PCT Day 51

Start: 367.8

Stop: 383.1

Today’s miles: 15.3

Total PCT miles: 570.9

I think today might be my favorite day so far on trail! If not absolutely favorite, definitely top 3.. nah, it was definitely my number one. It was unbelievable!

I slept awful, not sure why.. but I finally dozed off well after 4am and when my watch vibrated at 6:30 I did not want to get up.. but Margot and Marquis were both basically packed and staring at me through their tents. Haha. Crap. They had been trying to wake me, but I slept through their whispered calls.

They left before I had my tent packed, but I was able to quickly finish up and get on trail just before 7! Not too bad! I was happy with it. The first several miles were through the woods, the trail padded with small pine cones and soft dirt. It was around 9 when I started to climb up the steep ascent of the day, the one that took us out of the woods and into exposed stunning scenery for miles and miles all around.

We sat around and filtered snowmelt water on some rocks by a huge meadow. Snow patches were around, but nothing crazy. Jagged peaks jutted out above us and we could see Mount Rainier with every turn of a switchback. From the stream the climb got more intense and steep. We crossed lots of water and seriously I was mesmerized by the beauty of this place. It felt untouched and pristine. Tons of different colored butterflies and bees and dragonflies flitted around to all the wildflowers, the grass was popping up, so lush.

At some point we reached the ridge line and the trail weaved across the edges, with steep drop offs on one side or the other, sometimes both.. they called this part the Knife’s Edge. Looking up ahead it was easy to psych yourself out, because it looked way sketchier than it actually was. Once you were close enough to see it, it was no big deal at all. Don’t get me wrong, if you slipped and fell, well.. you’d only do it the one time.. but otherwise it was just spectacular views from every single angle.

From the Knife’s Edge the trail hit a junction, the alternate being the steep climb up to the base of Old Snowy Mountain-the steep climb included tons and tons of slate and scree to slip and twist your feet on. The regular PCT route crossed 2 snowy sections that were steep, but potentially not that bad-however the steeper, slate and scree climb was known for way better views. It’s not like it was miles and miles of an alternate trail, it was just a short but different way to get around the same mountain top.

When we finally got to the junction to either head up to the summit of Old Snowy Mountain or continue on the alternate to reconnect with the PCT, we took a break and sat at the top with stellar views, with Driver and his friend. They shared a beer with me (they had brought 3)! It was awesome, drinking a Washington made IPA at this mountain top with views of Mount Rainier, Mount St Helen’s, and Mount Adams! It really couldn’t be beat!

I sat and hung out while Marquis and Margot made the side trip to summit Old Snowy. I just didn’t want to rock climb or slide down anything extra today. When they were back, we still had almost 8 miles to make it to camp. Sheesh, the views really sucked us in today! We started heading down the other side and reconnected with the PCT. I took a wrong turn and had to back track, thankfully only after a few minutes.

The other side of this mountain was also covered in wildflower meadows and was beautiful as could be. Even still, my feet started to ache. And I realized I let my face and my legs get sunburnt. Why didn’t I put on sunscreen? I have some readily available in my hip pocket! Sheesh. I slowed way down. We all met back up at a hidden waterfall that was quite gorgeous, it’s own little oasis, and then I slowly followed them, watching as they got farther and farther ahead.

I eventually made it to camp around 6:45 ish and we went to find somewhere to set up. There’s several other people here tonight, too, including my new beer sharing friends lol. We set our tents up, got water from the lake, and immediately retreated inside our safe havens, because after a day of basically zero mosquitoes, they’re here. Ugh.

I really hope I can sleep better tonight. I’m not sure what my problem is but the last few haven’t been very restful at all. Once my phone is charged, I’m shutting my eyes and trying my best to drift off to dreamland. Goodnight y’all.