I flew into Portland and got a ride with some trail friends to Cascade Locks. We'd met atop Kearsarge two seasons before, and I'd given them a ride into town for their PCT resupply. I was wrapping up my somewhat ill-fated Gardiner Basin loop that I've posted about here, and we'd stayed close.
I crossed the Bridge of the Gods around 6 pm, eager to get moving. The next few days would be sunny skies and green tunnels. The bug pressure was very low, with a few exceptions, and with the weather so good, I cowboyed every night. On the third full day, enthusiastic and very out of shape, I pushed 30 miles to set up for a resupply in Trout Lake in the morning. Overall, this first section was pretty, quaint, occasional views of a distant volcano, but nothing earth-shattering.
The next morning, I hobbled around the town on sore legs. The diner, coffee shop (attached to the diner) and gas station (parent building of both) sit on one corner of an intersection. The grocery store is just across the way, and that's most of what I saw of the town. I wish I had stayed longer. The community cares deeply about hikers, with an ongoing bragging-rights competition about who can provide the most hitches, and with the grocery store owners going out of their way to stock everything hikers wanted. I heard they visit the desert in May to see what the popular hiker snacks of the year are.
The views truly opened up after leaving TL and approaching Mt. Adams. The trail winds around the base of the volcano, and provides some extraordinary views. I was so excited to be here that I continued moving very quickly, covering 20 miles despite not getting on trail until 1 pm.
There was a slightly dicey glacial runoff crossing around 7 pm, but I'm glad I did it. My camping spot that night gave me extraordinary views of my first real sunset of the trip. A classic Cascades gradient sky. I forgot to make dinner until the sun went down, I was entranced.
The next morning, smoke started blowing in from the Goat Rocks fire, and the days were overcast and hazy with smoke. The sunsets lasted hours, but everything was cast in that deep red glow, the sun obscured. Walking into the south border of Goat Rocks, I hailed the forest service via InReach and confirmed that the trail through the park was open. They confirmed, and the next morning, I made it all the way through. The trail became steeper, rockier, slow going. But this also may have been because I was distracted with the views.
As I got closer to the fire location, things got a little more hazy, with most of the dramatic views obscured. I was a little saddened to not see some of the classic views-- Rainier was invisible, the spine trail was barely there. But I was still having an amazing time and was blown away by the scenery. I was visited at the top of the spine trail by a large group of butterflies. There didn't seem to be any flowers around, and I was curious if they'd been forced here by the smoke.
After Goat Rocks, the smoke cleared, but the weather soured. The next 4 or 5 days were cloaked completely in fog and rain. The Kracker Barrel at White Pass was a welcome respite, resupply and showers, but I almost never saw the sun between Goat Rocks and Snoqualmie Pass. There aren't many pictures from this time and not much to say, including through Rainier National Park, but I had a brilliant time walking through the clouds. It never rained enough to ruin my day, and most days, I was able to find time to dry out my gear. The, frankly, very poor LNT by PCTers had led to a norovirus outbreak along this section, and I boiled most of my water sources, just to be certain. The Sierra White Mountain Flower is alive and well in Washington.
I stayed at the Washington Alpine Club hostel, which I highly recommend to anyone passing through-- 30 bucks for showers, beds, and meals. They were close to shutting down for the season by the time I arrived mid-September. I hitched down to Cle Elum to resupply, scope out coffee and donuts, and walk around. Despite some difficulty getting a ride back, I had a wonderful nero in Snoqualmie.
Leaving Snoqualmie and heading into Alpine Lakes Wilderness, I felt as though I was back home in the Sierra, with the exception of the colors. The exposed granite was there, sure, but there were oranges and reds and green everywhere of actual plant life! I was confused, but not unhappy.
I met and started hiking near a group of PCTers, the first folks I'd seen for more than a few minutes this trip. I nearly always hike alone, but after 10 days of solitude, the company was a nice change of pace-- someone to chat with at a water source, or to hear someone from across the lake at camp. The Alpine Lakes section truly lived up to its name.
This section was flying by, and I was going to be done at Steven's, just a few miles ahead. I had a work trip in a couple days, where I would have to seem presentable, responsible, and well-adjusted, so as much as I wanted to push more miles, I had to say goodbye to my new friends. They were doing their own grieving-- the border was closed, and so they would not be making it to Canada. They reacted in various ways-- some folks had gotten what they needed, but one group was planning a canoe trip across Lake Ross, making it to the border in their own way. I regret turning down the invite. We hitched off the mountain together, though this took some doing; with the road closed, there was almost no traffic.
We spent a celebratory night in Leavenworth, ate an incredible amount of questionably authentic Bavarian food and drank far more beer than I, at least, was ready for. The next morning, I scored a lucky hitch directly to Snoqualmie so a friend from Seattle could pick me up. I encountered some more trail friends who had been set back with injuries, and been cut off by the fire, and then my ride came. And I re-entered the world.
I hiked 320 miles in 15 days, and felt surprisingly good despite coming straight off the couch. I'd say there are two standout sections to this trip, if you're thinking about a section. From Trout Lake to White Pass, you'll go by Adams and Goat Rocks in just a few days. And from Snoqualmie Pass to Steven's Pass, you'll get Alpine Lakes. I've heard that north of Steven's is the best section of the whole state-- I'll have to go confirm for myself. There's an overly sentimental blog post with more pictures here.
Waldo
thanks for providing it! Adding it to the list!