PCT section L Washington
September 2016
Rainy pass @ 4166km
USA/Canadian Boarder @ 4264 Km
Manning lodge 13.7km from boarder
Sept 3 Saturday
Excited
up at 6am
Melody and Melanie up shortly after me.
A speedy morning and out the door about 7:15am
Not long of a wait at boarder, 10 minutes
Friendly guard teased me about cheating on the pct by jumping to the end. He also teased Melody about finding a hotel last minute on a long weekend.
Stopped in Marble Mount for lunch at 11.
Huge portions.
Then the driving scenery got rugged and the elevation went up up up. A rock bolder even tumbled on the road in front of us.
Another 1:15 hours to rainy pass trail head. A wonderful but a little sad of a goodbye. A great send off. Started hiking 12:45
I sure love my family xo
I was well pleased in the pct, well engineered. The elevation climbed gradually always. Trail easy to follow. And it's true, wide enough for a horse. I didn't expect a thru hike trail to be so spectacular, but it is. Huge valley vistas with jagged peaks all around. The maximum I was only in the forest was half an hour without a view.
A steady climb up to first pass then followed the ridge for a while. Slight decline to follow the side of a mountain, considered staying at a camp here at 12km but it still was early. Then another climb to another pass. Arrived at 5pm and consider staying to camp here. The next site another 8km and all downhill, went for it! Arrived at next site at 7pm. Set up tent, spot message, dinner and clean up. Just in time before dark 8ish. Book read, The Martian, for a while. Too tired and dark for drinking tea. Sleep at 9. Restless sleep. Not use to sleeping on hard ground. Constantly turning over. 24.5km today.
Next day out of bed at 6:15, breakfast and packup. Left camp. 7:05
Mellow slight up hill climb then after 10km hit a monster climb. I was Slow but steady plodding up. Refilled water at 15km because they had a message saying no more water for 33km. Not true.
Hit harts pass at 2:45 and just in time. Trail magic! Pop, beer, wraps, fruit, salad, bacon. And, the best thing was a huge tarp set up because it just then started chucking it down. Cold rain and hail. We Kept dry half dozen hiker trash huddled under a tarp. Two had just finished but weren't allowed into Canada. One other thru and two other section hikers. All American.
Rain stopped at 3:15 and I was off again since I had a goal of thirty km today. Had a little rain on way up but nothing bad. Crossed lots of puddles and lots of hail piles on trail. Considered the next stop at 6km further than harts pass but ended at 8km past harts. 33km today.
When it's light I'm up!
Out of bed 6:10
Hot breakfast, apples and oats and tea
Cold night but kept warm in bag.
Out of camp at 7:15am
Early off the hike was mellow but of course lots of climbs, descents, and mountain views. Had a nasty half hour of rain after a nasty long slog up to a pass. "Luckily" I had a blister starting so I stopped to treat it and put on my raincoat and gloves while I was at it. 5 minutes later it started raining.
Found my final camp stop.
Nice site 6km from boarder.
Three other tents.
We All gathered around after dinner to share stories around a small fire. Neat to hear some thru hiker stories especially on their last night. 35km today
Pretty much woke up ever hour again during the night to roll over
waited for daylight. As dawn approached so did the rain. I got up at 6:10am when there is enough light to fully see. Well, couldn't hold off any longer. Did my trip first, poop in the woods. Good morning world. A clean start to the day.
Got back in my tent and started some tea brewing and began the morning packup. Warmed my belly with the tea and all packed except the tent I was in. Lordy Lordy just as its time to push off the rain stops and I pack the tent and leave camp at 7:15
Only 6km left until the boarder! 19km left until manning lodge. An eager start and I arrived at the pct end monument at 8:30. A couple from the night before, toaster & smudge*, are hanging out at the moment and so I take their pictures and they take mine a wonderful feeling. They wanted to make sure a fellow thru hiker from the night before gets his picture taken so I say I'll wait and they can push off. I wait maybe another 20 minutes before he shows, safe bet*, I take some pictures for him then push off myself to give him time to absorb the moment, his 4500+km completed. I'm in Canada ! Yippee. A steady climb up a mountain side then down the other. 13km to think about seeing Melody and our girls xo
Some bad directions delayed melody 2 hours
but we had a great meet up and meal together once she arrived. Lots of stories to swap
Then it was Home to have a nice tub soak, hugs, and a relaxing drink.
19km today
110km trip in four days three nights
* thru hikers get trail names instead of their real names to use on trail.
Rainy pass @ 4166km
USA/Canadian Boarder @ 4264 Km
Manning lodge 13.7km from boarder
Sept 3 Saturday
Excited
up at 6amMelody and Melanie up shortly after me.
A speedy morning and out the door about 7:15am
Not long of a wait at boarder, 10 minutes
Friendly guard teased me about cheating on the pct by jumping to the end. He also teased Melody about finding a hotel last minute on a long weekend.
Stopped in Marble Mount for lunch at 11.
Huge portions.
Then the driving scenery got rugged and the elevation went up up up. A rock bolder even tumbled on the road in front of us.
Another 1:15 hours to rainy pass trail head. A wonderful but a little sad of a goodbye. A great send off
. Started hiking 12:45I sure love my family
xoI was well pleased in the pct, well engineered. The elevation climbed gradually always. Trail easy to follow. And it's true, wide enough for a horse. I didn't expect a thru hike trail to be so spectacular, but it is. Huge valley vistas with jagged peaks all around. The maximum I was only in the forest was half an hour without a view.
A steady climb up to first pass then followed the ridge for a while. Slight decline to follow the side of a mountain, considered staying at a camp here at 12km but it still was early. Then another climb to another pass. Arrived at 5pm and consider staying to camp here. The next site another 8km and all downhill, went for it! Arrived at next site at 7pm. Set up tent, spot message, dinner and clean up. Just in time before dark 8ish. Book read, The Martian, for a while. Too tired and dark for drinking tea. Sleep at 9. Restless sleep. Not use to sleeping on hard ground. Constantly turning over. 24.5km today.
Next day out of bed at 6:15, breakfast and packup. Left camp. 7:05
Mellow slight up hill climb then after 10km hit a monster climb. I was Slow but steady plodding up. Refilled water at 15km because they had a message saying no more water for 33km. Not true.
Hit harts pass at 2:45 and just in time. Trail magic! Pop, beer, wraps, fruit, salad, bacon. And, the best thing was a huge tarp set up because it just then started chucking it down. Cold rain and hail. We Kept dry
half dozen hiker trash huddled under a tarp. Two had just finished but weren't allowed into Canada. One other thru and two other section hikers. All American.Rain stopped at 3:15 and I was off again since I had a goal of thirty km today. Had a little rain on way up but nothing bad. Crossed lots of puddles and lots of hail piles on trail. Considered the next stop at 6km further than harts pass but ended at 8km past harts. 33km today.
When it's light I'm up!
Out of bed 6:10
Hot breakfast, apples and oats and tea
Cold night but kept warm in bag.
Out of camp at 7:15am
Early off the hike was mellow but of course lots of climbs, descents, and mountain views. Had a nasty half hour of rain after a nasty long slog up to a pass. "Luckily" I had a blister starting so I stopped to treat it and put on my raincoat and gloves while I was at it. 5 minutes later it started raining.
Found my final camp stop.
Nice site 6km from boarder.
Three other tents.
We All gathered around after dinner to share stories around a small fire. Neat to hear some thru hiker stories especially on their last night. 35km today
Pretty much woke up ever hour again during the night to roll over
waited for daylight. As dawn approached so did the rain. I got up at 6:10am when there is enough light to fully see. Well, couldn't hold off any longer. Did my trip first, poop in the woods. Good morning world. A clean start to the day.Got back in my tent and started some tea brewing and began the morning packup. Warmed my belly with the tea and all packed except the tent I was in. Lordy Lordy just as its time to push off the rain stops and I pack the tent and leave camp at 7:15
Only 6km left until the boarder! 19km left until manning lodge. An eager start and I arrived at the pct end monument at 8:30. A couple from the night before, toaster & smudge*, are hanging out at the moment and so I take their pictures and they take mine
a wonderful feeling. They wanted to make sure a fellow thru hiker from the night before gets his picture taken so I say I'll wait and they can push off. I wait maybe another 20 minutes before he shows, safe bet*, I take some pictures for him then push off myself to give him time to absorb the moment, his 4500+km completed. I'm in Canada ! Yippee. A steady climb up a mountain side then down the other. 13km to think about seeing Melody and our girls xoSome bad directions delayed melody 2 hours
but we had a great meet up and meal together once she arrived. Lots of stories to swap Then it was Home to have a nice tub soak, hugs, and a relaxing drink.
19km today
110km trip in four days three nights
* thru hikers get trail names instead of their real names to use on trail.
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