Snoqualmie Pass

It was a smoky morning with fires burning in the distance. The wind was blowing our way and everything smelled like a campfire. I unzipped the tent to face this view of Mt Rainier in the distance...




The day started out cold and windy with few clouds. I had one bar on my iPhone and texted daughter Stefanie to have her check the fire and trail closure report. All was clear for the PCT:) Soon the wind direction changed and the smoky smell was gone.








The wildflowers continued to add eye candy and distract us from the work at hand




Mirror Lake








We stopped early at Mirror Lake. It was too much of a good thing to pass up. GF (Gone Fishing) went fishing and we enjoyed a somewhat shorter hiking day after a very steep climb. My knee was thankful and got a much needed break.
The next day we collected berries for our next milestone. It truly represents the past 100 miles.




2400 Mile-marker made with Salmon Berries, Huckle Berries and Blueberries.



Aardvark'sthe best curry dish on the trail!



We reached Snoqualmie Pass by 1pm had 24 hours of R&R and the usual routine.



Skippy and Blueberry

Several hikers were coming and going- the usual pint or half gallon of ice cream in hand, eating, blogging and sharing amazing stories. Sadly one hiker named Gourmet broke his ankle just 6 miles from Canada and had to be air-lifted off the trail. News travels fast through the PCT hiker network. We all promised to watch our steps and take nothing for granted. Our hearts go out to Gourmet.
Today we leave looking forward to hiking the Alpine Lake Wilderness, North Cascades National Park, Glacier Peak Wilderness, seeing closer views of Mt Rainier, our last 2 stops before Canada: Skykomish and Skehekin and everything in-between.



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Trail Magic Extrordinaire

Sep 11 & 12
Note: Yesterdays entry included Sept. 10 as well.
We had rain, sleet and a little snow during the night so the day started out very cold and wet. Everything we expected to find in Washington but happily did not get up to now. The snow and ice made everything glitter like rhinestones.












Views of snow covered Mt Rainier were spectacular!




It stayed cool all day but the clouds gave way to sunny clear skies and at lunch we were able to dry out our tent and gear. The trail was ever-changing and colorful all day. We noticed the bright neon colors coming through as the leaves were changing from green to bright yellow, red and orange. How quickly our surroundings evolve on the PCT!
We continued to feed on huckleberries and a variety of other berries. We learned the yellow/orange blackberries we had been eating were actually called Salmon Berries.




We met hikers problem Bear, Blueberry and Skippy yesterday and leap-frogged with them all day. They are on the same schedule as Gone Fishing and I, with plans to get to Canada by October First. At one point I was ahead of Gone Fishing, came around a corner and saw tree branches and huckleberry bushes move as I heard the eeeking sounds of elk warning their herd as they ran out of view. Not enough time for a pic:(
Although the tread in Washington is great it is all up and down - one mountain after another. With our days getting shorter (hiker midnight is back to 8pm again), we expect 18- 20 miles to be our daily limit.
We met Mark Trails coming south and he gave us the scoop on what to expect going north. The smoke and fires we were seeing in the distance thankfully were not in our path. No detours and more fabulous scenery to look forward to. Mark took our pictures for the 2012 class DVD and we parted company. Todays goal was to reach the Mike Urick Cabin about 21 miles from our start. We were there by 5pm and were not surprised to find several other hikers with the same plan.




What we WERE surprised to find was trail magic! India and Buck, previous PCT Thru-Hikers hosted the event. Hot dogs, hamburgers, hot and cold drinks and all the fixings. And if that was not enough banana pancakes the next morning!




Thanks Buck and India!
We also had another pleasant surprise when we entered the cabin we found Niko and Liane (Fidget and Go Fish), were there too. We continued to leap-frog with them going forward into the Snoqualamie National Forest.




Niko and Liane








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White Pass and Beyond

Sept 8,9
We met a group of section hikers a few miles from White Pass and they offered to take us in to Packwood and back to White Pass so we could go to the grocery store . We had our resupply boxes waiting for us at the store in White Pass but there was little to nothing in the way of fresh food to eat so we decided to take them up on their offer. Wayne, the youth group leader takes a church group out every year and this year the group of 6 did the PCT leg to White Pass. They dropped us off at the grocery store with a plan to pick us up within the hour. We bought fresh food for that nights dinner and the next morning breakfast and waited for their return. Afted nearly 2 hours and no answer from Wayne's cell phone we began to worry. They had our packs, which was everything we owned at the present. Being separated from your pack is like being without your shoes. Just as panic began to set in Wayne arrived with apologies. Apparently their vehicle overheated. No harm done. But we made a note to never let anything come between us and our packs again. Wayne took us back to White Pass and we dubbed him as our newest Trail Angel.




Thanks Wayne!




Once back in White Pass we did our usual chores. I met a woman who has been following my blog. It was nice to meet Liane and hear that she found my adventure inspiring. She was in town for business but she also made time to enjoy the outdoors and get some hiking in too.
During the night there was a big thunderstorm and we were lucky to have dodged the bad weather. This was the beginning of the predicted cold front. The next day we entered the Wenatchee Wilderness and hiked in the cooler temperatures.




The trail tread was great and we were enjoying our trek through Washington as we crossed over this rushing water on this very long well-placed log.




We met a group of bow hunters and learned it was the start of Elk Hunting with Bow and Arrows. We had been seeing Elk Foot-prints all day.



Elk Hoof-print

The hunters came in on horseback and we saw their pack animals grazing near their camp.




All went well until we reached a wide cold stream with no easy way to cross it. Other hikers were ahead of us trying to hop rocks which were much to far apart and every one fell in so Gone Fishing and I took off our shoes and walked through. I had sent my sandals back home just a week before so I had to walk through barefoot or get my shoes wet. I decided to go barefoot--bad idea. It was the most painful crossing to date. My feet were freezing and the water movement made it hard for me to see where I was placing my feet. I was lucky to have escaped foot injury. Next time I will just choose wet feet.
Here are some pics of the wilderness today-- enjoy!
















Wild flowers and berries paved our way all day:)
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Gone Fishing Crossing a bridge over a road. The entire bridge was all made from one tree!




A great camp place to end our day

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Goat Rocks: PCT Favorite

The trail from Trout Lake to White Pass is one of, or quite possibly IS my favorite area on the PCT so far. This section has it all: Alpine Meadows, Mountains, Volcanos, Glaciers, lakes, forests, wildlife, snow fields, waterfalls, huckleberries and wildflowers galore. Every day was a new experience. How can I describe the beauty we were surrounded by? They say a picture is worth a thousand words...




Mt Adams
This picture was taken from a stream where we stopped to have lunch and get water, in just one more day we would be at her base.




Pristine Lakes




Wildflowers (Lupines) Everywhere




Great Trail Tread




Glacier Water




Mt Saint Helen In the Distance




Goat Rocks




Razor Edge at Goat Rocks




Snow Fields












Mt Reiner








We hated to leave Goat Rocks :(
But we soon hit another milestone




Just 353 miles left - bittersweet
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No Labor For Me This Labor Day

Another beautiful clear cool day. I hate to jinks myself but 2012 may go down as the year with the best weather in the history of the PCT.




This is what the trail looked like most of the morning.
Our first encounter of the day was
an Equestrian pair of riders with their 3 mules, horse and 2 dogs.




After comparing notes regarding scheduling and preparation, Gone Fishing and I both agreed we'd rather walk than ride.
We met family member Nicole and her friend Iver at the Thomas Lake trailhead. They went above and beyond normal trail angel stuff to help us out. They rented a car then drove 2 hours to pick us up. Nicole even lent me her clothes so I could get out from under my hiker duds and feel normal again.



Nicole and Iver

They took us to their home in Portland then we toured the town. A trip to REI was our first stop to resupply and replace worn items and get fuel. We toured Portland, ate great food and drank too many brews..




Well maybe not this many - but Portland is serious about their beer and they do have quite a selection
Nicole and I visited Peninsula Rose Garden.








And later Gone Fishing grilled steaks, and Nicole made us individual strawberry pies. Iver showed us his home brewery and the hops he and Nicole picked yesterday for his next beer batch. All this in less than 24 hours! Before we knew it we were at Trout Lake getting our resupply boxes




and thanks to trail angels Helen and George we were back on the trail.



Helen and George







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