PCT Day 101

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PCT Day 101, 21 August 2022 (Sunday)

"They Never Backpacked In Washington"

Start Location:	Campsite North of Grizzly Peak	Destination:	Wilderness Campsite
PCT Miles Day 101:	25.2	Cum PCT Miles:	1,860.2
Non-PCT Miles Day 101:	0.5	Cum All Miles:	1968.6
PCT Miles Remaining:	792.6
Elevation Gain Day 101:	5,556	Cum Elevation Gain:	325,647

 
Whoever came up with the saying “whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” well I don’t believe they ever backpacked in Washington.  Washington hasn’t killed me yet, but it has tried to injure me multiple times.  Washington seems to wear you down day by day.  If it’s making me stronger, I’m not aware of it yet.

Today’s trail was actually some of the best trail yet in Washington.  However, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t very strenuous.  It seems like it’s just one steep climb after another, and that gets tiring.

Another thing that is tiring, is that everything is constantly damp and wet.  Even though there has been very little rain in the last couple weeks, the air is just always moist.  It’s getting to be problematic as all my sleeping gear is in varying stages of dampness.  I hope it’s sunny tomorrow, because I really need to dry things out.

Can we have more trail like this, please

Wild berries

Scenery from the trail

Finally, a clear shot of Glacier Peak

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PCT Day 100

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PCT Day 100, 20 August 2022 (Saturday)

"Abby Normal"

 

Start Location:	Stevens Pass Ski Lift	Destination:	Campsite North of Grizzly Peak
PCT Miles Day 100:	18.1	Cum PCT Miles:	1,835.0
Non-PCT Miles Day 100:	0.4	Cum All Miles:	1942.9
PCT Miles Remaining:	817.8
Elevation Gain Day 100:	3,607	Cum Elevation Gain:	320,091

 

Today was somewhat of an abnormal day.  I hiked about two miles down from the top of the ski lifts to the Stevens Pass Resort.  I got some food there and stayed a few hours so I could fully charge my electronics, as there may be a limited opportunity to do this in the next week and a half.  So I didn’t quite do a full day of hiking.

A lot of the trail today was the usual Washington hard, but a lot of it was kind of normal, the kind of civilized trail you would see in a lot of places.  Maybe this is because this area is very popular with day hikers and local backpackers.  Too bad more of the PCT in Washington isn’t like this.

I’ve learned that hiking with optimism in Washington is usually misplaced.  It’s better to not have any expectations, or you will likely be very disappointed.  This is especially true when it comes to targeting a place you want to stop and set up camp for the night.  Today, I chose a location that I thought would be available, and, luckily, it was.  I would rather have hiked more miles, but I’ve learned that usually doesn’t pay off here.

My makeshift campsite at the top of a Stevens Pass ski lift

Unnamed stream on trail

Glacier Peak wearing its cloud camouflage

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PCT Day 99

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PCT Day 99, 19 August 2022 (Friday)

"A Hard Day And Night"

 

Start Location:	Wilderness Campsite	Destination:	Stevens Pass Ski Lift
PCT Miles Day 99:	24.4	Cum PCT Miles:	1,816.9
Non-PCT Miles Day 99:	0.9	Cum All Miles:	1924.4
PCT Miles Remaining:	835.9
Elevation Gain Day 99:	5,415	Cum Elevation Gain:	316,484

I know it’s getting redundant, but yeah, today was hard. In a lot of ways it was similar to yesterday. It was straight up, and straight down, straight up, and straight down, etc. Also like yesterday, there were a lot of water sources and generally good views. The difference is that the trail tread today was much more difficult, and therefore, much slower.

The only reason that I did over 24 miles today was that I had to hike into the evening, because, of course, there were no tentsites available. This is the first time that I’ve actually had to hike with my headlamp on. I don’t really like doing that, but I didn’t have a lot of options. I ended up setting up my tent at the top of a mountain near the top of a couple of ski lifts in the Stevens Pass ski area. I know where I set up my tent is not intended to be a campsite. However, it was the only unoccupied flat and smooth ground in the last 7 miles. It isn’t the most ideal spot because it’s pretty exposed to the elements, but it’ll have to do. And I’m glad I found this spot as there are a lot of low clouds settling in and visibility is getting fairly poor.  In conditions like this the light from the headlamp can be disorienting as it just reflects off the water vapor that is right in front of your face.

Today also included what was probably the most challenging legs wet water crossing of the entire hike. There is an unnamed stream just described as “cascading stream” that had to be forded. In actuality, it looked more intimidating than it really was. It was actually pretty fun to cross.  What made it challenging was the speed and force of the water.

My prediction for tomorrow: Hard.

The aptly named "Cascading Stream" from above

A hiker struggling to cross the cascading stream

More cascading stream

Glacier Lake and Glacier Peak way in the background

Trap Lake

Mig Lake

Dramatic clouds over Lake Susan Jane

 

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PCT Day 98

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PCT Day 98, 18 August 2022 (Thursday)

"Interview With A Damp Hiker"

 

Start Location:	Lemah Creek	Destination:	Wilderness Campsite
PCT Miles Day 98:	23.9	Cum PCT Miles:	1792.5
Non-PCT Miles Day 98:	1.0	Cum All Miles:	1899.1
PCT Miles Remaining:	860.3
Elevation Gain Day 98:	5,524	Cum Elevation Gain:	311,069

 

Reporter (R)
Dan Bryan (DB)

R: Thanks for agreeing to do this interview, but I have to be honest with you, I was hoping to interview a vampire.
DB: Well, I’m sure this is disappointing.

R: It is, but it turns out it’s much easier to find a damp hiker in Washington than it is to find a vampire.
DB: Based on the fact that I don’t believe in vampires, and that I've been damp the entire time I've been in Washington, I’m going to have to agree with you.

R: Because I’m a glutton for punishment, I’ve done a fair amount of hiking in Washington. So, at least this is a topic with which I am familiar.
DB: Good to know.

R: So, tell me about the trail today.
DB: It was both typical of, and unusual, for the PCT in Washington.

R: I love the specificity of your answer, can you tell me more?
DB: It was typical in that it was hard, there was a lot of elevation gain. But, it was unusual in that I would have to say the trail was fairly good all day long.

R: So, it was a nice, smooth, fast trail?
DB: No, but the trail tread was not terrible.

R: So, there was no overgrowth on the trail?
DB: Oh no, come on, this is Washington. Of course there was overgrowth. But, it just wasn’t as bad as other parts of the trail.

R: Did the overgrowth slow you down?
DB: No, not really.

R: Were there obstacles and other debris that clogged the trail?
DB: There were some obstacles, but nothing too bad today. And no excessive debris.

R: Overall, how would you describe the trail today?
DB: It wasn’t perfect, but it was perfectly OK.

R: Was it hard to find a spot for your tent?
DB: Not today. I found an unmarked, hidden tent site. However, I did stop at least a couple miles earlier than I would have liked out of concern that I would not be able to find a tent site further down the trail.

R: How were the water sources today?
DB: Good, there was plenty of water. However, I did carry a couple extra liters the last few miles thinking that I might have to dry camp. It’s a good thing I did, because I am dry camping tonight.

R: How was the scenery today?  Did you have good views, or were you just in a green tunnel all day long?
DB: It was a pretty good mix of good views and walking in the forest.

R: I get the feeling that so far you are not super thrilled with the Washington section of the PCT. Is that correct?
DB: That’s right. I mean, there are some very nice areas, and some really spectacular areas. And other areas have a lot of potential. It’s just too bad the trail is not in better shape and there aren’t more tentsites.

R: Is Washington starting to affect your sanity?
DB: I guess people will just have to read this and judge for themselves.

Morning scenery from the trail in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness

Waptus River

Deep Lake

My informal hidden campsite, with a little alpenglow on the peaks

Another view from my campsite

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PCT Day 97

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PCT Day 97, 17 August 2022 (Wednesday)

"Spoiler Alert" 

 

Start Location:	Snoqualmie Pass	Destination:	Lemah Creek
PCT Miles Day 97:	20.4	Cum PCT Miles:	1768.6
Non-PCT Miles Day 97:	1.2	Cum All Miles:	1874.2
PCT Miles Remaining:	884.2
Elevation Gain Day 97:	5,084	Cum Elevation Gain:	305,545

 

Note From The Future:  I am updating this blog on Friday, 02 Sep from my hotel in Portland, OR.  As I assumed, there has been almost no connectivity the last couple of weeks.  Tomorrow I go back out to Cascade Locks, OR and will start hiking southbound (SOBO), a change of direction for me (my plan before the fire closures was to do the entire hike NOBO).  My plan of flipping up to Washington worked out as hoped: I completed the entire state of WA, and all of Oregon and California are now currently open.  Assuming no other major issues, I am hoping to complete my hike before the end of Sep.  Just like in WA, there will be limited to no connectivity for the next several weeks, so I will definitely be way behind on updating this blog until I return home.

It sounds redundant to say for Washington, but today was hard.  And it wasn’t just because my pack was heavy with a week‘s worth of food.  My moving pace was well below what it normally is, even for Washington.  The first 14 to 15 miles was hard, but fair, trail.  Then there was about 4 miles of the usual Washington disaster trail, meaning completely unmaintained trail with lots of debris, obstacles, and overgrowth.  There were parts of it that I thought bordered on being dangerous.  The last couple of miles were better.

There was pretty good scenery for most of today, and the weather was very warm, nearing on hot.  I was able to find a decent tentsite right by strong flowing Lemah Creek.  So I have some very nice white noise to help me sleep.

I have mixed feelings about today, because there was a lot of good stuff, but Washington just can’t seem to get out of its own way.  It seems like there is almost always something to spoil a good day in Washington.

Scenery from the trail

Ridge Lake

Daily dose of Mt. Rainier

Spectacle Lake

Delate Waterfall

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PCT Day 96

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PCT Day 96, 16 August 2022 (Tuesday)

“Free Pass”

 

Start Location:	Snoqualmie Pass	Destination:	Snoqualmie Pass
PCT Miles Day 96:	0	Cum PCT Miles:	1,748.2
Non-PCT Miles Day 96:	0	Cum All Miles:	1852.6
PCT Miles Remaining:	904.6
Elevation Gain Day 96:	0	Cum Elevation Gain:	300,461

Today was basically a free day in Snoqualmie Pass as I did most of my town errands yesterday.  However, I still had a few small things to do, including using the clothes iron in the hotel room to heat seal the leaks in my air pad.  Hopefully, I won’t get any new leaks.

I also met for lunch with Angela F.  We used to work together in San Diego, and she moved up to Washington several years ago.  She was nice enough to pick up a few things for me at Trader Joe’s and drive them out to me at Snoqualmie Pass.  It was nice seeing an old friend from work and catching up.

Sometimes you don’t realize how hard it is to hike 20+ miles a day in difficult terrain, because it’s just something you do every day.  But on a day like today when you feel yourself resting and recovering, it makes it much more clear how physically hard it is to do a hike like this.  I’ll get one more night in a regular bed, and a climate controlled room, and then it’s back out to the trail tomorrow morning.

There is likely to be very limited, or even no, connectivity for the next couple of weeks.  After getting to the Canadian border, I’ll somehow work my way back to either Seattle or Portland, and then figure out what to do next based on current conditions and closures.

With Angela in Snoqualmie Pass

Me with the bag of food that Angela brought for me

 

 

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