First Time Riding the Palouse to Cascades

[jsimoni]

Has anyone ridden the Palouse to Cascades Trail (formerly John Wayne Pioneer)? What was the camping like? Anything odd/exciting to look out for (I've read about those thorny plants on the East side of the cascades)?

I've biked sections of the trail (near the tunnel at Hyak) and have always wanted to ride the thing from tip to tail. I'm relatively new to bikepacking so really any/all tips are appreciated here.