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.

PCT Washington Day 22: Suiattle Pass to Bridge Creek

I thought that when I went to sleep, I would awake in the morning to a bright sun shiny day. Unfortunately, that idea was sort of turned on its head when I heard it start to rain at 3 AM. I dreaded the getting up part that would happen in two hours. I was half awake and half asleep with the rain keeping me company, but when it was time to get up at 5 AM, the rain abruptly stopped. Still, it was very cold and the mosquitoes that were around the night before were now few and far between. I put on my soggy shoes and then it was time to start moving. This was definitely a day that I would be hiking with my poofy jacket. I didn't make it very far before some "whole thing" thru hikers flew by me. They seemed intent on making as many miles as they could as fast as they could.

I was happy that they flew by me because I needed a pit stop. After that brief break, I was just flying. The great part about getting to Suiattle Pass was that I could spend most of the day just cruising downhill. If it was a little bit warmer and a little bit drier, this would be the perfect day. It was funny, though, because in Oregon I spent so many days dealing with the heat. In Washington, I was definitely using my cold weather gear more often. I had a little bit of rain off and on too just to remind me that I couldn't expect to get dry too soon. I also got to manage more blowdowns. They were still quite frequent and it made for a difficult hike even with the trail being downhill. The scenery was pretty awesome, though, as I was in this huge mountain valley.

Each step further downhill, made the mountains seem to rise to impressive heights all around me. I had been hiking for a couple of hours when the forest seemed to change. There were still blowdowns, but now the needles seemed dead. There were big trees standing straight and proud, but the ends of their needles seemed to be brown. There were also little trees with the same issue. Having been around beetle kill in Rocky Mountain National Park, I figured this was something similar. When I asked other hikers if they knew, I got everything from disease, to drought, to insects, so I am not entirely sure. What I did know is that I was happy that the day was nice and cool because these trees looked like a tinder box ready to explode. The trail continued downhill and I had hiked about 7 miles when I came to the South Agnes Creek ford. This turned out to be the hardest ford on the entire trip. I could have easily crossed the creek getting my feet wet in the process. Considering that they were just beginning to dry out, I did not want to do that. Instead, I found a log and began to walk across it. It was rather narrow and about the middle of the creek, I realized that this long was pretty far off and I was risking serious injury by making this crossing. 

If I fell here, that would have been a bad decision. Considering the numbness in my right foot, I should have thought a little bit more. Still, I made the crossing without issue and I lived to continue on down the hill. It wasn't much after this that the trail suddenly became better. There were instantly no trees down. It was brushed on the sides. It felt as if I was flying because I wasn't having to climb up and over something. I can't say for sure whether I enjoyed this more or less, because having some difficulties to encounter does make it feel a bit more adventurous, but what I do know is that I could kind of take my mind off the trail for a little bit and just hike. I was listening to Audible, and that made the time go by faster. 

It wasn't that I necessarily loved the book I was listening to, but I felt like I had the ability to focus on it a lot more without obstacles coming my way. The forest was awesome. There were big trees around including a few cedar trees that just had a massive base. This was a very pleasant forest and became even more so the further I went downhill. After starting at 6000 feet in the morning, I was going to end up below 2000 feet at Stehekin in the evening. For all of the twists and turns I had taken getting around Glacier Peak, this was just a straight shot following the South Fork of Agnes Creek for many, many miles. The people I talked to on the trail seemed much more pleasant and excited than they had seemed days earlier. I was beginning to meet more people just starting their journey as Stehekin seemed to be a destination that many backpackers were using as a starting out point. They were excited for their journey and I was getting a lot of congratulations for almost being done with mine. At this point, I was finally feeling as if there was nothing that was going to stop me and I was just going to have to gut out anything that could stop me for another week or so. My foot pain was ever present, but I knew I would recover from that eventually. 

Instead, I just got to enjoy the lovely river as I hiked along. Occasionally, I would stop to take it in. If it was a warmer day, I am sure that taking a dip in the cool waters would have been inviting. It was definitely beginning to warm up, but not nearly enough that a swim in a glacial creek seemed like the right idea. I continued downhill and the gorge just seemed to get deeper and deeper. I figured out the allure of Stehekin. Here you had this low mountain valley surrounded by these tall peaks that rose thousands of feet from the valley below. It was very similar to hiking in the Grand Canyon where you just keep getting deeper and deeper and the cliffs seem to stay the same height. 

Soon, I was crossing into Lake Chelan National Recreation Area and the paranoia started to take over a little bit. I had received a long distance permit from the PCTA when I started my trip. After my first stop, though, I had apparently tossed it out. The only place on the whole trip that I was going to need that, was inside North Cascades National Park. The time I was going to be in North Cascades National Park was very small as for the most part I would be in Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, but the place I wanted to camp, Bridge Creek, the permit was necessary. I decided to just risk it. I didn't really feel like I was breaking the rules because I had intended to follow the rules, but I was going to have to be a little bit more stealth. 

The trail was even better as I got closer and at about 4 PM, I was crossing the river into North Cascades National Park along a beautiful bridge. Just getting here, I had already hiked 19 miles this day. My feet were sore. More so, my right foot, but even my left was a little sore from having hiked with soggy feet most of the day. My shoes were getting better, though, as the sun and the drier, lower elevation was helping to wick the moisture away. After crossing, the bridge, I used the bathroom in the campground, then after a little bit of wandering around, I was able to locate the trail. To Bridge Creek I shall go. It was only another 5 miles of hiking to get to Bridge Creek, but it was uphill after a day of smooth sailing. 

The trail was in worse shape and seemed almost dried out. There were horse droppings everywhere as this seemed to be a popular spot for horseback riding. It felt almost urban and for many people, this was a necessary stop along the PCT. For me, though, I just wanted to be back in the wilds. The trail took me by Howard Lake that seemed to be filled with lily pads. This looked like a very pleasant spot and was probably a popular day hike for people coming up from Stehekin. The PCT followed the Old Wagon Trail which you could see the wideness of the trail at places was meant for something larger than a hiker. It felt like Bridge Creek was farther away than it should be when I finally rolled into camp at 6:45 PM. I took the first campsite that I saw with a picnic table that I later learned were reserved for the more prestigious guests, not PCT hikers. I didn't find that out until the morning, so I just went through my normal routine of setting up the tent, getting my comforts ready for bed, making and eating my dinner, filtering water, and finally laying down my weary head for the evening. I was tired and I wasn't even bothered by the smell of the bathroom that occasionally wafted into my camping area. Instead, I got to sleep early as usual with the nights starting to come a little bit sooner each night.  

PCT Washington Day 21: South Fork Milk Creek to Suiattle Pass

There is something altogether uneasy about being asleep in a tent and hearing the sound of raindrops hit the tent. Even if the rainfly is working sufficiently and the gear and the people are staying dry, there is still the feeling that it is only a matter of time before the morning will come and the weather will be upon you. That in all your efforts to keep yourself clean and dry, you shall be thwarted and the day will be spent with soggy feet and damp clothing. 

That was today whether I liked it or not. Getting out of the tent at 5:00 in the morning, I could see the European couple near me finishing their packing. I would see them not far down the trail. The weather was not particularly horrible, it was just wet enough to make everything just a little bit miserable. The rain was coming down, though lightly, it was enough to make things rough. The worst part about it, though, was that I was going right by the junction for Grassy Point Trail. The terrain was such that each step that I took made my shoes just about as saturated as they could possibly be. There is nothing you dread more in rainy conditions than a meadow because there is no tree cover to protect you or the ground either. Though beautiful on a sunny day, meadows make conditions much more challenging. On the bright side of things, though, since I had camped at high elevation, this gave me an easy morning. I would be spending the next nine miles dropping elevation down to the Suiattle River and then I would spend most of my day walking next to it. This meant that my grassy meadow would begin to turn into thick bushes again. These thick bushes were just as rich with salmon berries as the bushes yesterday and I made sure to get my fill of fresh morning fruit. Then it would go downhill some more until I was in thick forest. 

This would be great if it wasn't for the blowdowns. This is the northwestern portion of Washington, so these blowdowns were not small trees. Sometimes it would take a lot of energy to get up, over, or around these trees and then hidden behind the first was just another and another to climb over. With a big pack on and a sore foot, this was a task that I was starting to get frustrated with. I would estimate that I had gone through hundreds of blowdowns when at 10:30 AM, the suddenly stopped. It was like a miracle, but really it was just the upper limit of where the trail crew had reached. I spent the next several hours walking by the Suiattle River feeling like I was making incredible time. 

As I continued to lose elevation, the forest definitely changed quite dramatically. I would go from 6000 feet in the morning to below 3000 feet when I crossed the Suiattle River at noon. Though the weather was still wet, it was definitely a bit warmer and the morning had been relatively easy compared to my big day the previous day. I was hoping that the rain would stop, but I was ungraciously rewarded each time I thought this could be it with a stronger shower that would refreshen the dampness through my body. Crossing the Suiattle River was a big deal though, because this meant that the trail was going to lead me away from Glacier Peak and toward the Stehekin area which I was excited to see tomorrow. 

For now though, a beautiful bridge took me across the large glacier charged river and now I would be walking uphill again. At first, this was not much as the trail was sort of up and down and mainly by the river. I was surprised today how very quiet the trail was. I was barely seeing a soul out here. I knew the rain would detract from people coming in from other places, but even PCT hikers may have been hiding out on this day. When I talked to some people about this day later on, many of them did spend the day in their tent. I couldn't imagine doing that just to stay dry. I was still enjoying this day, but it was definitely one that I was happy to put some miles behind me as I continued up the river.

After about 14 miles hiking on the day, I came to Miners Creek where there was a very detailed and fantastically created bridge. This sort of marked the end of my flat hiking and was the unofficial end of the clear trail. After this the blowdowns were back to make the end of my hiking day a workout. Instead of following the Suiattle River, I was now following the uphill path of Miner's Creek. This would take through many switchbacks and even a burned out area from a recent fire, probably only last year. The forest just felt so dark and cold. It was a little lonely and ominous at this point too and with more blowdowns to go over, resulted in what felt like an almost melancholy type mood for the day. Still I continued on uphill.

The goal for the day was to make it to Suiattle Pass. It felt like I was going to make it there, but how was it going to be once I made it there? Would I just spend a night in the wet and cold. As I walked through the clouds, I began to notice a shift in the weather. Climbing uphill, the temperature was dropping, but I was also starting to come out of the wet, damp, fog of a cloudy day and the sun was beginning to peak its head through the clouds. I hoped for some excellent scenery as if it was going to be a rainy day, at least I wasn't missing out on the mountains that are around me since I was in the forest anyway. I came to the second junction of Miner's Creek where I saw a very nice campsite. It was still early in the day and I just could not get myself to give it up here. There would be sufficient water, but it just felt like I needed to get to Suiattle Pass to feel like I was making it out of the valley surrounding the Suiattle River. After leaving Miner's Creek, the trail became much steeper with switchbacks frequently. After passing another opportunity to camp with the junction of the Miner's Ridge Trail, the views really opened up and I even experienced something that I had not seen all day. Sunshine! From someone who had been outside for many days in a row now, this was the most that I appreciated it on the whole trail. 

It still was not warm, but at least it was not wet. I continued to climb on and on until finally reaching Suiattle Pass. Here, I looked for a campsite and there was one right at the pass, but there was no water. So I continued further. I had already hiked around 21 miles and 22 seemed to be my daily average. There was one marked on the map and sure enough when I got there, there was even a sign saying camp this way. I followed it and there was a nice big open site for me and me alone. I quickly settled in, set the tent up, and got my wet clothes hanging up on the clothes line. I was pretty doubtful that anything was going to completely dry in this weather, because although it was sunny, it was still cold and rather humid. 

I was fortunate to have water at my campsite, but I was also unfortunate to have mosquitoes. All day long I had battled the rain, which at time dumped torrents upon my head. Now that I was in camp, the mosquitoes did not allow me a great amount of time to enjoy the sunny conditions and after doing my camp chores, I was soon hiding away in my tent. There was not anyone to talk to on this day anyway except I could have had a conversation with the unhappy hiker who had to look for another site after wandering into mine looking for a place for himself for the night. When I heard him, I was unaware if it was an animal, so I got out to see a human with a backpack scampering away. I was happy to have my nice dry tent, but I knew that tomorrow would be spent with more wet feet as the sun quickly sank below the level of my campsite, so it was not out long enough for me to enjoy it or for it to get any of my gear dry. Oh well, I will continue on regardless.