Tag: PCT

Monday 22nd August

Start: Bushcamp, mile 2564

End: Stehekin, off mile 2569

Miles: 5

I barely slept last night.  At one point I looked at the clock hoping the alarm was about to go and it was 23:30!  Maybe it was the anxious excitement of finally getting to ‘town’.  We woke at 5am especially early in order to cook oatmeal.  The stove issue we thought had been resolved was in fact a gas canister issue that has made boiling water very difficult for days.  After 40 minutes of trying Conrad went and borrowed a canister from another hiker named Tower.  I was so thankful for the coffee and hot food to get us going.

A team of other hikers were dotted around nearby at the creek 5 miles from the Stehekin bus stop.  We all had the same plan in mind – get the first bus at 9am, and get to the famous bakery en route for breakfast.  There was an almost tangible buzz in the air as one by one people left all heading towards High Bridge.  It felt like a race mentality had taken hold of everyone even though they had plenty of time to make the bus.

It was the fastest 5 miles we have ever hiked.  The valley continued to undulate along the river.  The first hint of Autumn seemed to be creeping in, with leaves of orange, yellow and red in same places.  There was a lot of morning wildlife activity to be heard.  Woodpeckers were working away, squirrels were darting around hauling their nuts, and chipmunks were squeaking.  I bet it is truly stunning here in the Fall.

We reached the stop outside the historic ranger station building an hour before the bus was due to leave.  We were probably the sixth people to arrive.  Most of them were familiar faces.  We all sat around chatting, and the time passed quickly.  When the big red vintage-looking bus appeared just before 9am, more than a dozen hikers were waiting.  We got near the front with Dan, eager to get into the bakery first when we made a quick stop there.

The Stehekin bakery is a PCT institution.  Everyone we have met on the trail mentions it when Stehekin is discussed.  I now know why.  We grabbed coffees, 2 massive cinnamon rolls, 2 cookies, and a carrot cake.  And I am regretting now getting more.  We must somehow go back there to try out their pies and ice cream.  It’s only 2 miles or a bus ride from town.  The cinnamon rolls were delicious – I would go as far as the say the best I have ever had.  And I have had quite a few!

Stehekin isn’t so much a town, as a community.  70 people live here.  There is no cell phone reception.  We are lucky for the hotel wi-fi.  Conrad was sad there are no TVs in the rooms.  It is situated on the north-eastern shore of Lake Chelan in the Northern Cascades.  And despite being on the US mainland, it is only reachable by foot, sea plane, or by ferry.  This isolation gives it an old-world charm.

The bus followed the raging Stehekin River, before touching the northern tip of Lake Chelan.  The lake is over 50 miles long, but narrow in shape, and as we drove down its eastern side huge mountains towered over us on the opposite shore.  We were dropped off right outside our hotel, North Cascades Lodge, opposite the boat landing. All the buildings are wooden and rustic-looking, in keeping with their surroundings.

It struck me today on our short stroll to the post office how many people we had met along the way.  In the 200 yards, we were reunited with Zelda and Tarzan, who were about to board the ferry with their dog.  Next up was Aussie Sam, then Canadian  Sarah, both about to board the bus heading back to the final leg of the trail.  Then the M&Ms, who had busted a gutt and just about made the 6pm bus here last night.  It was great to see so many familiar faces.  We finally picked up our last resupply box from the world’s slowest USPS – thank you to the Marshmeiers for getting them all out on time.  Laundry, lunch, then a brief nap followed.

We decided to visit the only other real hotel here for dinner tonight.  The Ranch is on the bus route back to the trail, probably 15 minutes ride away.  It is billed as a ‘cookout’, with a different special each night.  Tonight was flank steak.  Not good for me, but they also had chicken a la carte.  A full bus arrived at the ranch.  It was a self-serve line, with ‘deconstructed’ pad thai and salad accompaniments.  The cinnamon raisin bread was my downfall.  I went a little crazy, drunk on the ‘real’ and wholesome food.  The desert options were a slice of pie or cake, with so many to choose from.  I had the largest chocolate cake, and Conrad the blueberry pie.  Let’s just say I didn’t feel well getting back on the bus; gluttonous fool!

Sunday 21st August

Start: Miners Creek Bushcamp, mile 2542

End: Bushcamp, mile 2564

Miles: 22.4

I have enjoyed today’s hike.  Following a gradual, but long climb up to Suiattle Pass first-thing, the hike became far less physically challenging.  I was able to admire and soak in my surroundings without focusing on my own pain!  Conrad on the other hand was in pure misery.  His feet are causing him to stop frequently and pop painkillers.  I think he is now low on supplies.  There really is very little we can do to find a solution.

A few miles from camp this morning I spotted a bright fire closure sign pinned to a tree ahead.  For a few moments I think my heart stopped.  On further study it was the connecting trail to Buck Creek that was closed due to fire.  The fire zone map showed that we were camped last night about 2.5 miles north-west of the impacted area.  Lucky for us Fortress Mountain shielded the PCT from the blaze – if it still is burning?

We are starting to see more north-bound thru-hikers from Mexico now.  I would guess a handful a day.  After over 2500 miles they must be able to almost taste Canada.  They overwhelmingly have a distinctive look about them.  It says, ‘I am malnourished and haven’t washed or groomed my hair in months’.  A lot of them take pride in this ‘authentic’ hiker look.  I was observing a very tanned thru-hiker earlier and noticed that he just scooped up water from the creek and drunk it straightaway.  What a time-saving not filtering our water would be!  I’m not going to risk it though.  I cannot think of a worse situation than to be out here with the trots!

From the top of Suiattle Pass the sky was vividly blue and the rock formations striking.  We have been so fortunate with the weather in Washington.  It is a state usually associated with rain.  We started weaving down into a deep lush valley, whilst gazing out at the Northern Cascade peaks in the distance.  From time to time we would stop to pick blueberries, a habit we have been doing the last few days.  I told Conrad he needed the fructose for energy.  I couldn’t help but wish the berries were soaked in sugar and baked in a pie though!

By the afternoon clouds had begun to form above us.  It was a welcome relief from the sun, as long as it didn’t bring rain!  Following lunch and an awkward foot soak in a bug-infested creek, we crossed the South Fork Agnes Creek over a series of fallen-trees.  I was so happy I didn’t have to take my shoes off.

The rest of the hike took us through the valley floor, over undulating terrain of ferns and berries.  At one over-grown point I noticed on the GPS that we were exactly 100 miles from Manning Park, our final destination!  Hurrah!  We made camp right next to a loud creek under tree cover incase the grey clouds turned into a storm.  We are only 5 miles from tomorrow’s Stehekin bus!

Saturday 20th August

Start: Bushcamp, mile 2519

End: Miners Creek Bushcamp, mile 2542

Miles: 23.1

This morning we set the alarm for 5am.  It was dark as I cooked our oatmeal.  But within a short window I watched the bright moon just above Mica Lake, and a pink sky beginning to illuminate the range opposite.  In that moment of wilderness splendour I pinched myself and wondered how often in my life I will wake up to such a scene.

I thought we had done a lot of climbing so far, but today was something else!  8400 feet of elevation loss, and 6000 feet gained.  Our feet are throbbing.  It started with a large descent into the valley that we were camped up high in, all the way down to Milk Creek.  It was a long stretch, with great views up top, but becoming increasingly covered in dense jungle towards the bottom.  The trail was very overgrown, and my legs got truly ‘bush-whacked’.  I look like I have been in a cat fight.

We were desperately trying to beat the sun hitting the side of the mountain for the big climb.  Those zig-zag switch-backs visible from camp last night were standing between us and Canada.  We began the climb at 8am.  It took us 2 hours to go 4 miles to the top.  I thought that wasn’t bad considering.  Even better still: I didn’t collapse halfway up!  Slow and steady was our strategy.

Almost an hour into the ascent and a pretty blond girl came down past us.  She told us that there were 24 switchbacks from there to the top.  The countdown gave me something to focus on for the remaining hour, although the closer to the top we got, the further apart they seemed to get.  And turns out she mis-counted – there were 25!  I was outraged.

Amazingly at one point we actually overtook two people.  The M&Ms, were two young sisters who are also hiking Oregon and Washington.  Their packs were about the same size as them, so our over-taking was probably not a surprise, but it made me feel good anyway!

From the top of Vista Ridge, we descended down towards Vista Creek.  It was a very long, slow stretch.  At the start we traversed around the rocky crest, with many seasonal streams flowing down into the canyon below.  The sun had risen and was full-blown beaming on us by this point.  Looking ahead, a dazzling string of mountains seemed to surround us, which must be The Northern Cascades.  They looked high, and in our way.  But glorious.  Entering a meadow of grass, The Sound of Music sprang to mind.

The trail become very narrow as it snaked down into Vista Creek.  Just like the first ascent and descent today, it seemed to go on forever.  How much elevation did we have left to lose?  We were walking through no more than a channel weaving in thick plantation.  I guess nature had decided to reclaim the land.  It was impossible not to keep tripping on roots and stubbing toes on hidden rocks.  I was concentrating so hard.  A man I spoke to later in the day said he actually slipped off the mountain edge in that section because he couldn’t see the path.

Large parts of the trail today were overgrown, with countless blow-downs.  We completely lost the trail at times.  Ironically, we bumped into a PCT maintenance crew down near the flattish area by the Suiattle River.  They appeared to be clearing an already pretty decent section of trail which was nice and wide.  Dan and two other people also commented on this strange logic.  I am just relieved that the undergrowth didn’t contain poison oak, otherwise my legs would be screwed right now!

Shortly after lunch we attempted to trace a branch of the Old PCT route which crosses the grand Suiattle River more directly than the new route.  This would have saved us 5 miles, after the PCT was re-routed to the west due to a series of washed out bridges.  We failed.  Vista Creek was too fierce to ford, so we had no choice but to turn back.  That little adventure wasted us about 45 minutes in the afternoon humidity.  Luckily for a couple of miles after that the elevation eased up through a grove of giant redwoods.  Just one more mountain to scale up in the late afternoon and we made it to camp at 7pm.

We are camped above Miners Creek.  It is raging below us.  It was dark before we got zipped into the tent.  What a massive day.  I hope I pass out now.

 

Friday 19th August

Start: Bushcamp, mile 2506

End: Bushcamp, mile 2519

Miles: 12.6

Today has turned out very unexpected.  When the alarm went off at 5:20 it was still dark in the cover of the trees.  We were ready for a big one.  We had briefly sized up the map last night and knew that today’s climb was going to top everything that had come before it.

We said goodbye to an elderly hiker camped nearby who goes by the name of Floater (I didn’t ask).  The first couple of miles through the morning cool, we were alone walking through a moss-covered forest.  There were lots of streams, some of them cloudy from the glacial melt.  I also noticed a strong smell of sulphur at one point, and then shortly afterwards a trial junction to a nearby hot springs.

Whilst taking a photo of the broken bridge at Kennedy Creek we met a Canadian girl called Sarah.  We hiked with her for a couple of miles before I gave up trying to match her pace.  It was uphill.  In those miles of conversation it transpired that she had stayed with Becky and Ed in Trout Lake just a couple of days after we had enjoyed their hospitality.  What a small world.  Sarah’s last resupply box had not arrived, so she was low on food having raided the hiker box.  We gave her a few of our snack rations, hoping that we might not require a full day of hiking into Stehekin.  Either way I guess we are unlikely to starve!

Today there have been a lot more blow-downs than in recent days, but still nowhere near as bad as in southern Oregon.  It just slows us down that little bit more.  As we tackled a bundle of trees to mount Glacier Ridge, the smell of smoke hit me.  Out on the horizon far away the sky looked pink and hazy.  Slightly concerning.  Yesterday a couple had told us that the darkened sky we could see to the east was likely the Idaho fire, which is still sadly blazing hundreds of miles away.

Slowly navigating a rocky decent down Fire Creek Pass, we met a hiker coming the other way.  He had a larger area map, and pointed out the source of today’s smoke.  There is a wildfire ablaze in Buck Creek, which on the map looked close by, just slightly south-east of us.  He assured me that a mountain range between us made it safe.  Phew.  As we continued on at a snail’s pace I kept noticing the copper-coloured hues in the rocks around us.  Maybe it is copper?

We finally reached Mica Lake, which appeared like a mirage from nowhere.  It was tucked into an enclave, perfectly blue, framed by a backdrop of tall jagged cliffs. As soon as I saw the water I wanted to jump in.  We thought a quick foot soak and maybe lunch at that point would be a good plan.  We had done 12 miles so far.  Whilst eating our P&J pita breads, Dan arrived.  He had noticed the same issue as we were just discussing.  From the descent to that point we had seen across the valley were the trail was heading – it was not good.  Imagine someone taking a marker pen and scoring a line sharply zigzagging up a massive hill.  That was the trail ahead.

The main issue presenting us was the lack of camp options due to this extreme elevation.  There was a place in half a mile by a stream, then nothing for 8 miles on the other side of the ridge.  To get to the second campsite we would have to firstly descend 3500 feet into the valley below us, then embark on the climb up the switchbacks with the afternoon sun on us.

Dan said he was 50:50 on whether he would attempt it today.  He planned to hike on nearly 4 miles to a creek, cook, and then decide.  He was assuming that he could find an unofficial place to throw up his tent at the creek.  Just after he left the lake, we jumped in to cool off, still undecided as of what to do.  The water was cold, but not freezing, and felt so refreshing.  As we were redressing, a couple of young hikers arrived coming south.  We asked them about the trail ahead and camping spots.  The outcome of that exchange was that we would not be able to camp at the creek, and it would be crazy at 3pm to start out for the top now.  The decision was made!

Despite both of us being disappointed with our miles today, actually having some of the afternoon to just sit and rest besides a creek has been great.  This is what hiking the PCT was supposed to be like!  If we had made the camp as planned, we could have possibly knocked off a night’s camping to reach Stehekin a day early.  That is not going to happen now, but at least we got to enjoy the rest of our day.  I think we deserve it!

Thursday 18th August

Start: Bushcamp, mile 2484

End: Baekos Creek Bushcamp, mile 2506

Miles: 22

…is the question I asked myself when in the searing afternoon heat, and on our third big climb an elderly gentlemen told me I was on a “grand adventure”.  I just faked a quick smile and continued on with my slow plod.

The 5000 feet climb, and 6000 feet descent today was not the killer.  The main issue for us was the exposure.  From the early morning haze I could tell it was going to be a scorcher, and it didn’t disappoint.  Trying to hike, carrying a huge weight, up a massive mountain, with no shade, is not really my idea of fun.  Conrad, with his new feet problems following a recent shoe change argued that this was the toughest day yet.  I am not sure, probably because I currently have heat stroke and can’t think back past today!

Whilst I am on the thread of why today was so difficult, I have to mention those pesky biting black flies.  They are everywhere.  What a menace.  It appears that they particularly enjoy attacking faces, especially eyes and ears.  Deet does not faze them.  We ate lunch in about 10 minutes because we couldn’t cope with being swarmed.  And we really needed a rest.

The 3 main passes we climbed today were called: Indian, White, and Red.  The trail was traversing and weaving through valleys heading towards Glacier Peak.  Glacier is the last of the giant peaks shown on our PCT maps.  It is still snow-coated, and we did pass the odd pocket of snow even today in these temperatures.  Otherwise the landscape was very green, with colourful wildflowers and a green shrub carpet on the higher elevations.

We only entered the cover of forest in the last 2 miles, when it had already cooled down.  Lots of tiny seasonal streams are flowing, proving the glacial snow melt continues.

I think I should end on a positive note.  This morning it seemed that our stove had broken.  This freaked me out as most of our food is either oatmeal or dehydrated.  Conrad even asked if we should abort.  But when we stopped at around 5pm to cook dinner it worked!  I am so relieved.

Wednesday 17th August

Start: Stehekin, off mile 2461

End: Bushcamp, mile 2484

Miles: 22.41

I am very happy with the big push we made today – we made a good dent in the 108 miles to Stehekin!  Our last resupply point before Canada.  That said, my feet are paying the price, and my leg strain issue is being kept at bay using ‘vitamin I’.

We were not the only hikers trying to leave Skykomish and get on the trail this morning.  Dan, a strange solo guy who’s name I never got, and an English couple who live in the US were all congregated around the deli besides the highway.  The deli have a readymade hitchhiking sign for hikers to use to get back to the trailhead, so we took it in turns to flash it at cars and get rides.  There was a bit of friction with the British couple really giving our nation a bad name.  Why can some of my fellow countrymen be so stiff?  I think they thought we were going to try and push infront of them, but that wasn’t the case – I went to help the lone guy get a ride (without my pack on).  It’s called being a ride bride as cars stop more frequently for women!

The hike itself was hardwork.  It is still very warm, but I am grateful it is dry.  The elevation changes are continuing, as we weave up and down granite rocks and forest.  A lady with a dog who had camped at the first lake we passed today told us that they had been visited by bears last night!  There certainly were a lot of berries flanking the trail.  I hope they don’t reappear for us!

A couple of horse riders who had overtaken us near the start ran into some issues.  They had dismounted the horses and were walking besides them due to a steep, rocky section.  Just as they had saddled back up, a tree blow-down ended their 4-day trip early.  They tried to go around it, but the cliff was too steep.  For the first time I was happy to be walking as we climbed over whilst they turned back just 5 miles in.  Before they left, one of the horses had the nerve to slap me bang around the face with its hairy tail.  Wham!  I didn’t even see it coming.

We met a Aussie thru-hiker named Sam at a creek whilst having lunch.  We chatted a while, and bumped into him again latter in the day.  He, and our new best friends the ‘other’ British couple are now all camped together besides a small creek.  

I hope that we can push again tomorrow as we have had a few warnings from south-bounders about bad blow-downs in the last 40 miles of this section.  That could really slow us down in reaching Stehekin, and there are only 4 buses a day to town.  We need to make one of those buses in 5 days time or we will be very hungry!  And very sad.

Tuesday 16th August

Start & End: Skykomish, off mile 2461.6

So there’s not a great deal going on in Skykomish.  In less than a day since arriving here we had exhausted all the local cuisine options.  This included a tour of the gas station minimart!  I was feeling frustrated by the lack of choice.

This led to our decision (mostly driven by me), to hitch to a larger town to buy food.  Following a bagel breakfast at the Liquor and Deli store, a cardboard sign was made and we were on Highway 2 wearing big smiles.  It took 10 minutes for a local named Bob to stop in his pickup truck.  He was easy to talk to, a university-educated 1960s liberal (how he described himself), who said he will move to Canada if Trump gets voted in!  He dropped us off in the Safeway car park in Monroe, 40 miles west.  I’ve never been so excited to go to a supermarket!

Monroe is another railway line town along the Skykomish River Valley, but much larger.  It is only 30 miles northeast of Seattle.  There is a small historical downtown area which still exists, and posters were hanging for the Evergreen State Fair which we will sadly miss by a week.  We had brunch at the Main Street Cafe, and posted back to California the results of our most recent kit explosion – lets just hope it doesn’t rain in the next 2 weeks!

Following a long browse and small food shop in Safeway, where I couldn’t buy half of what I wanted due to weight issues, we popped in McDonalds for a cold drink and a McFlurry.  I couldn’t believe that this was the first Mucky-Ds visit of the trip, and Conrad didn’t even have a burger!  Maybe he is sick?  We took the local transit bus as far as we could back, which was a small town called Gold Bar.  From there we assumed it would be easy to hitch the rest of the way back.  We were wrong.  Despite plenty of cars, we stood in the heat on the highway for nearly an hour before anyone stopped!  I was beginning to feel panicked.  Thank you to Peggy, who in her Prius drove past her home in Index to take us back.  She also shared a detailed local history, which was interesting.

My thoughts now turn to the hike ahead.  This last section was the shortest, and stunningly beautiful, with alpine lakes and striking jagged mountains.  Despite this, the elevation change and extreme heat made it the most challenging.  We didn’t break 20 miles once.  This makes me apprehensive for the next leg of our adventure – 108 miles to Stehekin.  How we can possibly carry enough food, and sustain the physical effort for 6 days straight, I am unsure.  But we have less than 200 miles to go now, so the countdown feels on.

Monday 15th August

Start: Bushcamp, mile 2451

End: Skykomish, off mile 2461

Miles: 10.8

We said goodbye early to Paul and Joe.  The mosquitos had made camp particularly unbearable this morning.  I wonder if they have followed us all the way from Oregon?!  At least they forced us to scale the first mountain in the relatively cool morning air.

We passed through lots of pretty meadows dotted with small lakes.  At the top of our second climbing section we met an unusual character.  A guy thru-hiker who had left Mexico exactly 1 month before we started Oregon (that means he has hiked 1716 miles more than us in that time)!  He had dreadlocks and hikes in sandles and fleece socks, carrying a pack no bigger than a day bag.  No wonder he wasn’t keen on standing around talking to us – he had to get to Stevens Pass for food!

Stevens Pass is another closed ski resort.  The only sign of life was a handful of hikers, and a small open giftshop.  We picked up our resupply package there, and enjoyed a toasted sandwich.  Whilst polishing off an essential icecream and chatting to a retired hiking couple, a young guy dressed in black approached us to offer us a ride!  Easiest hitchhike ever!  I really wasn’t looking forward to standing on the highway in the heat with my little cardboard sign.  Turns out that Spider completed his PCT hike 6 days ago and was in the area collecting some of his gear.  We were so grateful for the ride.

We got dropped off outside our hotel in the tiny hamlet of Skykomish.  The place consists of an active train line, and a few historic wooden buildings along it.  That is about it.  The trains are also by law required to honk their horns when entering ‘town’, so it promises to be a fun night!  The Cascadia Inn is simple, but fine (there is nowhere else).  My biggest disappointment was that they had sold out of pie.  What a blow.

Sunday 14th August

Start: Deep Lake, mile 2432

End: Bushcamp, mile 2450.7

Miles: 18.5

When the alarm went off at the all new early time of 5am this morning it was still pretty dark.  The idea was to beat the heat.  But there was a snag.  As amateur campers we didn’t realise that when erecting a tent on a lakeside plot one should use the waterproof tarp to prevent condensation.  Hence, we packed up a wet tent and sleeping bags, adding yet more weight to our bags!

It was much cooler than yesterday as we immediately began our first ascent up Cathedral Rock.  The switchbacks gave us views of our campspot fading away far below.  The pinnacle of Cathedral Rock got closer and closer.  Not far up the trail I had a personal issue – heat rash caused yesterday was giving me chaff up my skirt.  The only solution was to go commando!  Guess it will save on washing.

At the end of the descent into a steep valley, we tackled a particularly challenging ford crossing.  Signs had warned of a dangerous ford from a couple of miles back.  The water was thundering all the way from the top of the mountain into the creek below.  It would have been dangerous to ford it because of he flow.  Luckily we were able to get creative with a number of boulders and deadwood to slowly hop across.

Upon finally reaching Deception Lake outlet, we came across Dan who was filtering water.  Conrad hung a clothesline and the sleeping bags went up to dry.  Feet went in the creek to cool off.  Sadly we finished the last of the Pringles.  Today we are really mindful of staying hydrated, so we downed all that we could and carried heavy loads – all this climbing in the sun is thirsty work!

After lunch we had a hot climb up Surprise  Mountain (surprise – it’s steep!) in the afternoon sun.  It felt brutal, but the views across showed a spectacular mix of alpine forest, unforgiving craggy rock drops, and a carved out lake perched up high in the distance.  

Over Piper Pass and Glacier Lake appeared below us.  The very rocky black and white granite path led us down steep switchbacks, making my knees shudder.  Another climb followed, this time up Thunder Mountain, which had the steepest gradients we have faced so far, and right at the end of the day!  It nearly finished me off.  I was staggering up, barely conscious.

We made camp at around 6:30pm next to a small stream, a few miles short of where we intended.  Above us squeaking marmots are making a racket.  After we arrived another 2 solo male section hikers set up camps nearby and chatted.  Plus we met a young girl named Flower who is attempting to break the south-bound PCT record for fastest unassisted hike.  Basically she will reach Mexico in less time than Conrad and I hiked the smallest 2 states!  She is averaging 45 miles a day.  I cannot comprehend this.