First stretch to Waptus lake is easy- simple rolling up and down alongside the river. Waptus to Spade and Venus are a grind. Straight-up the whole way with loose dirt, logs, and rocky portions to contend with. There is no where to stop and set up camp on the way up until you hit Jade- so you have to commit. There are a few water sources once you hit the ridge, but I would bring extra water for sure.
Last year, I did this trip in one night, and I set up camp at Spade. I would not recommend doing it this way. I could not enjoy any of the views, and arrived at Spade feeling awful. This time, we set up a camp at Waptus for two nights, and day hiked up to Spade and Venus. We definitely enjoyed not having to lug all our gear up the hill to Spade. However, I would still recommend camping at Spade or Venus at least once- the stars up there were incredible, and better than Waptus for sure.
I would have a downloaded map if you want to take the less trodden path to Venus. It is very easy to get turned around. We ended up doing short stretches of class 2 scrambling after losing the trail. In comparison, getting to Venus is a tad more technical than getting to Spade. But it was a fun climb nonetheless!
Total stats: 30.6 miles, 6,083 ft of elevation gain. Moving time: 17 hours, 50 minutes
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