Walks A Ways: PCT Day 85

Monday, August 8, 2022

PCT Day 85

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PCT Day 85, 05 August 2022 (Friday)

“Go Take A Hike…Again”

Start Location:	Cascade Locks, OR	Destination:	North of Rock Creek, WA
PCT Miles Day 85:	19.9	Cum PCT Miles:	1,521.1
Non-PCT Miles Day 85:	0.4	Cum All Miles:	1623.2
PCT Miles Remaining:	1,131.5
Elevation Gain Day 85:	4,789	Cum Elevation Gain:	261,408

After getting a good nights sleep in Portland, I got up and took the earliest bus available to Cascade Locks, OR, which is a small town on the Columbia River that the PCT goes right through. I got a huge, medium size, soft serve ice cream cone and breakfast burrito at Eastwind Drive-In, and was ready to go.

It was a fairly short walk up the street to the Bridge Of The Gods, which connects Oregon and Washington across the Columbia River, and is part of the PCT.

Since it’s been basically five days since I have hiked, and I have a sore back, I just wanted to hike at a relaxed and comfortable pace today. I wasn’t looking to do anything overly ambitious. I also have new shoes which are a different make than the ones I’ve been wearing the entire hike (long explanation, but it’s a ripple effect from having to skip around the fires).

Today, however, was not a gentle re-introduction to the PCT, but then again, I wasn’t really expecting it to be. Washington has a reputation for being hard, and today’s trail definitely lived up to that reputation. All the more reason to not overdo it today.

Given that I didn’t start until 10 AM, and how difficult the trail was, and that I was hiking with a sore back, and I have a heavy pack (carrying six days of food), I was pretty happy with the number of miles I did today. I also set up, and am using, my new Big Agnes tent for the first time tonight. It seems pretty good so far.