Two of us headed out to Lake Janus and Grizzly Peak for a short overnight in the mountains. The trail was in great condition, there were excellent views of surrounding peaks and meadows, and there were plentiful ripe berries on the trail, making both of our first overnights since last season a success. Overall, we found the details in the trail description to be accurate and useful.

We left the Smithbrook trailhead around 1:30pm on Saturday. The drive up to the trailhead was in great gravel forest road condition with very few potholes; we saw a Porsche two seater happily parked. The parking lot was full and about a quarter mile of parked cars lined the road. On the trail, the first 1.25 miles to the PCT junction were fairly busy but as soon as we started the descent to Lake Janus, we were essentially alone until we reached the lake around 3:30pm. At Janus we enjoyed a long break by the lily pads; the bugs were surprisingly not a problem here.

After leaving Janus, the hike up to Grizzly peak was a nice climb. Since we had started in the afternoon, this section was pleasantly shaded for most of the way up. We did almost miss the water source 1.2 miles from the lake (which we heard is the last before Pear Lake from fellow hikers). If you’re looking for it, it is off the trail to the left (going up) and past a little campsite; you’ll have to take a little path down to the ravine. The stream is small but completely serviceable as we were able to use both our squeeze filter and pump to filter additional liters. The views of Glacier Peak along this section as we climbed were stunning.

We eventually arrived at Grizzly Peak around 6:45pm. We set up camp at the “modest” campground tucked away behind some trees at the peak before continuing along the PCT for about a half mile to the next meadow to eat dinner and watch the sunset. The bugs were worse at the campsite than at Janus, but the wind kept the mosquitos at bay. We did find bug nets to be useful while sitting still.

On our second day, we took our time with breakfast and left the peak around 9:15am. During our descent, we were quickly met with a steady stream of PCT through hikers, all in fantastic spirits and giving us inspiration to come back out for longer. What was shaded on our way up was now exposed and quite hot on the way down, but as a consolation we were able to see a marmot sunbathing on some boulders. We eventually made it back to the car just after 1pm where the parking lot was significantly less busy than the first day.

Our first time doing a "key exchange" hike, and it was so fun! We parked at the North Fork Skykomish trailhead off FS 63; our friends parked at the Smithbrook trailhead just east of Stevens Pass. We exchanged car keys at Pear Lake. Here's our itinerary, which was about 27 miles:

• Day 1: West Cady Ridge to Benchmark Mtn (4mi)
• Day 2: Benchmark Mtn to Pear Lake via PCT (10mi)
• Day 3: Pear Lake to Smithbrook via PCT, Union Gap (13mi)

I've tagged relevant trails for this area. Here are some notes about conditions out on the trails:

• Water availability was our biggest concern, but as long as you take care to take water where it exists you'll be okay.
  • Benchmark Mountain is almost totally dry. There are a few streams early in the climb, some really foul looking tarns at the top, and then there's a spring on the north side of the trail right as you drop from the summit. 
  • On the PCT, there are still a few streams and rivulets between the lakes where you can fill up.
  • Just south of Janus Lake there is a wonderful stream with much nicer looking water than what you might be able to scoop from the lake itself.
• Wildflowers are still lovely on many west-facing ridges right now, but the real story out there is huckleberries. There are so many! They are so ripe! Plan to slow your estimated mile splits by at least 50% so you can spend time eating those delicious little berries.
• Bugs were surprisingly not bad! Better than I've seen on many other hikes recently. At dusk a bug net was helpful.
• There are some gnarly down trees between Saddle Gap and Pear Lake (maybe like 1-2 mi north of Pear) on the PCT right now that make for really unpleasant crossings.
• Pear Lake is a delightful lake, has great campsites, and the water is a lovely temperature right now. Definitely an underappreciated gem! 

Lastly...if you were the people riding mountain bikes down the Benchmark Mountain trail in the dark at 10PM on Friday night...can we talk? We really just have some questions. Questions like "why???"

Happy to answer questions in the comments! 

Summary. Overnight at Lake Janus, out-and-back from Stevens Pass via a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail’s Section Special K.  

• I clocked in 20 miles round trip over six hours and 40 minutes of moving time.  
• Parking was no sweat at the ski resort.  
• The incline is down-and-up-and-down-and-up, though never too strenuous of a grade.  
• The trail is very well maintained, though overgrown at times.  
• It was quite busy at the lakes – as expected on a summer weekend.  That was mitigated by plenty of solitude along stretches of the PCT.  
• Plenty of wildflowers along the trail, as well as an abundance of huckleberries in the meadows of Lake Janus.

Parking.  I parked my car at Lot D of Stevens Pass Ski Resort, near the southern trailhead of PCT Section K.  There’s a bathroom here and ample parking – especially considering it’s connected to all the parking lots across the mountain.  Here, I found two single-stall restrooms.  There was an archery completion this weekend, bringing lots of RVs and campers to the lot.

Day one: Stevens Pass to Lake Janus. I began my ascent at 8:30 AM.  In the first mile alone, I was stunned by the wildflowers dotting the trail: aster, western pearly everlasting, plume thistle, paintbrush, and yarrow are the ones I managed to photograph.  I’m sure there’s more.

Portions of the initial section are overgrown, though there were no other obstacles throughout the hike.  The gentle 200-foot descent from Stevens Pass was mostly shaded through second-growth forest.  Interestingly enough, the first two miles had vaults and hand-holes in the middle of the trail – implying there’s some sort of linear underground infrastructure right underneath.  (I’m guessing power or communications, since I build public works for a living.)

The first boulder patch – at about mile two – offers stunning views of Lichtenberg Mountain and Welldigger’s Ass.  (Actual name of the peak – I didn’t even need to make a butt joke for that one.  Nice.)  Here, I was greeted by a very charismatic Hoary Marmot that could Whistle better than Flo Rida.

Silence and solitude marked the next three miles of the trek, until Lichtenberg Mountain came into full focus around mile five.  Here, a moderate incline stays consistent, gaining almost 1,000 feet in less than three miles: the bulk of the climb.  Once Lake Valhalla came near, the trail sounded more like Alki Beach than the backcountry.  (No hate though.  It’s great that folks are getting outdoors.)  I decided to keep hustling towards Lake Janus, declining to hike down to Valhalla’s busy, sandy beach.  This junction was at mile five.

For the next four miles, I lost the elevation I had gained on the trek to Valhalla.  The crowds thinned down significantly after the junction to Smithbrook Trail at mile 7.7.  Now I realized I could’ve started from a closer trailhead – and perhaps have summited Grizzly Peak – but oh well.  I’m still glad I got to kick some dirt along the PCT.

At mile 8.5, the downhill transitioned into a gentle incline of 300 feet, over the final mile or-so to camp.  I finished my day’s walk at 12:30 PM, just in time for lunch.

I was greeted by a bustling Lake Janus, which I did not expect based on the WTA description.  When scoping out campsites, a territorial (yet very polite) bride informed me she’s having her wedding on the lake shore, with her group taking the three western campsites near the boulders.  I’m very happy for the newlyweds, though I could’ve used some less screaming when they decided to take some photos near my campsite.

I took the campsite farthest east on the south lakeshore, right next to the marshy meadows.  There was some flat enough ground to pitch my tent.  There were also plenty of trees nearby for a hammock and a clothesline.  A series of social trail made it easy to meander towards the vault toilet.  Just a few dozen feet away from the lake shore, water access was easy enough, though the area was marshy and difficult to walk in.  This presents a similar issue getting in-and-out of a swim, where a foot always managed to get stuck in the muddy lake floor.

The best part about this campsite?  So. Many. Huckleberries.  180-degrees of huckleberries surrounding my home-for-a-night.  I went to sleep early because I got tired of swatting mosquitoes and horse flies.

Some numbers from day one:

• Ten miles of distance.
• 1,800 feet of climb, 1,700 feet of loss.
• 3,800 feet above sea level at the lowest point.  5,100 feet at the highest.
• Four hours of elapsed time hiking. Three and a half hours spent moving.
• 20 and a half minutes per mile average moving pace.

Day two: Lake Janus to Stevens Pass. I slept until 9 AM, enjoyed two much-needed cups of Bailey’s and coffee, and began the trek to the car at 10:45 AM.  The trip back did not have anything of note that wasn’t already mentioned above.  I got to my car at 2 PM.

Statistics from day two:

• 9.8 miles of distance (less wandering.)
• 1,700 feet of climb, 1,800 feet of loss.
• 3,800 and 5,100 feet above sea level at the lowest and highest points, respectively.
• Three hours and 30 minutes elapsed.  Three hours and eleven minutes spent moving.
• 19 and a half minutes per mile average moving pace.

In closing.  Wonderful hike with weekend crowds.  Next time, I’d do this starting at the Smithbrook Trailhead.  I’d like to bag Grizzly Peak and also spend a night at Pear Lake.  (Insert butt joke here.)

Land acknowledgement.  Every community and each ecosystem owe their existence to the generations past who created the history that has led to this very moment.  The Mount Baker-Snoqualmie & Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forests are on the cultural & ancestral land of the Skykomish, Snoqualmie, Snohomish, Tulalip, Coville, Wenatchee, Okanogan, and all Coast Salish & Central Washington tribes.  We’re thankful for their stewardship, past and present – honoring the resiliency of the tribes and the land itself.

Hike and scouting trip for downed trees on the trail.

We knew the weather was going to improve but it did not improve soon enough. It was drizzling and fog covered the upper slopes, as we departed the trailhead. It took us about five hours to get to the summit of Grizzly. There is a clearing at the top that is surrounded by trees, so there would be no summit views even without the fog that engulfed the slopes above 5000'. The bugs at the summit were merciless and so we kept all our rain gear on and pulled out the mosquito netting to cover our heads. We had a quick lunch and headed down. The best way to avoid the bugs was to keep moving. As we headed down the clouds were lifting and there was a view east from along the ridge trail. It was not pleasant wearing rain gear to protect us from the bugs. So we accepted perspiration over bug bites.

This trip is mostly on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), so we encountered (and counted) 15 through-hikers heading south to Mexico and three going north to Canada.  There was one hiker finishing a section from Windy to Stevens Pass that could not be traversed last year due to fire closure, and another pair doing a segment of the PCT.  One of the hikers told us she was from the Czech Republic but had injured her leg so was not sure she was going beyond Stevens Pass.

Total distance for us was just over 16 miles in 9.5 hours.

Had some fun cutting logs with a PCTA work party today, we were able to get all the logs between the trailhead and Union Gap off the trail so things are smooth sailing on the Smithbrook!