming spots, the berry bushes and unobstructed views continue, now of Kodak and Indian Head Peaks. Past the fork for the North Fork of the Sauk River turn off (more on that later), the trail is dusty and windswept as it winds its way up to Red Pass and down into the barren upper reaches of the White Chuck valley where a nice stream and good campsites can be found. 

However, once down in the White Chuck valley all bets are off as the trail disintegrates, with dozens of downed trees, verdant overgrowth, broken bridges and a few patches where mud and streams have claimed the trail. Still, with grace and balance, all major river crossings over the white glacial flows are manageable, and despite the overgrowth, route finding isn't necessary.

From the low of the valley the trail, still in poor shape with several improvised detours, climbs to fire creek pass and back down to Mica Lake. Mica Lake is deep crystalline blue, though a protected shady spot for lunch or camping is hard to come by. 

Unfortunately, as of September 10, 2020 the Downey Creek Fire had closed the Suiattle River Road and Trailhead. Therefore, backtracking from Mica lake, the next river valley south which would appear to connect out is the White Chuck.

Warning: although many maps still show trails in the White Chuck valley, and although signs on the PCT still point to these trails, they no longer exist. It turns out they were wiped out by a 2003 flood, with 17 years of unchecked forest growth reclaiming what wasn't obliterated by the deluge. 

Although the Kennedy Ridge trail still is somewhat follow-able, once it reaches the flood plain, nothing remains to follow. Bushwhacking, clambering over log jams and traipsing across sand bars is the only route that awaits. Not an ideal trail when re-routing to avoid forest fire closures. 

An additional backtrack from that thicket, the next river south, which does indeed connect out is the North Fork of the Sauk River. This trail is in excellent shape and after a long decent, a speedy and easy path through groves of truly gigantic trees is all that remains between the journey and the parking lot. 

Trip total 91.98 miles with 40,408 feet of up and down. 

A solid trip to Lake Janus and Valhalla on the PCT was in order during last weekend of August. We had never gone north on the PCT at the junction with the Smithbrook Trail so an adventure was in order! The descent to Lake Janus was a bit steeper than anticipated, knowing we'd have to climb back. 

Janus was quiet, with one group camping and another set of day hikers casually enjoying the lake. It's on the list as a nice place to camp! 

We tacked on a quick side trip to Valhalla to add mileage and time, albeit among the crowds. Much like Colchuck and Stuart Lakes, there's clear distinction between which ones are more popular. We stopped for a quick snack and headed home.

Data:
10.66mi, 4h 31min, 2600' gain (using CalTopo)