PCT Section I-Day 7

Mile 2391.2 to 2393.8

The last day on the trail is always bittersweet. I felt ready for a shower and some food, but not ready to return to the demands of my daily life. Of course we could have hiked to the pass last night, but why not camp 2.6 miles out of town and enjoy another peaceful night on the trail?

Lodge lake

In the morning as I was waking up, I heard in a whisper, “good morning” from someone who was hiking up the trail from the lake below. We were camped at the spot nearest the trail, but there was a trail leading down to the lake with additional camp spots. My partner checked it out the night before at my request since I was sleeping inches from the trail.

We both chuckled after the backpacker went by and I sat up and began to think about the day. We had “slept in” because it wouldn’t take long to get to town. We had planned to come off the trail, get my truck and head on over to the cafe to have some breakfast.

As we set out on trail for the final miles, we passed a lot of day hikers. They stunk like perfume, soap and laundry detergent. We on the other hand smelled like nature. I heard one person in a group ask another, “Do you think those are Northbound thru hikers?” and the other replied, “No it’s too early to be this far and plus they don’t smell like thru hikers.” I had to laugh to myself.

It wasn’t long before we were able to see Snoqualmie Pass. The views of the mountains along the Canadian border were absolutely spectacular. We meandered our way down the hill, under the ski lifts and into the town.

Meadows of flowers

It had been a successful backpacking adventure overall and we were already making plans for another, longer section of the Pacific Crest Trail.

Done! Mile

Until then, Happy Trails and thanks for following along on my adventures.

Bear Bait

PCT Section I-Day 6

Mile 2382 to 2391

Today would be the last full day on the trail. I was in no hurry to backpack the miles.. I just wanted to soak it all in. The goal today would be to get to Ollalie Creek. Halfmile maps does not list a campsite here, but Guthooks does. Not only would it be a good spot to camp, it looks out over the meadow and has a water source nearby. This would put us at mile 2389.4, leaving just around 4 miles to Snoqualmie Pass.

Passing through fields of bear grass was a delight!

Today there would be a lot of water sources on the trail. With the last of our food in our packs and the need to carry little water, we set off with lighter packs!

We passed Mirror Lake fairly quickly. There were a lot of awesome campsites along the lake, something we made note of in the event we wanted to return later. I really wanted to take a swim in the lake, but we had miles to push. We passed some weekend backpackers in one of the campsites who were planning to get some photographs of the sunset and moon around the lake. The climb up from the lake was just a few hundred feet but offered magnificent views. We took some time to enjoy our surroundings.

That peak is where the photographers were headed

Mirror Lake -the water was so clear!

I think I should mention that the shoes I was wearing on this section of the hike were less than satisfactory. I was slipping and sliding around on the gravel and the shale rocks. I fell at least 3 times on the trail including today when I was hiking down a slope from an unpaved road. I didn’t have any serious injuries, but definitely got some scrapes and cuts on my legs. Usually I fall on my butt with one leg bent and the other leg out in front of me. I do have hiking poles which help me fall slowly and gracefully. (Well that’s the way I picture it in my mind!)

We were looking forward to enjoying the last evening on the trail at Ollalie Creek. We passed a few hikers coming in from the pass along the boardwalk on the trail. We could see the beautiful Ollalie Meadow as we passed over the creek on the boardwalk. We spent about 30 minutes looking for the campsite across the meadow, but could never find it. It was truly disappointing and we had to keep hiking. As the evening set in we had to pull out our headlamps. I was getting pretty tired by this point and the blisters on the bottoms of my feet were angry. We weren’t sure if we were going to have to hike all the way to the pass or if we would find a campsite. The area was rocky and on a slant so it didn’t look hopeful. Eventually the sun started setting and the reality of walking all the way to the pass was setting in. We were so glad to stumble upon some campsites near Lodge Lake just 2 miles from the pass.

Trees for miles

The sun had already gone down and we worked to set up our tents in the light that was left. We quickly made dinner and ate it in the last of the sky’s light.

Crossing small snowfield

It almost always works out on the trail where your needs are met and today was not different.

Bear Bait

PCT Section I-Day 5

Mile 2361.9 to 2382

I woke up to early morning rain drizzling on my tent. The sound of soft raindrops on my tent makes me feel cozy and sleepy. However I needed to get up and start doing my morning chores. I quickly realized that just 20 feet from the tent it wasn’t even raining. The cloud was hanging around the tree cover making it appear as if everything was cloudy and rainy. By now the bottoms of my feet had blisters on the pads under my toes. This isn’t a typical blister spot for me so I’m blaming it on my shoes. I spent some time cleaning and preparing my feet for some more abuse.

We had a quick climb up the hillside this morning. There was another water alert letting us know that we might not find water for 11.8 miles. We needed to make sure and hit the “reliable creek” in about 3 miles. The climb was up through the trees eventually coming up to the top where it was much more open, with low lying shrubs. We started with our rain gear on and it quickly became warm. Throughout the morning there were multiple stops to adjust to the weather. I carry a rain cover for my pack and also a rain jacket for myself. This can be helpful, but if it rains a lot it just runs down onto my pants and gets pretty wet and chilly whenever you stop. We ran into someone who had just come up the other side of the climb. He said he was “happy to be on this side of the mountain.” We could see up ahead some trees but had not idea what he was talking about. As soon as we headed through the trees we were back in a cloud and continuous rain. Most of the climb back down was wet and that makes footing much more slippery.

Interesting?

We also ran into a father and his daughter on the way up the hill. The father was quite a bit past the daughter who told us she had never even been hiking. We thought that she was quite ambitious to take on a backpacking trip. We chatted awhile afterwards about the bliss of ignorance and not having any preconceived ideas about what backpacking actually meant!

We hiked along this ridge much of the day

We had dropped down to 3,782 elevation and would need to climb back up to 4,660 over the next few miles. It was another day of mostly sub-alpine terrain and we would end our day under 4,000 feet. The day was filled with unpaved jeep roads and high voltage power lines. In every backpacking trip I’ve had, I have encountered power lines. The hum above your head is strangely exciting, but I never spend much time under them. Another break after the power lines to shake all the dirt out of my socks and have a snack.

We found a nice campsite off the end of an unused dirt road. It wasn’t just pass a spring, but neither of us wanted to expend the energy to backtrack for extra water. We were getting near the end of the trail and we saw a handful of southbound hikers pass by while we were setting up our tents.

It was starting to become more real that our journey was nearing the end. I tried to remain present and enjoy every moment.

Happy Trails

Bear Bait

PCT Section I-Day 4

Mile 2337.5 to 2361.4

The hike out of Martinson Gap was not that steep. We passed meadows of flowers on our slight elevation climb. Today we would drop down under 5,000 feet down to 4752, before we climbed back up. We would cross quite a few unpaved roads on this section. This section of the trail had a Water Alert, noting the next spring would be almost 11.8 miles away.

It was in this section that we almost headed off down a side trail. The signage wasn’t clear and we took a left when we should have stayed right. That resulted in about 1/4 mile hike into Airplane Meadows. It was filled with beautiful flowers and would have been easy to get lost there. I suppose eventually we would have ended up on a loop trail. We realized quickly that we needed to backtrack and get back on the PCT. It immediately made sense once we headed out on the ridge side.

Every step is meant to be

The plan was to stop at Urich Cabin which was at mile 2347.5. We were looking forward to seeing the historic cabin, getting some water and relaxing. It’s a first come first serve cabin located near Government Meadows. We were just a few miles south of the cabin when another backpacker passed us on the trail. He told us that there was a militant group with guns at the cabin, and added he just kept hiking when he saw them. That set the mood for the remaining few miles. We were listening carefully as we neared the cabin. We did see some men at the cabin, sitting out in the yard and a few camo tents nearby, but not the elaborate guns I was expecting to see. We as well kept hiking. I took time to snap this phone of a sign erected by a boy scout troop regarding the history of the meadow. We ended up eating our lunch on a rock, on an uphill climb, not to far from an unpaved road. It ended up being perfect.

As we moved closer to the spring we passed a few dry water holes. I had to keep checking the miles to make sure we didn’t pass the small spring. We knew it was just a bit off trail so we wanted to make sure of it’s location. While it had a mile marker, the dryer springs were within tenths of a miles to the spring. We started to worry that we wouldn’t actually have water and ended up getting some murky water from one of the muddy spots.

However, when we arrived at the spring it was running strong. It was running down hill and had a nearby campsite. There were wildflowers all around the spring and it was “cold” after a warm day of hiking in the sun. We took some time to camel up, have a snack and fill up our containers. We ran into a few other backpackers in this section. A few were heading Southbound and it was fun to hear their stories of the trail we had yet to hike.

The trail changes from year to year, and this year I walked past a few burn areas. One was from many years back and painted a magnificent landscape. I’m amazed at how nature finds a way to heal and thrives with whatever it has to endure. I wish I was just as malleable in my life. Instead I spend a few days on the trail carrying my regrets until I can find that space where my load is just a little lighter. I had to get a picture of the Falls Creek Burn Sign that was erected as part of an eagle scout project. As I’ve mentioned before I was a Girl Scout for many years and I find a lot of meaning in my experience as a Scout and my adventures today.

When we reached our spot for the night, someone was already camping there. We quickly set up in the only 2 remaining spots and enjoyed a relaxing night on the trail.

Happy Trails

Bear Bait

PCT Section I-Day 2

Mile 23053 to 2321.3

Day 2 may have been one of my favorite days on the trail. It was before the bottoms of my feet became blistered, it was hot and it was still buggy. There’s something about waking up in the morning and knowing that all you have to do is backpack. The trail is that place where you can let go of what’s going on everywhere else and just focus on where the next water source is. Basic survival is all that’s needed. What will I eat? Where will I poop? Where will I sleep tonight? Even those things can change when you’re on the trail.

Looking out at the meadow near one of the Junctions

Today would be exciting as I would hike in and out of the Mt. Rainier National Park Boundary, somewhere I had never been! There were lots of side trails and junctions, leading to other adventures that would have to wait for later. There were only two options for camping near Rainier and those were Anderson Lake or Dewey Lake. We were hopeful that Dewey Lake would have some options for camping as Snow Lake had been less accomodating.

When hikers or backpackers would pass they would tell us it would be less buggy in the next 10-15 miles. We heard this every day on the trail. The mosquitoes really didn’t let up until the last two days, and even then there were still mosquitoes, but you could tolerate them better.

When we arrived to Dewey Lake I couldn’t wait to jump in. I was so hot and sweaty and could barely get my tent set up before I was changed and in the water. It was so refreshing and cold! There was a small beach near the lake so I could ease in to the water. I wore my bug net in the lake while I was swimming and splashing around. It was the hi-light of the trip and so enjoyable!

Dewey Lake

Joy

Happy Trails ! Bear Bait

PCT Section I-Day 3

Mile 2321.3 to Mile 2337.5 (This is debatable)

When I’m backpacking I typically use Guthooks (app) and paper maps. The first year I hiked the PCT I used Halfmile which was also an app (but no longer supported). However Halfmile still offers backpackers the trail by miles with water locations, campsites etc. It details the elevation climb as well. Guthooks and Halfmile don’t always have the same information or even agree about the miles/landmarks. For this section I had the National Geographic Map that Halfmile worked with to produce.

Waking up in the morning and knowing you have to do a 700 foot climb over the first mile is one of those things you have to wrap your brain around. It makes you feel alive to feel your blood pumping and the rewards are usually enough to keep you moving forward!

The trail changes from year to year, and this year I walked past a few burn areas. One was from many years back and painted a magnificent landscape. I’m amazed at how nature finds a way to heal and thrives with whatever it has to endure. I wish I was just as malleable in my life. Instead I spend a few days on the trail carrying my regrets until I can find that space where my load is just a little lighter.

Today we would continue to hike in and out of the Mount Rainier Park Boundary and enjoy fields of wildflowers and magnificent views of Rainier. We would also hike past a handful of day hikers out on the trail with their perfumes and little water. We were headed towards Chinook Pass where we would stop to have some coffee and a snack. We were hoping to offload a few days of trash here as well.

Wildflowers everywhere

View from Chinook Pass-the trail followed the ridge above the road on the left.

The plan was to get to Martinson Gap where it stated there were several small campsites. (Per Halfmile) When we reached the mile where Martinson Gap was noted on Guthooks there was nothing to be found! The only option was to keep going and look for more areas to camp. Eventually, we reached a campsite at the top of the climb and were happy to put up the tents and make some dinner. This night there were a lot of mosquitoes and it was hard to sit outside the tent to eat. (I typically don’t like to eat in my tent as I don’t want bears or more likely small rodents visiting me at night and chewing holes in my tent). This happened to my trail buddy GiGi on the PCT!

After I was settled I took a look around the campsite and took a shot of the sunset. I saw the sign for Martinson Gap tucked between some trees.

Sunsets never disappoint

Backpacking WA Section I on the PCT

DAY 1-Mile 2295.4 to 2305.3

On Saturday morning we headed out to position the cars, one on each end of the section. We drove to Snoqualmie and left my truck on the road, fingers crossed it would be okay. We then drove a few hours over to White Pass and left my friend’s truck in the South Parking lot of White Pass, still hoping it would be fine. We started out on the trail about 12:45 PM on Saturday. We had a tentative plan to hike between 10 and 13 miles that first day. It was already warm when we headed out and we quickly put on our bug nets. We had treated our clothes with permethrin and had Deet with us as well. We passed a handful of day hikers on our way out.

The hike was uneventful, passing small streams and lakes along the way. It’s never fun to start out in the heat, bug nets on your head and heading uphill. The terrain was mostly forested and smelled of that dry arid forest much like southern OR.

We had 7 days meals on our back and a few liters of water. We were expecting the water to be plentiful along the trail for the first few days, thus all those mosquitoes.

PCT 2000

We were both hot and tired when we hiked in to Snow Lake which was about 10 miles from White Pass. We decided to set up our tents, take a swim and “wash” our clothes in the Lake. The lake was very muddy and when you tried to walk in the water your feet would sink about 6 inches. It felt like quicksand! We were not really able to swim and set about making some dinner. It’s amazing how dirty we had already become!

Nemo is the grey and green tent

I’ve switched out a bit of my gear for this hike. I’m using the Nemo 1 person tent, and an Osprey backpack. I switched to the Nemo tent as it is freestanding and also has a side entrance which is convenient. We were able to sleep with our tent fly off that evening which allowed a cool breeze while we were sleeping.

Snow Lake with mist in the morning

PCT section I, WA

I’m still section hiking the Pacific crest Trail. Last year‘s pandemic kept me indoors for much longer than I would like. I’m getting ready to set out on a 97 mile backpacking trip in Washington. I am both excited and nervous as it’s been a while since I’ve been on the trail that long. It’s always that way for me just before I start hiking. I know that once my feet hit the trail within just a few hours my mind will relax.

Over the last few weeks most of the snow has melted. Well we still expect to cross snow fields, the heat wave has really taken out the hardest part. We should have beautiful views of Rainier!

For the first time ever I have a satellite device, Zoleo. Hope I don’t need to use it! Happy trails! Bear bait.

The Railroad

One of the things I had really wanted to do after the Colorado Trail was ride on the Durango Silverton railroad. When we started the trail the Raiload had been closed due to the fires burning in Durango. And then near the end of July, the first part of the tracks was washed out during a storm and some flooding. We were told the Railroad was closed. We thought about riding the railroad in Chama.

I couldn’t let go of the idea and so when we were in Durango we stopped by the station. In fact the Railroad was open and we could ride the train but we would have to take a bus For the first 30 minutes. I was willing to do it and GG was on board.

We had to stop and get water for the steam three times on our 2 1/2 hour ride. The views were absolutely magnificent. We sat in the open air gondola car and we had perfect weather the whole time!

We rode the car from Durango to Silverton and then did some shopping and had lunch. We returned on the same route. Of course we were sitting on the other side of the train on the way back so the views were just as magnificent as on the way up.

It was a nice way to finish up the trail even though we didn’t get to do the last section. Sticking to the routine and the plans as much as possible helped make this a fantastic trip! We hiked over 200 miles on the Colorado Trail from mile 117 to 330. I’m very happy with that and maybe one day I’ll return to finish the San Juan’s. But for now my ankle continues to swell up every time I walk on it and so I must take a rest.

That night we drove up to Molas pass and stayed at Molas lake campground like we had planned to do when backpacking the trail. It was a beautiful night at over 10,000 feet and our last night sleeping on the trail.

We saw this little guy on our way up the pass!

Happy trails

Bear bait

Mesa Verde National Park

We reserved a campsite for two nights at Morefield Campground four miles inside the park. First stop was the visitor center where GG purchased tickets for two separate tours. I wouldn’t be able to do the same due to my ankle sprain.

We found a fantastic campsite with nearby deer!

The next morning we were up at 630 AM to head to the Wetherhill Mesa. It was slightly sprinkling but that didn’t bother me. I was planning to do some self guided walking tours. I first visited Step House “Pithouse, Petroglyphs & Cliff Dwelling.”

I then went on the Badger House Trail to Four Mesa Top Sites. While I was there I saw some wild horses!

The loop then led me out to the Overlook for Long House. GG is in the picture below on her tour.

We enjoyed a picnic lunch on the Chapin Mesa before the afternoon events. We drove around the Mesa Top Loop where we observed 12 sites including surface dwellings and cliff dwellings.

I went to the museum and learned about the Pueblo culture then visited the Spruce Tree House.

Both nights we attended the ranger talks. Last nights talk was on astronomy. The sky was clear and full of stars. We were able to see the Milky Way! Also Mars was quite large and glowing orange as it’s close to the earth right now. We hadn’t seen many stars while backpacking so this was fantastic.

Our few days in the park were amazing and I’m thankful for the opportunity to see this World Heritage Site.

Bear Bait