Beeler Spring

 It didn't take long before I was back on the South Olallie Trail. Given I just hiked this trail a few weeks prior and had run into 3 trails that I never hiked before, I knew that this trail was going to become a new favorite. This time I wasn't looking to hike the South Olallie Trail, but was instead hoping to hike the other side of the Rebel Creek Trail. I knew that this was going to be a tough one because when I hiked the Rebel Creek Trail even before it was burned in a wildfire, I never saw this offshoot. This trail, I was expecting, would be long forgotten. I started early enough that I would not have to worry about the daylight that was becoming significantly less this time of year. It is still quite a haul to get up to this trail with significant vertical ascent over 4 miles. I would estimate about 2500 feet of elevation gain.

Where the trail began was essentially where the Olallie Trail stopped gaining vertically. Here there was a sign and the path looked relatively like a path. It didn't look like it had been used much in the past, oh let's say, 75 years, but it was a path. It was too bad that it wasn't used much because this actually turned out to be quite a nice trail. It was fairly level for most of the way and followed a path that seemed rather easy to follow. With GPS as good as it is, it was not hard for me to stay on the supposed "trail" even though in many places it was hard to find. There were times that I would lose it, but would eventually find my way back to it. There were lots of logs to cross over and debris to go around, but there was also the faint, discernible path that led through a comfortable forest. There weren't a lot of views in this forest, but at times it would peak out to the top of a ridge with a view down to the valley below. I loved this section of the forest because it was just so wild. There were huge expanses of untouched forest to enjoy. There was only one significant feature on the map on this entire section and that was Beeler Spring. When I got to where it should be on the map, I could not find any water. From this spot, the trail began to climb and I lost it for a good chunk of time. There would be giant logs down over the trail that I had to work my way around. 

This slowed me down significantly and during this section I was only able to cover 1 mile in about an hour. Eventually, I would regain the path and it would take me to a promontory point where I would have to descend from this point on. It looked like at this point that I was only about a mile and a half from the main trail. The problem was that the trail continued to descend and to become more and more faint. Given the amount of daylight that I had this time of year, I was starting to question whether to turn back. When the trail completely disappeared, I decided that turning back was a good choice. I really wanted to connect it to the other side of the Rebel Creek Trail, but I would just have to come back another day to make this happen. 

I could see Rebel Rock from where I turned around. It was the wise decision. As I was hiking back, I was thinking about why this trail had been abandoned. I thought about the old days when horse travel was a common thing to do to navigate in the wilderness. This would have been a thoroughfare used to get to other parts of the forest. When horses went out of style and the forest service started building roads, this became an unnecessary trail. Since it didn't go to a destination, what was the use of it. I thought that to be unfortunate. Sometimes it seems the forest service uses the designation of wilderness as a way to hide behind not having to maintain an area. This section of the forest was also used for grazing 100 years ago. At one point, there were probably sheep everywhere. I appreciated that they were gone, but the trails were probably in better shape at that point. 

I decided to really look for Beeler Spring on the way back and eventually, I think I found it. It was a damp spot on the ground with a little bit of cut logs around it. At some point, this probably provided water for horses and sheep in this area. Now, it was abandon and had filled in with debris. I wondered what it would take to bring it back to its former glory days. For some reason, it was put on maps all the way back to the 1930s. This was important enough to be on a map, but not important enough to maintain. Kind of like the trail I was hiking today. I made it back to the Olallie Trail finding it a bit easier to hike back on a trail I had already hiked out on. From there I jogged all the way back to the car. It was almost 4 miles all downhill, but I was in good enough shape to make that happen. It turned out to be a great day and when I tried to research more about Beeler Spring, I was stumped by the internet. So, that is why I named my blog post Beeler Spring. I will probably be the only reliable information out there. 

Clear Lake in the Fall

This is a hike we have done as a family many times, but we can't find another one that is easier to see such nice sights so quickly. The issue is that many others have discovered this same thing, so we are often sharing the trail with many people. This day was no different because when we drove up in the early afternoon to the Clear Lake trailhead, there was not a parking spot to be found. There were cars parked in all sorts of odd places. Luckily, being a local in the area, I knew exactly where to park. I drove up about a half mile up the road and there was a dirt road that intersected the McKenzie River Trail. I parked the car and was the only one there. We continued downstream until we ran into the trail around Clear Lake. 

Even though the parking lot was very busy, the trail did not quite seem as busy. There were other things than hiking for people to do, like get out onto the lake in their boats. The real draw were the fall colors that were out in full force everywhere. We enjoyed them a lot especially Jacqueline. We walked south to start and that took us to the parking lot. After a short bathroom stop, we continued down the trail. This was a nice leisurely day for the runners in the family who could use a day off of running. We just walked which was a piece of cake. The trail took us by the outlet where we crossed over the start of the McKenzie River. Then we were back in the trees heading north. 

Here the trail got a little rough in places, but eventually it sent us out into the lava flow that made the lake. A couple of thousand years ago, Sand Mountain which is a volcano, erupted causing molten rock to come down and block up the lake. It is so recent, that you can still see stumps and trees in the lake from when it was formed. The trail by the lava flow is in nice shape, though, because this section is paved. This is also one of the more picturesque spots because you can really see the greens of the lake appearing. Then the trail goes back into the woods and takes you right by the Great Spring. Here, you can see where the water rushes out of the large aquifer that is underneath the Oregon Central Cascades. 

This is really what formed the McKenzie River as the volcanoes in central Oregon are so porous with their soil that most of the snow melt just goes underground rushing out in these large rivers. The Great Spring looks so cold and so clear that the waters of Clear Lake are some of the clearest in the world. The colors all around the Great Spring were really nice too. The trail continues on from here crossing a couple of very nicely built bridges before running into the McKenzie River trail again. We headed back up the trail the way we came to our car, still the only one parked on this dirt road. It was a very comfortable and easy 5-6 mile loop on a Saturday in October to see beautiful colors and have a great day as a family getting outside.



 

South Olallie Trail

 Well I had now been off the PCT for 6 weeks, so it was finally time to go for a hike again. I filled my days with hanging out with the family, going for runs, working around the house, coaching cross country, and of course teaching math. I was well in it as the school year already felt long and it was only a few weeks in. I had a successful run at the Walterville Waddle where I placed first in my age group and ran a personal best 19:36 5K. Conrad was right behind me by only 8 seconds. I got a bunch of cookies as a prize. Most of the time was taken up with coaching cross country, though, as weekends included races in which my kids were doing really well. Still, the need to get out on the trail existed and this day I was going to make sure that I got a good hike in. Since last spring, I had been interested in the Olallie Trail. 

I had hiked every part of the trail except for the lower section. I was going to remedy that today. My drive took me out to the Aufderheide Rd. This road wound through the wilderness to numerous trailheads. I had stumbled on the southern part of the Olallie Trail about a year and a half earlier. This was spring, so I hiked just about as far as I could before snow slowed me down. I turned around at the snow about 3 miles in, but this day I was determined to not let anything stop me. Besides, it was fall and all that could really get in my way were downed trees. The trail starts out at the end of a dirt road. I parked at the trailhead and went on my way. The first little bit is flat and then it charges up the ridge. 

There are numerous switchbacks climbing several thousand feet. This trail is about 40 miles long if you did the entire thing in one day. I have never done that. Instead, I have done it in chunks, first hiking the northern part over 10 years ago into the snow. That part takes you past the O'Leary Trail, then up past Horsepasture Mountain. Conrad and I hiked the section from the Saddle Trail to the 1993 road before it heads to Olallie Mountain and then down to Bear Flat. Today I was planning to hike the southern section from the Olallie Trailhead to Bear Flat. Bear Flat was where I headed off for a loop hike to French Pete once and found myself bushwhacking most of it. All and all I guess you could say that this trail and I had some history.

Today, though, I was determined to finish it and explore other trail possibilities that existed there. The first thing I had to was get farther than I traveled previously. That was done after crossing a creek only about 3 miles into the trail. The trail continued uphill until leveling out right where the trail met the Rebel Creek trail. This trail was really suspect to me and even though there was a sign, I imagined that it was probably a trail to nowhere. I hiked Rebel Creek 10+ years ago when it was in better shape than it is now, and I never saw this part of the trail even though there was likely a junction at some point. It wasn't for me today, so I continued on. The trail was now relatively flat and only a half a mile more brought me to another trail junction. 

This was the Wildcat Trail that would take me out to Wildcat Swamp and Bill Gott Spring. This hike was for another day and I continued on. The trail was not in great shape. It was relatively flat, though, and for the most part I could see how the trees had been cleared to get me through the woods. I felt like I was doing the trail a favor by hiking it so it did not cease to exist. There were times I had to climb over fallen logs, but for the most part, I was able to find my way. At one point, I crossed the headwaters of French Pete Creek. Here is was just a small trickle and there was a campsite nearby. It was a place to get water, but it was easily crossed without a footbridge. 

As I continued on, the trail took me past a swamp and out to an obvious clearing. Here was another trail, but it lacked a sign. This was the first evidence that the Forest Service had just decided to give up on some of these trails. This was a trail that could take me out to Corral Draw and up to Dillon Lake if I so chose. But, it was on the map, just lacked signage. This meant that it was likely out of service. This was sad because it closed off a huge section of wilderness. I would definitely hike it some day, though. Trail or no trail, I was determined to see what was out there. After this trail, it was only another half of a mile or so before I ran into the junction for the Bear Flat trail. When I had done my bushwhacking long hike here, there was a sign. 

Granted, that sign warned that the trail existed no more in sharpie, but the sign was still there. Now it was gone. Another trail bites the dust. The wilderness here used to be invaded by sheep in cattle. There used to be a drive right through these mountains. Now most of this is left to be reclaimed by the forest. Humans really had a way of fixing one problem by causing another. At this point, the wilderness may be a little bit too wild and it could use a little more trammeling. In any case, this was my turn around point. I though about the many opportunities that existed for me to not only explore further out here, but put my stamp on the forest by helping to clear some of the trail. 

There were so many sections where trail was a relative word. This forest, like so many other places, was being left to be overrun. I was going to have to put some time into making this place better at some point. The whole hike was about 18 miles, which took me about 7 hours to complete. Along the way I got to see junctions at 3 new trails that I had never explored all going deep into the heart of the wilderness. Two of those still had signs, which meant there was still hope. All of them needed to be explored. I was determined to really know this wilderness inside and out. This day had brought me one step closer to that and it had been a rewarding long hike to keep me in shape also. All and all, a great day out in the woods. 

PCT Day 27: Shaw Creek to Hart's Pass

 This seemed to be a theme, but I was up early. I was anticipating the last day on the trail. I waited for it to get light before I started packing up, but I was glad to see the sun. This was the last day, but I definitely had a goal. Two days earlier, I had dropped my quarter when taking a break for a snack. I was now very close to it and I was excited to see if I could find it at that point. It was not long before I encountered the tree and I looked right where I thought it would be. And there it was! I don't why this felt like such a win. This quarter had traveled the who length of the PCT with me and it was now back in my possession. This quarter was one that was left over from the Holiday Farm Fire when the only thing I was able to retrieve was a money box with my coin collection in there. So who knows how long this quarter had been with me. I was happy to see it back in my possession again.

The quarter did not necessarily motivate me to move quickly. I was really not focused on moving quickly. I guess 27 days of motivating myself to get up early and put in lots of miles had finally taken its toll. With only 11 miles to go and my dad waiting patiently for me, I really just worked hour by hour. I hiked for an hour and then I would give myself a long break. Then I would start moving slowly again. The weather was just ideal. Perfect blue skies, cool, but not cold conditions. This was truly the last hurrah as I climbed back up to Jim Pass, then Foggy Pass, and then Windy Pass. Along the way I saw people with that same excited look in their eye. They were nearly done also, but not as close as I. 

At Windy Pass, I could see the yurt and soon the lookout on top of Slate Peak came into view. I enjoyed the view out toward the North Cascades and Mt. Challenger was out in full glory. I was almost back, but I had to take one more pit stop before I made it there. Then it was only a few minutes and I was at the upper, upper trailhead where my dad was waiting for me. He thought that I might think this was where he was going to meet me so he brought a chair to wait for me. Then we hiked down the last mile or so to the true upper trailhead. It was pretty exciting to put my pack down and be done. There were some people there who had met a friend with some food and they offered me some. I took it and somebody even gave me a beer. I usually have an allergic reaction, but on this day, I was willing to risk it. It was worth it and it felt good to celebrate the accomplishment. We started the long drive back. 

It was down the Hart's Pass road which was long and steep in places, but a decent road that two wheel drive with a little bit of clearance was sufficient. Then it was a long drive after that. I couldn't believe just how warm it was down off the mountain in Mazama. Luckily, I had reached the car by 11 AM, because we had a 6 hour drive back. This drive included the chance to listen to the Mariners game which I missed doing. It also included a stop at Dick's Drive In for some much needed cheeseburgers, fries, and a strawberry shake. That hit the spot. Then we took the Edmonds ferry across to Kingston, where we then drove to my dad's house in Port Angeles. I met up with the family there. Everyone was so excited to see me. My wife really does not like me going on these long backpacking trips, but she still gives me the hero's welcome when I return. The kids were very excited for me and we all just could not stop from smiling. This had been a long journey and it was now over, but I felt very accomplished. Now on to tackle California?

PCT Washington Day 26: Hopkins Lake to Shaw Creek

There was a lot of anxious anticipation for this day to begin. I was going to finish the Washington section of the PCT. All it took was about six miles of walking downhill with a very minimal pack. So when I was awake before the sun was up, this was not that surprising. I didn't have to pack too much as I just left my tent where it was and knew I would be back later. It was very strange to only be walking around with a small daypack, but I was happy to leave the big pack behind for a short little bit. As I went out to Hopkins Lake, I could see the moon just barely left in the sky after a night of brightly lighting it up. It was peaking out over the hills above the lake. The illumination from it was a brighter sight than the picture made it out to be. 

I went up the trail and felt like I was definitely one of the first people on it. It was pretty easy hiking. I was just moving along downhill. I ran into a group near Castle Pass. They were out on their own exploratory hike, but I got some congratulations from the group leader. Really, I was just cruising and each step felt like I was a little bit closer to achieving my goal. I could check my map on my watch, so it wasn't a big surprise when I started to see some signs come into view. Here was the Northern Terminus! I had finished the entire Washington section of the PCT! This feeling of excitement took over my whole body and I just felt accomplished. 

I was soaking it all in when all of a sudden I heard a dramatic scream. It was another hiker, one I had not met before, letting out a yell. He was middle aged and his clothes were in tatters. He had done the entire thing from Mexico to Canada. This was an even bigger accomplishment for him, but it did not take away from the accomplishment for me. We chatted quite a bit and we were able to take pictures of each other at the monument. The most interesting thing to me about being at the monument was that the border actually looked like a border. There were trees cut in a wide swath on both sides of Monument 78 up the entire hillside. This was surprising to me as I did not see the point of it. 

I lingered for a little while, but my victory lap had to begin at some point. So I bid my new friend adieu and I started up the trail knowing full well that he would catch me in a short amount of time. This truly was a victory lap as I started to see the other hikers going toward the monument on my way out. We congratulated each other and chatted for a little bit at each crossing. I enjoyed the light pack going uphill, but it only lasted so long. Eventually I made it back to the lake where I needed to pack up my entire tent. This took me about an hour which I used to also get a little bit of food. With the big pack back on, I was definitely going to be moving slower, but there was a sense of accomplishment to keep me moving. 

Now I got to go back up the Devil's Stairway. This was a little bit more challenging than going down, but also it just didn't matter anymore. It didn't matter how fast I moved. It didn't matter how far I got. All that mattered was that I accomplished the goal I set out to do. This truly was the victory lap. The route was unsurprising as it was the same trip I had taken the day before. I enjoyed the views along Lakeview Ridge. Woody Pass was amazing as I listened to the Tale of Two Cities while going down the switchbacks. I climbed back up to Rock Pass where I got to go down the easy, open meadow that took me downhill to Holman Pass. 

The views were just so striking all around. Usually the wilderness experience is about being out and absorbing as much from nature as your body will let you. Today, it was all about just hauling my body and my stuff back to that trailhead at Hart's Pass. I knew I would not make it out today, so I just kept going as far as I could. From Holman Pass, I went uphill and nearly made it to Shaw Creek, but I knew of a campsite before it. There was one other person camping there.

I asked him if there was water around. He said no, but I did not need it. I set up camp and was happy to get into bed as fast as I could. I knew I would not sleep that great because of the excitement of being done the following day, but I gave it my best shot. The campsite was nice. It was forested and pretty close to the trail. Occasionally there were people going by, but there were no bugs which was a bonus. I did not talk to the person next to me much because he did not seem too friendly, but we had our distance anyway. Overall it was a great last full day. I put in about 26 miles and would only have about 11 miles left to go on the following day.

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.