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  1. #1
    Senior Member Montexan's Avatar
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    Pacific Crest Trail - Section J - 8/29 - 9/3

    Day 1 It's a PCT Party!

    Started the day off right by eating a big heavy breakfast at the Sultan Bakery . We’re not rushing into this by any means; we set off from the Steven's Pass TH at 11. Stopped to watch some mountain bikes haul down the ski slope. We hike up and around a couple lakes I always heard about, but found nothing extraordinary about them—I’m thinking they’re better in Winter. Ate a couple fiddleheads I found along the trail and toward the end of the hike I was treated to a few handfuls of salmonberries, my favourite, and huckleberries. We camped at Mig Lake just ~7 miles in for a nice easy day. It was drizzling a bit, but not uncomfortable. The hammock tarp provided enough shelter to drink wine & canned beers, eat pizza and sandwiches. That night we indulged in car camping luxuries and easily forgot what kind of trip we were actually on.

    Day 1 - Stevens Pass.jpgDay 1 - Hammock Porch Ninjas2.jpg

    Day 2 First Rain on the PCT

    One of our party members wasn’t feeling well and headed back that morning. I traded him medicine for his Fireball while the other 2 pillaged his treat bag. It was a steady, medium rain all day; this was also the first rain the thru-hikers had in their 2475 miles trekked. The night before, as I was walking out the door, my girlfriend asked if I wanted this random umbrella someone had left at our house— Seattleites don’t buy umbrellas. I gawked at the umbrella for a moment and begrudgingly took the superfluous 14 ounces. My partners teased me at first, but end of the day I was extremely comfortable in a dry sweat-free t-shirt. Umbrellas are awesome!

    We camped Deception lakes, another set of warm lakes with steam rising from them. We found some dry ground under tree cover and hung out some gear to dry. Our camp was a little more compact and resembled a backcountry gypsy village when the hammock tarp was tied to the tents (my tent poles were used to prop the green tent). Had a nice, but somewhat late, night chatting under the tarp finishing up the Fireball, to save weight of course. But this was only day 2 and we’ve only completed 17 miles.

    Day 2 - Which lake again.jpgDay 3 - Lord of the Rings Day.jpgDay 2 - Gypsy Village.jpg

    Day 3 That looks familiar.

    It had rained a lot more that night and what was once damp was now soaked. On a positive note, it wasn't raining and the fog lifted. This section we all know pretty well having visited Cathedral Rock, Peggy’s Pond and Mt. Daniel several times including 2 months prior. As we approached Cathedral rock from the North and North-East, we realised it is awesome in a completely different way from each side. The Deception Pass campground 3 miles and -600 ft from Deception Lakes would have been well worth the extra effort to camp at if we had known. Maybe I'll see it again if I ever get around to scrambling up the thing. Cathedral Rock pass is about the only point on Section J you can get a cell signal. We didn’t have a NOAA signal, so we texted our former team mate to get an update for us. And it looks like a storm is rolling in on Tuesday. We chat with some other hikers who are doing J in 4-days over the holiday weekend and continue a few miles downhill to reach camp. Deep Lake is as stunning from its shore as it is from Cathedral or Daniel. These were some excellent camp spots right on the water, but we camped a bit past Deep Lake so we could dry out some gear outside the fire restricted zone.

    Day 3- East cathedral rock.jpgDay 3 - Deep Lake from Cathedral Rock.jpgDay 3 - Deep lake and Cathedral Rock.jpgDay 3 - Deep Lake Camp.jpg

  2. #2
    Senior Member Montexan's Avatar
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    Day 4 A giant hidden gem of a lake.

    We woke up to a clear blue skies! This was originally intended to be a “free day” to swim, explore, eat and drink beer, but we didn’t leave our camp until 1 since we were drying out gear from the previous 2 days. We later found many people had taken this as a half-day to dry out. Nonetheless, we made the most of it lying in the Sun while Yetti made some rockin’ backcountry bacon-bit pancakes. We finally set off on the short 5 miles downhill to Waptus. This requires you to deviate from the PCT a bit, but it’s well worth it. Not to mention the couple at Cathedral Rock affectionately referred to Waptus Creek campground as Mouse Camp.

    Shamefully I am reticent to share my experience of Waptus Lake. Because it’s freakin’ awesome. We’re all active hikers with experience from every corner of Washington, but none of us has ever heard much about Waptus. It's certainly not had to miss on a map and I knew it was a hike-in fly fishing lake, but it’s so unassuming you expect a marshy reservoir in a mosquito ridden valley similar to Tucquala. Wrong. Big, crystal clear, stocked with trout, great swimming areas, low traffic and beautiful views of nearby Bears Breast Mountain (right) and Chief Summit (left). I’ll be back for fishing and to summit Bears Breast on a future technical adventure.

    My hiking partners slept on a small island just below a ridge. I unfortunately wasn’t able to find a decent hang spot among the bendy trees and out of potential wind, so I hung back up on the ridge where I was treated to a spectacular view of the stars. Of course it ended up being a calm and chilly night, so the island would have been fine.

    Day 4 - Bacon Pancakes.jpgDay 4 - path down to little island on waptus lake.jpgDay 4 - Waptus in the evening from the island.jpg

    Day 5 The harsh Cascade mistress.

    The portion of the hike from Waptus Creek to Lemah Creek is known as Section J’s “rough day” around 14 miles with no real campgrounds between. We made the decision to push hard 2 days and get out sooner to spend less time in the rain. But this means today was going to be ~19.5 mile day. The first half of the hike up the mountain was an endless switchback where each scenic view was about the same except Waptus was 100 feet lower. Our great weather continued and we had unclouded views of a completely clear and sunny Mt. Stuart. I was envious of those with an Enchantments permit that day. We reached the top and traveled along Escondido Ridge. This ridge is as amazing as I had always heard. You are treated to enormous views of the Cascades and clouds rolling over the range, watching them dissipate as they reach Central Washington. You feel as though you’re watching a 5 hour time-lapse consolidated into 5 minutes. But our pressure has been dropping all day and the clouds were thickening. We hook around the mountain to see the source of the ominous clouds currently crowding behind Lemah Mountain. We knew it wasn’t long before the clouds reached critical mass and spilled over. The rain began shortly after we started the down the switch-backs. The umbrella beckoned, but there a grim reminder as I walked along a ridgeline surrounded by an army of fallen trees that suffered a billion volt fate. I'll hold out for a bit. By the time we reached the valley we were soaked, mostly from wet vegetation hugging the trail.

    In the valley we corrected a handful of people who were just starting a late hike up the pass, expecting a 6 mile hike based off a Green Trail Maps! “Umm, noooo, it’s a solid 13-14 miles.” But they continued on, now truthfully knowing what they’re getting into. Most people were already holed up in their tents or looking for a spot to set up camp. We decided to push on 3 more miles to Spectacle Lake; a party member specifically had his hopes on staying at this lake. Despite our fatigue, hunger and sogginess in dwindling daylight, we were still amazed at one of the most beautiful alpine lakes in the Central Cascades. We could only imagine what unrivaled delight this lake is on a warm Summer day.

    The weather granted reprieve just as we found a campsite. My hammock fit with only inches of room, requiring me to put a temporary larkshead in the whoopie near the gathered end. Just as everyone set their last stake, the reprieve quickly ended with heavy rain and uncomfortably simultaneous lightning and thunder.

    That night I woke up to the sound of Yetti tossing around in his tiny 1-man tent. I tiled my head to peak under the hammock and see a light bouncing around like a rolling rave kid. Mice. 3 of them were in his tent. I watched as he shooed them out of his tent as if it were a cartoon, but this wouldn’t be the end of their troublemaking. By morning that tent would have 2 separate holes and the 1 in the other tent. I too found a 3” hole in my bug net right by my ridgeline organizer where I had stuffed two empty wrappers in a Ziploc. The Ziploc had a small nibble on it, but I must have moved or the mouse gave up. A mouse falling on my face while cocooned in a hammock would not be fun. The Outsak laying on the ground didn’t even have a nibble through it. Goes to show, even if you’re wet, tired, hungry and dark, it’s still important to store your food properly.

    Day 5 - Waptus from above.jpgDay 5 - Escondido Ridge looking East.jpgDay 5 - Escondido Ridge - Lemah Mountain holding the western storm.jpgDay 5 - Spectacle Lake Camp - so much rain.jpg

    Day 6 Ugh. It’s still raining.

    We pack up early at Spectacle, just eating whatever was quick. I Goo my feet, put on my last pair of dry socks and stuff them in gallon freezer bags as a barrier from my water logged boots. The rain subsided, but it’s very wet and foggy. The last place to camp is either 2 miles from us or 13 and the trailhead is 20. With no views or Sunny weather in our near future we were ready to get out and have a burger and beer. Today many of the non PacNW thru-hikers started back on the trail, taking a 0-day yesterday to hang out with friends around the Sound. We reached the car (left there 6 days ago) by 6 and immediately headed to the Issaquah Brew House. Barefooted, and I can’t imagine what we smelled like, I stuffed my face with a burger and enjoyed a nice stout.

    Day 6 - Rainbow over Spectacle Lake.jpgDay 6 - 4 miles of rock tarns aka ankle eater mountain.jpgDay 6 - Supposed to be a good view here.jpgAttachment 93522Day 6 - so much fog.jpg

    Kendal Katwalk and I-90 -- ~6 miles to go!
    Day 6 - Kendall.jpgDay 6 - Kendal and Red Mountain.jpgDay 6 End - Happy to see I-90 - 6 miles to go.jpg[

    We envisioned the trip at a moderate pace, with plenty of drinking (Pat's Backcountry) and swimming at each camp, but it ended up a bit wetter than we imagined. A few days after our hike the region was back to clear skies and 80+ degrees. It was still completely worth it and even some weathered WA hikers can learn a new thing or two on a wet trail.
    Last edited by Montexan; 09-20-2014 at 21:28.

  3. #3
    TallPaul's Avatar
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    Sounds like a great though soggy trip.
    Alpine lakes, stouts, fireball.. Can I join next time?
    Re: the umbrella, were you able to hike hands free, or did you hold it?

  4. #4
    Senior Member KSC's Avatar
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    Sounds like you had a fantastic trip although a little soggy. Thanks for sharing.

  5. #5
    Senior Member Montexan's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TallPaul View Post
    Re: the umbrella, were you able to hike hands free, or did you hold it?
    I held it, somewhat resting it against my shoulder and on top of my head. Wasn't too bad. With the thicker vegetation on those rainy days, mounting it to my pack would have been a hassle.

    I would also like to note the awesome job the Dream Hammock did on this trip. I set it up in the yard for a permethrin treatment the day before, but that was pretty much it. I had complete faith in Randy's quality and fit. I wasn't disappointed, I was high and dry! UGQs top and bottom quilts kept me plenty warm and I never had issues with wet bags. My only wet gear were socks, boots and zip-off pant legs. I used a 6-mil contractor bag for my pack cover/poncho, ground cover (seat) and night storage bag. Even the nylon pack covers were getting saturated.

  6. #6
    Senior Member ofuros's Avatar
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    Even though it was a damp trip.....still sounds & looks good to me. Great pics.
    Mountain views are good for the soul....& getting to them is good for my waistline.

    https://ofuros.exposure.co/

  7. #7
    Senior Member 2ply's Avatar
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    Thanks for sharing the adventure. Really great scenery. Sounds like y'all made the best of the weather.
    Everyone ought to believe in something....I believe I'll go set up the hammock!

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