PCT Washington Day 25: Meadows Camp to Hopkins Lake

 This was one of those days that I did not need extra motivation. I awoke earlier than normal, but I still waited until 5:30 AM before I got up. I slept rather well, though, not long enough which seemed to be the usual. I had a little extra food this morning. On top of my usual Clif Bar, I added in a breakfast of ramen. It was necessary calories because this was going to be a full day. I quickly got my gear packed up and then I got a ride from my dad to the Meadows Trailhead. It was just up the road and the place that I had exited the trail the day before. Here I would start the long journey toward the Canadian Border. I would not reach it today, but was likely to reach it early in the afternoon the following day. 

The trail started out mostly flat hugging the ridge of Hart's Pass. There were big views all around with mountains and deep valleys. I could see over to the North Cascades with its glaciers and dark, foreboding mountains. I could see Mt. Challenger which was honestly one of my favorite mountains. After about 2 miles of hiking, I came upon Hart's Pass proper. Here there was a small campsite attended to by other people who sounded as if they had just finished the PCT. I also saw my dad's car parked at this trailhead as his day of exploring started from here. In fact, there were a series of trailheads with no less than 3 within a mile and a half. One was an upper trailhead and the other was the trailhead for Slate Peak with a lookout on top. 

I passed all of these and I also passed quite a few people on this day. Everyone was in the mood to congratulate each other on a job well done. It was exciting to share the journey with other people and I was proud of the accomplishments that we had made. I also got to share the trail with a different species of squirrel than I was used to. Gone were the marmots who kept me company for so long and instead I had the company of ground squirrel that was very active and very noisy. It was fun to see a new animal this close to the border as animals have not been quite as abundant as I had been hoping to see on the trail. This was a day of passes. Hart's Pass was obviously the first. 

The next pass that I was heading toward was Buffalo Pass. There was no sign of buffalo in this area, but there were incredible views. The trail sort of climbed elevation, but was hardly noticeable. Here I was with a lighter than normal pack and of course, my numb foot, but I was so close to the end that nothing could stop me. I enjoyed the big sweeping views that included a strange looking yurt that was really close to the trail. I guess you could rent it, but it didn't look like an exciting spot for a rental. 

This put me at Windy Pass where I would take a break. I was soon to leave behind the big views of high mountain peaks and instead I would now be descending elevation into the Pasayten Wilderness. This is where I started to see people beginning to come out with the exalted look of finishing the trail upon their faces. It was such a different feeling as I would be coming back this same way in a few days. They had accomplished something that I was still toiling to accomplish. Their mood and mine were completely different though at the same place and time. The trail descended from Windy Pass going down switchbacks through a forested area. Here is where I saw the small fire that I thought would end my PCT journey prematurely. 

This was not currently burning, of course, but was the one on the map that I saw on Watch Duty before setting out from Stevens Pass. It was completely out and had only burned an area the size of a living room in a house. The trail climbed for a bit before descending to Foggy Pass. Then slightly ascending to the unremarkable Jim Pass. From here the trail said I would be on the Devil's Backbone. It was not nearly as dramatic as it sounded and the trail was rather unremarkable except that it did go through some burned out area that looked a little sad. I saw a group at this point and they reassured me that the entire trail was not like this and there were some pretty places ahead. That did not happen for some time, but I made notes of places that I could get water and camp on the way back. Shaw Creek seemed like a good spot for this.

This was about the spot that I decided to take a break. I grabbed some food on a log that allowed my back to lean up against a tree. I thought nothing of it until I had gone for a few miles past. I checked my pocket and my quarter was gone. I had used the same quarter the entire time to open my bear canister and now it was lost. I had another one in my pack, so I wasn't completely at a loss, but I had carried that quarter the entire time. It felt like my lucky quarter. I thought about where I lost it and I knew it had to be when I leaned back on that tree. I tried to make a mental note to get it back when I returned. The trail continued to descend until I was in the deep dark woods around Holman Pass. Here was the intersection with the Pacific Northwest Trail. I knew very little about this trail, but I saw that there was a trail crew working out here. They had a base camp set up right at the intersection with a sign that told us that they had run out of fuel. They asked for any extra canisters to burn fuel. I looked at the table where they were asking for them and there seemed to be a plethora of different canisters waiting for them. I decided to keep my fuel. From Holman Pass, the trail climbed. Along the way was the last reliable water for 9.3 miles which was likely where I would camp. 

Water really had not been an issue and it continued to be that way. I never once seemed to be wanting for water. The trail continued to climb and as it did, the views became more and more remarkable. There were large mountains all around me with big sweeping views. I was seeing all sorts of people as I climbed uphill through switchbacks in large grassy meadows. I was even passing a few people on my way up to Rock Pass. On Rock Pass, there was a wide shelf and a big valley below me. This was the first point where it felt real that the journey would be ending soon. I could see so far that I was sure I was looking into Canada. I went down off of Rock Pass and the trail switchbacked against the mountain side. 

Here I passed a couple who I spoke with for longer than usual. They were very friendly and they would be camping at Woody Pass. This was my original thought, but as I looked at it, I knew that I wanted to get a little bit closer. It was late afternoon, but there was still time to move. Plus, I had no guaranteed access to water and it was hot. I decided to keep moving and it was a lot of work to climb up to Woody Pass. Luckily, I was listening to a Tale of Two Cities and the dialogue kept me entertained as I pushed through the hot sun toward the pass. This was an incredibly scenic spot and one that I will remember for a long time because of the peaks and scree flows around. 

Once I made it up to Woody Pass, it was smooth sailing from here. I was on Lakeview Ridge would take me to the highest point on the PCT in Washington state at 7126 feet. It really did not feel that way, though, as I was encountering the people finishing their treks and taking in their energy. I saw some people looking out into the distance near Woody Pass and you can almost feel them contemplate their future about what was next. As I continued to hike, I ran into a deer which was a rare event being one of only a few that I had ran across on the whole trail. The trail continued to climb until I was at the highest point. There was no sign marking this event and for me the story of the French aristocracy controlling the peasants was what I will remember.

From this high point, though, the trail began a steep descent. This high point would be my last uphill of the day. From here, it was down the Devil's Stairway to Hopkins Lake. The Devil's stairway was a very dramatic name for a bunch of switchbacks. Yes, there was a little bit of exposure, but not much. There was an incredible view of Hopkins Lake and it looked like just what I was hoping for. I could take a dip and then sleep soundly before beginning the last of my journey tomorrow. I dropped elevation until I saw a side trail coming in. This was probably a very popular campsite as it was one of the last water spots on the entire trail before the border. I was a little late getting into camp, so I assumed I might have a hard time finding a spot.

I was right. It seemed like everywhere there was a group. I finally found a nice spot on an open meadow that was mildly impacted. It became my home for the night. It was a quiet spot and there were not many people wandering around anyway. I had put in 28 miles to get here which was likely my longest day on the trail in Washington. I was hoping to finish it off with a dip in the lake, but when I tried, I could not find a way to get in the lake with my sore and numb foot that was not walking over painful rocks. I decided not to risk it. Besides, it was pretty chilly by this point and I decided instead to just do a quick rinse of the legs. I had my dinner and settled in for the last night heading north on the PCT in Washington. 

PCT Washington Day 24: Porcupine Creek to Meadows Campground

 I didn't sleep very well. The ground was a little bit slanted and I kept sliding down. It was so exciting spending the night with my dad there on the trail that I didn't care that much. He was up early, so it wasn't tough for me to get up early either. We hung out in the morning a little bit and talked about the plan. He took some of my overnight gear down with him because we were going to camp the following night together at Hart's Pass. That meant that I was nearly day hiking this section. I still carried a bit more than a usual day hiker, but it was nothing compared to what I had been carrying at other portions of the trip. We both got packed up and were on the trail by 6. The rest of the world seemed pretty quiet until I heard the sound of 3 gunshots. 

They were so loud down in the valley below that I became a little bit nervous. I hoped my dad was okay. It was probably hunters, but who knew from up above. I spent the morning climbing uphill. The goal was to get to Cutthroat Pass. This was a rather easy undertaking with my light load. The views were incredible. There were high mountain peaks all around me with deep forested valleys below. I ran into a few other people in this area as it seemed like most of the really pretty spots were always filled with more human beings. Everyone was very friendly and happy to be there. 

After reaching Cutthroat Pass, the trail went downhill. It was really cold. The wind was sort of blowing and I was in the shade. It was definitely time for the poofy jacket to keep me warm. Once again, I was surprised at how little sweat I was putting into hiking this trail. Morning were often cool and sometimes, like this morning, downright chilly. When I would pop out into the sunlight, I would warm up rather quickly, but this trail seemed to be a series of high mountain ridges and passes. It was downhill to Granite Pass, then back uphill to Methow Pass. After Methow Pass, everything seemed to change quite rapidly. Instead of the big views of high mountains, I was descending into a valley. The valley still had the dead looking trees and this place really looked like a tinder box. 

It was now beginning to warm up and I was feeling great. The trail was just slowly descending downhill and I had a light pack. I was really moving well and was easily putting up over 3 miles an hour in this section. There were still lots of people out and about. I was enjoying talking to them. I talked to an older couple who had hiked 95% of the PCT. This was one of their last sections to complete. They were worried that they were not going to finish it because they still had the really difficult section between Rainy Pass and Stevens Pass through Glacier Peak to accomplish. I encouraged them to do it because it was difficult, but nothing that much more difficult than this section. That is easy to say when the trail is in great shape and I am just cruising. 

I continued going downhill quickly in the cool morning air. The sun was out, though, and it was warming rapidly. By the time I hit the footbridge across Brush Creek, it was turning into a warm day. To make it even worse, the tree cover was becoming less and less. Here I was at noon and I was at the low point of the day at 4500 feet. I would have to climb up over 7000 feet in the next few hours. I lathered up on the sunscreen and made sure I had a full water supply to charge up the hill. The going was difficult, but I was in such great shape after 24 days on the trail, that I seemed to handle the hills with ease. Here the sweat started to fall, though, and I got a good workout going up the hill, even passing a few people as I went. I made it up to Glacier Pass which was this strange flat area that did not offer me a respite from the uphill climbing. It actually had no glaciers either and was really just a dividing point for the Brush Creek and Slate Creek drainages. I continued uphill toward Grasshopper Pass. Here, the switchbacks became frequent. In fact, from down below, I could see a person hiking over 1000 feet above me. So it was switchback after switchback to climb up to Grasshopper Pass.

On one of these switchbacks, I ran into a trail runner who was on like mile 70 of a 100 mile run. I enjoyed chatting with him for the few seconds and was pretty impressed that someone would venture this far out there on a trail run. After leaving him, I continued uphill until finally making it to the top of Grasshopper Pass. This was my last big climb of the day. Once I was on top, the greenery seemed to melt away and the terrain changed to something I had not experienced on the PCT in Washington thus far. It was very dry and barren. It still had these big views of big peaks, but the terrain seemed almost eastern in its feel. I enjoyed the big views and listened to my mp3 player trying to find a local radio station to listen to. 

Now came the job of finding my dad. I wondered if he would be out hiking on the trail to meet up with me. Hart's Pass is the furthest north you can go on the PCT and still have a road. The road was not great, but good enough to get a two wheel drive vehicle to the campground. It was really nice of him to meet me up here and really helped make a lot of my trip possible. I knew there were two possible camping locations he could be at. One was Hart's Pass itself, but there was another campground even closer. He was planning to find a campsite there at the Meadows Campground. I was hoping he would find a site, because there sure seemed to be a lot of people around. This place felt pretty far out there, but then again, there were big views of big mountains all around.

The trail in this section seemed to hug the slopes of the mountains around. I went around Tatie Peak and really enjoyed the section of trail. It seemed rather easy and I was just flying when I started to see the Meadows Campground. I looked for my dad's truck, but could not see it. When I got closer, though, he had put a note on a tree telling me which campsite he was in. I grabbed the note and cut off down the road. I found him at the campsite where I proceeded to find a nice spot to sleep, ate a lot of food, and lost a couple games of cribbage. We hung out for the evening, but the exciting part was that I was beginning the final stretch tomorrow. While I had enjoyed my experience on the trail, there is nothing more rewarding than completing a goal and I was oh so close. 

PCT Washington Day 23: Bridge Creek Camp to Porcupine Creek

 I was up at the crack of dawn just to make sure that I wouldn't have to worry about my lost permit. This was just easier to get on the trail while most everyone else was still sleeping. The morning was quiet. The trail was quiet as I followed Bridge Creek. I was once again enjoying the nice conditions. This trail was clear of all debris. It was even brushed out perfectly so I didn't have to even worry about touching the vegetation. It was easy going except that it was all uphill. Yesterday, I spent the whole day going downhill. Today, I got to spend the whole day climbing uphill. I was starting at about 2200 feet and would end the day at about 5300 feet. So the climb was not crazy. 3100 feet over 15 miles isn't bad at all. 

The trail here was so much different than most of my hiking on the PCT. It felt more like Eastern Washington than Western Washington. The trail was dry and almost dusty in places. The terrain was more open with big trees still, but not nearly as much underbrush. I was moving pretty fast because I was down to the last days of food that I had to carry. I was meeting my dad at Rainy Pass and he was coming to camp with me for the night 5 miles up the trail at Porcupine Creek. I was pretty excited for that. I had been in constant communication with him due to my inReach device. He had left his house at 6 AM and we would meet up eventually at the pass. For now, though, I was trudging along uphill. The weather was getting warmer quickly and those wet shoes were no longer a problem. Still, the sore/numb foot was an issue. I really did not have a choice but to keep on keeping on with that one though. It stopped bothering me after a little bit anyway and since I had switched back to my original insoles, it wasn't getting any worse. My Achilles were a little bit more so now that I did not have the inserts, but they still loosened up after a few miles in the morning. Nothing as bad as what I experienced in Oregon. 

I had crossed the water two times. Once near the North Fork where the bridge was in great shape and another at Maple Creek where I had to hike uphill in an odd way to get to the bridge. Either way, it was an easy trail and soon I was starting to see the weekend warriors moving in. I always felt a little awkward when there were people fresh from the city and here I have been out for many days. They smelled so clean and fresh. Who knows what I smelled like? My beard, too, was probably so awkward looking, but whatever. I didn't feel that self conscious until I got around busier areas. This was definitely becoming a busier area. I passed Six Mile, South Fork, Hideaway, and Fireweed camps. 

From there I was able to leave North Cascades National Park and soon I was right next to the road. This part of the trail was actually pretty quiet because most people parked at the Bridge Creek Trailhead. Once I was beyond that, it was quiet for the mile and a half until I got to Rainy Pass. Here was the mass of humanity. Not since Cayuse Pass were there so many cars in one place. The only one I really cared about was seeing my dad and his car. I saw him across the road as soon as I came out of the trail at about 1:30 pm. It was great to see him. We talked about the hike and his drive as we went to his car. I spent an hour or so, repacking as he was my resupply point. I even got to throw down a bunch more food while I waited as he had some snacks for me.

Eventually, I got myself ready. This was actually going to be pretty easy. I only needed to take enough food for tonight and the next day as he was planning to meet me further on up the trail at Hart's Pass the following night. I brought only enough stuff for this one night of backpacking. We still had a bit of a hike as it was 5 miles to where we were hoping to camp. It was mostly uphill as the trail switchbacked through the dying forest. We wondered about the trees together with drought and beetle kill being the dominant thoughts. Dad was great company and it was nice to have someone to talk to. We finally arrived to where we were going to camp and there was a friendly gentleman there that offered to let us stay at his site because he said the rest of them were full. I was skeptical of this, though, because I hadn't had trouble finding a site previously. I wandered around a little bit and found lots of sites back in the woods. We picked one. Unfortunately, I picked a spot that was on a slope which would make my sleep a little bit poor. We camped at about 4:30. We ate dinner. Played some cribbage. Eventually, though, the bugs became so annoying that we had to go hide in our tents. We still were able to chat for a bit, but we read our books and enjoyed the outdoors and each other's company.