PCT Trail Journal: Washington
These journals were originally posted on my Instagram between August 5th and August 18th, 2019.
Day 88 | 29 miles | 2148 to 2177
I took advantage of my hotel room in Stevenson to sleep in for the first time in ages, and then went for a big breakfast on a relaxing patio, which is a far cry from the cold coffee and Clif Bar I had gotten used to over the last couple weeks.
But eventually I had to say goodbye to my mom and stepdad and get back on trail starting from the northern end of the Bridge of the Gods. Like all days out of town, it started with a long, hot climb. Today probably ended up being the sweatiest day on trail so far, with the high temps and humidity soaking me all day.
The first few miles of the trail were rocky and unpleasant, but eventually I got into the lush coastal rainforest that the Pacific Northwest is known for, and I felt like I was at home among the trees covered in moss, and sword ferns covering the forest floor. The heat really sucked my energy all day, but the trail was beautiful and made it okay.
Day 89 | 42 miles | 2177 to 2219
Another hot, sweaty day in Washington. It’s ironic because everything I’ve heard about the northbound PCT experience in Washington is about how cold and rainy it is, but here I am in the middle of an August heat wave with the hottest temperatures I’ve felt all summer.
I went up a couple of decent, steady climbs that gave me a taste of how this state will have more challenging hiking than Oregon, but I actually enjoyed the physical challenge. I hiked past a few pretty lakes in the afternoon, and ended up in the subalpine in the evening. I was high up enough for there to be some gaps in the trees teasing some epic views of Mount Adams, but not high enough for any sweeping vistas. I’m excited to get a better look at it.
Day 90 | 45 miles | 2219 to 2264
The day started with a big climb in Mount Adams Wilderness. As I went higher up and the tree cover thinned out, especially in burn areas, I started to be able to make out the view of the mountain, which I could tell looked epic. Finally, after a couple of hours of sweating it out, the trail made it to the high alpine, and I could see Adams in all its glory. It was even bigger than I expected, taking up most of my view to the eastern horizon and commanding my attention with its glaciers and ridges.
I wasn’t expecting it, but the views were so open that I could also see Ranier to the north and St. Helens to the east, a trifecta of glaciated volcanoes. I also got to see some of the brightest and fullest wildflower blooms I’d ever seen as the trail stayed high up for most of the day.
In the evening I descended back down into the forest and some bad mosquito territory. I didn’t really want to do this much mileage today either, but I was pushing to put me in a good position to make it to White Pass to resupply tomorrow before the store closes.
Day 91 | 34 miles | 2264 to 2298
Ever since I started the PCT, when current thruhikers talked about the section of trail they were most looking forward to, or past thruhikers talked about their favourite section, I heard the name Goat Rocks come up a lot. But because I don’t really do research on the trail, I didn’t know what or where that was. And so, last night I walked by the Forest Service sign saying “Entering Goat Rocks Wilderness”, and I was excited.
And then this morning, I woke up to my first foggy day in months. I was disappointed because that meant I wouldn’t see the famous views, and just accepted it and hit the trail into the fog. But as I climbed higher and higher, I ended up eventually breaking through and finding myself above the clouds and under a sunny blue sky.
When I eventually hiked up into the alpine near Cispus Pass and saw the views, I was in awe of the landscape. I felt something between admiration and actual disbelief, it looked so nice at times. Colourful wildflowers lined the trail, I was surrounded by epic craggy peaks, and the prominent glaciated volcanoes Adams and Ranier dominated the horizons. It was even more fun because every hiker I bumped into in the area was in almost as good a mood as I was. Everyone was loving it, and it might just be the best terrain I’ve ever hiked through.
Eventually it had to end, and I hiked back down below treeline, getting worryingly close to a nearby thunderstorm. A southbound couple assured me I would stay out of it, and they turned out to be right, but all the noise from the thunder was enough of an adrenaline buzz for me.
I rushed most of the afternoon to get to White Pass to resupply before the store closed at 6PM, and bought a ton of food. After three months into this journey, the hiker hunger is becoming a big job to manage. Even just three days of food feels pretty heavy.
Day 92 | 40 miles | 2298 to 2338
I woke up to my first rainy morning on trail in months, which made it even tougher than usual to get out of bed. Thankfully, the weather cleared quickly and the sun came out after I started walking. As much as I don’t like backpacking in the rain, I’m thankful whenever it helps lower the risk of fires.
I got to walk briefly through Mount Rainier National Park today and enjoy the views of the beautiful mountain. The trail was lined with wildflowers, which I’ve got to enjoy almost every day lately, but I don’t want to start glossing over their beauty. As I got closer to the parking lot at Chinook Pass, the crowds of day hikers got a bit tiring, but I was lucky enough to meet a woman named Linda that gave me a bunch of chocolate.
In the afternoon, a thunderstorm rolled in, and most folks rushed back to their car or to set up a tent. I just put on my rain jacket and kept walking, feeling like a badass. But when the storm finally lifted and I walked up and over a Pass, I realized I didn’t nearly see the worst of it. I came across entire section of trail that had been washed down the mountain, piles of hail several inches deep, and southbound hikers that looked like that had seen some shit.
It was beautiful walking once the storm lifted, with views of Rainier opening up once again, and spectacular sunset colours.
Day 93 | 38 miles | 2338 to 2376
When I set up camp last night, the evening thunderstorm had just cleared and I watched a beautiful clear-sky sunset, so I decided to cowboy camp under the stars. But as I was in my sleeping bag starting to doze off, I had this stressful feeling that I should set up my tent. And it’s a good thing I did, because it started pouring rain in the early hours of the morning. I woke up to a very foggy and damp dawn, and somehow even my sleeping bag was wet; I must have tossed and turned my way half outside of my rain fly.
I packed up my wet stuff and set off into the moody Pacific Northwest forest. The burn areas were especially eerie in the fog. I actually enjoyed walking in those conditions, but I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t have the opportunity to dry my gear out without the sunshine. Thankfully I came across the Mike Urich hut maintained by the local snowmobile club, and was able to have a fire in the stove inside to dry everything off.
After the hut, it was pretty unremarkable walking for the rest of the day. It was either through the forest, or in burn areas surrounded by fog thick enough that I couldn’t see any sights around me. There was also a lot of solitude since I was now definitely through the bubble of southbound thruhikers. It wasn’t a very exciting day, but I enjoyed the peace of the forest.
Day 94 | 32 miles | 2376 to 2408
Another wet, dreary day in the Cascades. The trail was relatively steep and technical, too. So that combined with the weather really made me feel like I was hiking at home in North Vancouver. But despite the wet and lack of views, my spirits were actually pretty high. I made my way down to Snoqualmie Pass chatting with dayhikers on the way, two of whom, named Shark and Greg gave me chocolate and fresh tomatoes.
Down at the pass, I resupplied at the gas station and ate some delicious curry at a food truck called the Aardvark Express where I hung out with some southbound thruhikers. It was neat to feel the way they looked up to me as someone that had almost finished, asking for advice.
I continued in the afternoon onto a pretty spectacular section of trail way up along a ridgeline that from what I could tell, was just blasted out of the solid granite slabs. It was a weird feeling because I was in dense clouds, and I got the sense of just floating in space instead of being above the surrounding valleys.
As it was getting dark, I decided to push a bit to get to the next campsite, but I ended up being out there longer than I had planned or hoped because the hiking was so tough. I was walking on talus slopes in the rain for a couple of hours. I do hope it stops raining soon, especially because the shelter I’m using doesn’t do a great job of keeping me dry. It’s not usually so wet here at this time of year.
Day 95 | 32 miles | 2408 to 2440
After hiking late in the evening last night in the rain up and down rough talus slopes, and then going to sleep in my damp sleeping bag and tent, I was pretty unenthusiastic about my alarm going off this morning. That’s one thing I’ve learned about thruhiking compared to other endurance activities that are over all at once. With thruhiking, you can push further in a given day, but at some point you’re just borrowing miles from the following day. But once I realized that the sun was shining and the skies were clear for the first time in days, I was happy, looking forward to drying my gear out later on. It was also a cool a experience to wake up and see the sights of the mountains around me since there was no visibility when I set up camp last night.
All day I went up and down between the alpine areas and the valleys that separated them. It was neat to see the vegetation change around me multiple times as I gained and lost elevation. I met quite a few section hikers today, I guess because the bit of trail between Steven’s and Snoqualmie Passes is beautiful enough that many Washingtonians choose this one.
The hardest thing about the day was that my feet hurt a lot. I had somehow done some damage to the skin all over the tops of my feet from all the walking in the rain over tough terrain yesterday. It was really tough to walk on, but got better throughout the day.
Day 96 | 28 miles | 2440 to 2468
My main mission for the day was to make it the 25 miles to the ski lodge at Steven’s Pass to resupply before the store closed in the evening, according to my guidebook app. So I made good time, heading up and down little mountain passes, past glacier-fed lakes, surrounded by the squeaking of little pika and the disturbingly loud fighter jets going by every once in a while.
I only stopped briefly to swim and do “laundry” at Mig Lake. I know it might seem a bit gross to those of you that aren’t on trail, but I like the feeling of relying on nothing more than natural bodies of water to rinse off and feel clean.
When I got down to Steven’s Pass, I was honestly devastated to find out that the store had already closed for the day, despite what my guidebook said. In the grand scheme, it was only a small hiccup, but something about the way my brain works really hates when the logistics don’t work out. I ended up chatting with some dayhikers from Victoria, B.C. named Steve and Natalia that gave me a ride to Skykomish to resupply. There, I bought what I think is 200 miles of food (I still don’t really know how to plan it) from a gas station to get me all the way to Canada. Afterwards, I went across the street to to Sky Deli for pizza and beer and felt just fine, especially after getting a ride back to the trail from a rock climber named Garth.
Day 97 | 41 miles | 2468 to 2509
Today, walking through Henry M. Jackson Wilderness and Glacier Peak Wilderness, I got to spend almost the whole day above treeline. I walked through alpine meadows, past glacial lakes, listened to the whistling marmots and ate wild blueberries. They were definitely the sweetest and most delicious of any I’ve had on trail so far, and maybe even of my whole life.
Glacier Peak Wilderness was an impressive place. The meadows the PCT passes through were serene, especially in the golden light of the evening, but the mountains that surrounded the trail on all sides were big enough to humble me and make me feel insignificant.
Day 98 | 42 miles | 2509 to 2551
The start to the day was not much fun. The trail was overgrown and muddy, and lots of deadfall blocked the way. I know that I’m not owed a well-maintained trail, and it’s up to me as much as anyone to volunteer to work on it, but that didn’t keep me from being in a bad mood while crashing through vegetation for hours on end.
The trail eventually climbed up to an alpine area where the views were beautiful and the trail was clear. Thankfully, I didn’t do any more bushwhacking for the day, spending the evening descending back down to lower elevations and some very easy walking on flat trail through an incredible old-growth forest. The trees there were the biggest I had ever seen in my life, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciated seeing them, coming from a place where un-logged forests simply don’t exist. I also walked past a few great campsites along the Suiattle River, and thought I’d like to come back with friends to relax and have campfires and enjoy the forest. You know, things backpackers do instead of walking all day and night.
To make my mileage goal for the day, I had to climb over 3000 feet in the evening to get to my campsite. At the end of such a long, hard day, it was really tough and the going was slow. I eventually made it, but much later than I would have liked
Day 99 | 42 miles | 2551 to 2593
Because I went to sleep so late last night, and with all the mileage of the last couple of days, I felt very tired for most of today. I felt sleepy and like my legs didn’t have the “oomph” they usual do.
Despite all that, I enjoyed the views of mountains and glaciers around Cloudy Pass, and once I descended back down below treeline, walked in awe of the old-growth forest. I went from there into North Cascades National Park, where the trail started an entire day’s worth of very gradual and long uphill.
As the day went on, I would catch myself coming out of some train of thought, realizing that my legs hadn’t felt tired in a while and I was just cruising. I couldn’t always figure out the reason for my energy going up and down, and I think it was more psychological than anything.
Rainy Pass lived up to its name, being the only place for miles around with rain this evening.
Day 100 | 60 miles | 2593 to 2653
And so my long walk home has ended. 99 days, 21 hours, and 41 minutes from Campo, California to Manning Park, British Columbia.
I really went for it today. I hiked all day and all night chasing this pointless but decidedly worthwhile goal of a 100-day thruhike, touching the northern terminus monument early in the morning, a couple of hours before my cutoff. I laughed. I cried. I hallucinated a bit.
Staying up all night to keep walking was hard, both physically and psychologically. But it was also the most natural, simple, and fun thing I could think of. The type of silly thing I could do because my life was based around nothing more than walking and living in nature. But that’s all behind me now.
I’m thankful for the trail, the landscapes I passed through, and my healthy body. What a privilege this has been, and I can’t think of a final day I would I have preferred to end it with.
