Slept really well again. Really enjoying these many hours of sleep. If there is one thing that hiking all day does for your body, it makes you tired enough to get a lot of rest. I got up at 6 AM like usual and the other campers were already gone. The PCT takes quite a bit of dedication to get up that early and be moving before 6 AM. They were doing the whole thing, though, so those extra hours can add up. I got to push it up the hill to start the morning. So far my achilles tendon was doing well, but my right foot was starting to ache and experiencing some numbness. The hill was not easy, but then after that it was really fairly flat. There were some rolling hills and definitely some big views around corners, though. I enjoyed getting to see Mt. Rainier.
It was shrouded in clouds most of the time, but there were some instances when it would peak its way out. Though less snow on the mountain then when I was a kid, it was still rather majestic and deserved respect. I would be on the border of being in and being out of Mt. Rainier National Park. It was like the Park Service could not decide if they wanted the PCT in the National Park, so they gave it the border. You can feel like you are in Mt. Rainier National Park, but you are not really sure whether you really are. I also got to see the largest animal on the PCT so far when I viewed a couple of elk in the morning. We had elk at our house often growing up, so it wasn't that big of a deal, but it is nice to know they are still out there.
The trail was fairly quiet at first. I saw one backpacker before the American Ridge trail junction. He was in a great mood. Then before Anderson Lake, I saw a family that was out backpacking. After Anderson Lake, though, the multitudes started to appear. I remembered that it was a Saturday, so I would probably see a few more people out and about today. Once I got to Dewey Lake, a few was a complete understatement. Dewey Lake was packed with tents. It seemed like almost all available spots were taken up. While it was a very beautiful lake with blue water and big views to the surrounding peaks, it wasn't that remarkably different than other lakes I had seen.
It was just close to Chinook Pass, so I prepared myself for the onslaught of people. Any preparation that I had was blown out of the water. As I approached Chinook Pass, it seemed like there was a group of people every 30 seconds. Me in my disheveled condition was not in the mood to see so many hikers. I knew I didn't smell that great which was confirmed when I heard another hiker say something about me being spicy to someone else. The funny thing to me is how different they smelled. With the freshly laundered clothes and their once in a blue moon hiking outfits, I could definitely tell the difference between the PCT hikers and the weekend warriors.
It really became slightly absurd how many people there were as I approached Chinook Pass. It was a bit overwhelming to me to be so many days into this thing and then have this flood of humanity. As I got closer to Chinook Pass, I could see why. There were cars parked everywhere along the road for what seemed to be miles. There were so many different places to hike. This trail being close to major population centers on both sides of the Cascades led to this flood of humanity. I kind of had the blinders on as I walked on down the line when I saw a van with a table set up. There was fruit, cookies, a charging station, some chairs. That is when I realized that this was trail magic! I asked and they said yes, but I felt sort of like an outsider because I was not doing the full trail. I definitely took advantage of it but I was not into trail culture. Most of what the conversation was about was all the long distance trails they had hiked, so on and so forth. I don't know if I can get into the whole I am better PCT hiker than you competition. For me, I just want to do it for myself and I could care less if I impress anyone. I stayed for as long as I could handle the scene and then I went on my way a little fuller in the belly with my electronics a little bit more juiced.
The trail sort of hugged the road for a while and there were still a lot of people. When I go running in a busy place, often the runners acknowledge other runners and not the walkers and the bikers. It is sort of like that with PCT hikers. I still greeted the other hikers, but in this section I only had conversations with other PCT hikers. The topic would definitely be the trail magic as it was nice to give some other hikers something to look forward to. The trail turned toward Sheep Lake. This was probably my fourth Sheep Lake so far, but it was by far the busiest. There were people all around. I was glad I did not need water, because I am sure there was a bit of bacteria in that water.
After Sheep Lake, the trail climbed quite steeply and it was becoming a rather warm afternoon. It was a little bit disconcerting to have other hikers passing me by while I took a break to fuel up in the shade. I felt a bit like an outsider here with all of the day hikers. Still, people were friendly and I talked to quite a few people. As I approached Sourdough Gap, I was happy to see the trails diverting. The way that everyone was going was more uphill and my way went downhill to a more open section. After this junction, the trail became much more quiet. There were still PCT hikers, but the day hikers were all heading over Sourdough Gap to Crystal Lake.
The trail eventually became a little bit more exposed. It was a narrow trail, very exposed both to the heat of the day and to the potential for long uncomfortable falls for missteps. Most of the time the PCT was smooth sailing, but this was definitely a section that I needed to watch my step. What was nice is that during this section, I actually had some phone service, so when I took a break under a shady tree, I gave my wife a call. She was just getting out of the shower, so really just starting her day when I was getting near the finish of mine. The trail continued its hot, exposed course as views down into the Crystal Mountain Ski Resort entered my view.
Personally, I had never been skiing there, but plenty of people did. Judging by the parking lot that I saw below, there were plenty of people there today for whatever summer activities were offered. It was about this time that I ran into the same guy that had camped near me by White Pass. He was asking another group for water. They were so kind to him and were offering him even more than he was taking. I try hard to not be judgmental, but I was really afraid this guy was not going to make it. Asking for water is a red flag because it means that you are not prepared. I think rule one of backpacking is to take care of yourself. I still chatted with him, but luckily I was not asked to give up any of my water.
It was a bit of a walk before the next water was on the map. It was also very exposed and somewhat warm. I was in pretty good shape, though. About this time, though, the topography changed just a little bit and the trail seemed to go in and out of a burned zone. This added to the difficulty and decreased from the scenic beauty. Still, it did not last the whole time and there were definitely plenty of wildflowers. I made it to the water spot and this one was really nice because it was coming right out of the side of the mountain. I was able to pull it right out of there without treating. That meant I saved 5 minutes and was able to keep moving. I was heading toward Martinson Gap. This was going to be about 22.5 miles on the day.
Not sure there was anything special about Martinson Gap. There was no water there and there was just camping on the map. I was ready to camp on this night and I put the spot into my GPS. I used my watch a little more than normal and soon I could see the area full of unburned trees ahead was my spot to camp. I had a small uphill to get there. When I arrived, some of the choicest campsites were taken. I am a strange one on the PCT, because I would rather camp near people, but not in there business. So I found a nice site about 100 feet away from the main area. It was right under some trees and was just flat enough for my small tent. I went through the typical motions of the nightly camp. This night there was no refilling the water bottles, so I made dinner, ate it, brushed my teeth, got in the tent, read for a little bit, and take some notes on the day. I was able to get to bed early which is just so important. There was another day tomorrow where I had to do it all again.
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