yes, there are blowdowns, some really big ones too, but there are obvious ways around, under, or over all of them.
yes, there are potentially difficult water crossings, but nothing worse than what any thru-hiker has already had to deal with.
yes, it is a physically demanding section to get through, but it was also one of the most beautiful and rewarding sections and possibly my favorite time on the trail. the views are simply stunning.
as for specifics, the trail condition update here was pretty well done. the trail is actually in fantastic shape all the way up to pumice creek. there is obvious evidence of major trail work in the form of cleared blowdowns and new bridges. this means there's really only about 20 miles of difficult trail to get through, and as i said before, it's not that difficult. the milk creek crossing was probably my most dangerous moment. i chose to jump between two large boulders where the original trail crosses the creek, but several other hikers i spoke with took the new, uncompleted trail down to the newly constructed bridge. this sounded like a much safer option, though a trail crew was actively blasting down that way when i hiked through.
it was great to reach stehekin in time for the last shuttle. a big meal and a trip to the world famous bakery was just what i needed to fuel up for the home stretch.
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