WA Section J: Gorgeous Mountain Ranges, Elevation, Double Dips, and My Final Climb (25 photos, 3 videos)

Section J is 71.1 miles long and runs from Snoqualmie to Steven's Pass.

September 17th - 19th.

Day 134, 20.7 miles to Lemah Creek.

The entire trail family met up at the Inn's diner for breakfast and we realized it was a bit like the last supper. Twizzler was hiking south to make up the miles she skipped to rest her shin splints. Squirrel and Shark planned to slow down substantially to finish on October 1st. Some others were going to take an alternate route through a valley to go to some hot springs. We split up, packed up, and a few of us met at the gas station for last minute snacks. The sun was out and the nearby peaks looked stunning with the whispy clouds against a blue backdrop. We climbed up a big ascent and every turn had views for days of unique mountain tops with clouds rolling by. We crossed the Kendall Katwalk and then caught up to Moose, Midge, and Pickle who had stopped for a break right next to the 2400 mile marker but had no idea. We had a photoshoot, cooked up some lunch, and sipped some celebration rum that we packed out. The trail then dropped down some switchbacks and looped around Joe Lake at the base of Huckleberry Mountain. We then had another climb and were met at the ridge by a cloud spilling over the top and trying to engulf us. We sped down the trail as it plunged downward, slicing through the mountainside along many switchbacks. Since we had a later start, we were starting to lose daylight and the few campsites at Delate Creek Falls were all taken. So we all had to nighthike down to the very bottom but Moose, Midge, and Pickle sped off and took a short alternate route. Sea Lion and I reached Lemah Creek which recently had a bridge washed out. There was a log to get across but it was also nearly 11PM and Sea Lion vetoed going over a slippery log. The good tentsite was again taken but we found a decently flat one except we’d be sloped to the middle, folded up like a taco.

Snoqualmie Mountain and Red Mountain. I’m sure you can guess which is which.

Sea Lion on the Kendall Katwalk. Video below.

Alta Mountain to the left, next to the valley containing Gold Creek.

Huckleberry Mountain over top of Joe Lake.

Moose, Midge, and Pickle up on some switchbacks (for the record, I was ahead)

Day 135, 21 miles to Deep Lake.

Despite sleeping in a taco arrangement, the sound of the running water allowed us to get plenty of sleep. It was warm out so I had brekkie outside the tent before sewing and gluing another hole in Sea Lion’s shoe. She had almost 1000 miles on them but, with only two towns left to go, it was too late to order a new pair and get them shipped out in time. We crossed the river on the slippery log without issue and then had to bushwhack to get back to the trail. We met at the top of another huge climb and took a break next to a pond to have some snacks and air out our rain fly which had some moisture build up from being next to a river. On the next big down hill (this section J has 18,773ft elevation gain and 17,711ft loss which is a lot for a such a short stretch) we had a lot of views of Waptus Lake below, ran into Chris and Pete who we haven’t seen since Kearsarge Pass, and heard some jet fighters booming overhead. We took lunch on the bridge at the bottom and then ran into Night Walker who we have not seen since Kennedy Meadows! He is now known as Vortex Bait sincerely he had spent more time in towns than on the trail and just began skipping around to hike the better sections. What a day full of reunions! We decided to cut the day short and only go another seven miles to Deep Lake because the nonstop elevation change was becoming quite taxing. Most of those seven were again uphill and I was relieved when the trail finally leveled out which meant we were close. Deep Lake was gorgeous and had a waterfall at the far end which provided a peaceful background noise. Golden light from the setting sun was blasting the top of Cathedral Rock which towered over the lake and I hoped to get some star photos of it. There were tons of campsites and we were a little surprised that no one else showed up. Hikers probably wanted to finish off the climb before calling it a day. Sea Lion and I cooked dinner and then relaxed for the night with some delicious rum tea. I did get up for star photos and was disappointed that some clouds rolled in and ruined my shot. Back to bed I went.

Cathedral Rock, being illuminated by the setting sun, behind Deep Lake.

Day 136, 25 miles to Lake Susan Jane.

We had a decently early start to the day so we could finish off the climb and our hypothesis was correct, tons of hikers were camped at the top, near Cathedral Rock. It was also freezing cold at the higher elevation so they all slept in and we flew by. On the next drop, a thick fog hung in the valley of Deception Creek and a few peaks were popping out in the distance. The trail followed the creek upstream for awhile before arriving at Deception Lakes which had crystal clear water and a nice little jumping rock. It was warm and sunny and I thought this very well may be my last chance for a dip on the trail. The water was still pretty chilly but when Sea Lion caught up we were going to explode our packs to dry things out in the sunlight so I decided to take a double dip. From there it was a steep hike up and over Piper Pass and along the way I found a nice and tall rock formation to climb with a chimney slot at the top. I also thought it may be my last chance on the trail since most rocks in Washington are covered in moss or constantly damp. So up I went and it got sketchy. I thought I tree’ed myself at the top, when you can’t find handholds to climb up but you also can’t climb back down. It was my only climb where I was scared because it was a good 25ft down and I almost got stuck at the top, just one move away from finishing. I finally found a good grip and topped out right before Sea Lion caught up and was amazed I was up there. At the top of the pass, we ran into friends and took yet another break to soak in the amazing views of Terrace Mountain to the West and Glacier Lake down below us to the North. One friend, Pizza, was doing a “Pizza Challenge” of his own creation: eat nothing but pizza for an entire section of trail. He packed out three XL pizzas and had been eating them for every meal. Since rain was coming, we wanted to get close to Steven’s Pass so we would have an easy day to get to town tomorrow. This meant we had to start crushing some miles and that is tough to do when the views consistently impress. We were aiming for Lake Susan Jane before dark but I stopped at Mig Lake because I thought it had a good angle to catch sunset. Sea Lion hiked on while I set a timelapse and ate dinner. The timelapse did not turn out well, we were too far down in a bowl and the clouds never popped. Pickle Pacer and I night hiked over the final three miles up and down a steep bit while we talked about politics and Bitcoin. I located Sea Lion and was ready for bed right at hiker midnight (9PM).