This is a quick report on a few 'worth-knowing' details of this well-travelled section of the PCT. This was a three-day trip for me.
The Norse Peak burn area north of Chinook Pass is long, dry, and exposed. I did this hike when temps were in the low 90s and I'm glad I knew to haul plenty of water. The water at Arch Rock is flowing nicely and there are plenty of spots to fill bottles and/or camp there.
The mile before and after Government Meadow/Mike Urich cabin was pretty buggy (enough to make a person flail about). The cabin is in great shape and there was trail magic there (July 24-25). Mice weren't an issue and there are plenty of hooks to hang up food and gear. I think maybe 10 people were camped overnight here but only three of us slept in the cabin.
Between Government Meadow and Blowout Mountain there are a lot of blowdowns to deal with. Most are low and can be climbed over. There were lots of flowers in the next burn area here (Falls Creek Burn) and the views to the south were great.
After Stampede Pass, the trail becomes increasingly rocky and rooty but there are many stream crossings with cold water for your bottles. There were a few snow patches in the low, shady areas, but these were not an issue to travel over or around. Every creek seemed to have one frog standing guard. Mirror Lake was a little stinky and very buggy. Tons of camping spots here.
The best flowers of this 69-mile section were right under the chairlifts at Snoqualmie Pass, so if all you want to see are flowers, you could save yourself 68 miles of hiking.
Cell service is pretty reliable north of Stampede Pass and there was a decent signal at other spots along this whole section. The best part of the hike was transitioning from views of the 'southern' Cascades of Hood, St. Helens, and Rainier, to the views of the 'central' Cascades marking the boundary of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.
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