I got cold off and on last night, and kept waking up to a very damp sleeping bag.. although it was hard to tell if it was actually wet or just also very cold. I slept in until close to 7 and then started packing up.
It was BEAUTIFUL today! The sun came out mid morning and stayed out mostly all day! I got warm enough to hike without my rain jacket for the first time in days! And y’all, the views! My goodness these mountain ranges just go on forever. Some are still slightly terrifying when I think I might have to go over them when I see snow involved.. maybe snow is a new trigger for me lol
I did have some patches of snow, but they were all fine-nothing that required microspikes. I purposely stopped short today just in case this next mountain pass has some on it-I can do it in the morning and not be so tired. Because this 15 miles definitely wore me out. Once I got to the top of one mountain, I spent most of the morning going downhill on switchbacks which were great.
Then, in the valley, it was overgrown and had fallen trees everywhere. Maybe I’m just tired from the last two big days that I couldn’t muster the energy to move any faster.. because I took it S L O W. And then, when I crossed a bigger river or creek on a little bridge and realized the sun was on it completely-I pulled out my wet tent, my bandanas, my sleeping bag liner! I laid everything out to dry, then took my socks and shoes off to let me layout to dry, too. Glorious, I tell ya.
FoodTruck passed me at this point, and asked if I was going to hike into Mazama tomorrow. Seeing my confused look he explained it to me. From where I’m camping now, in just under 10 miles I can hitch back down to Mazama and the Lions Den.. which means hot shower, clean clothes, but I’ll have to set my tent up still and sleep outside. Then, the following day, get a ride back to the trail, and it’s less than 20 miles to Stehekin.
My package is supposed to arrive in Stehekin on Monday. Going to the lions den would mean getting to Stehekin on Sunday, my current plan has me getting there on Saturday. If I can get lodging on Saturday and Sunday in a bed and also have a private bathroom, I feel like I want to take it. Bleh, so much to think about, all while not having service. Makes things a bit tricky. What if I get to Stehekin and they don’t have any rooms left and I’m still camping?!
Ok-so-these are all the thoughts that kept my mind busier than my legs today. After I repacked everything and started walking again, I was no faster, but my stuff was dry.. so I’m happy. I finally made it to a campsite I was looking for by 5pm. I could have walked the 2 more miles to the next site, but the switchbacks I can see from over here look like they end in snow over there, and I’m just not equipped to deal with that anymore today.
I have a gorgeous view, and the sun is out. I accidentally ate dinner before 6 after I set up camp. Ooops. As I was just sitting and admiring my situation, listening to a new Audiobook (I hope I remember to download more when i get to service), non other than MARGOOOO appears!! She never went back to town, she just backtracked to a safer place to wait out the storm! And she was able to fix her sleeping pad! I am so happy she’s here tonight, and I have someone I “know” around. Not to mention, she keeps me laughing.
We talked while she set up her camp. She hasn’t seen the rest of our shuttle ride crew either. Im hoping I run into them soon. When she started making her dinner, I decided to come lay down. Knock this post out-get warm-hopefully fall asleep before 9 haha! I really do feel very worn out, maybe some extra sleep is just what I need. Goodnight y’all.
I went much farther today than I thought I would, especially after yesterday being a long day, too. I didn’t even get on trail until 8:15, thanks to being cold, damp, and slow to pack up and eat breakfast. My lighter wouldn’t work this morning, which would be a big problem if my jetboil “starter” button didn’t eventually catch to start the flame to heat my food. It’s always been finicky, which is why I have the lighter. Shit.
It was damp outside but not actively raining. The morning went by fast and I started to pass new hikers coming in from Hart’s Pass. I asked a few if the road was open, as in-for me to walk 10 miles down, to get a lighter.. and then take a hot shower at the Lions Den to warm up for the first time all week, but they all said no, not yet. I wasn’t about to hike an extra 20 miles over a lighter, I’d just have to pray the starter thingy kept working I guess, at least til I hit the next town.
The views were different, simply because there weren’t any in the white cloud I hiked in. Which was sad, because this scenery was stunning on the way in. I hope all of those hikers passing me in the opposite direction have better weather on their return. I started (and finished) an audiobook (Same Time tomorrow) and it was phenomenal. I never saw any of my friends. I guess they had stopped before me or were never in front of me to begin with.. which also makes me wonder if those footprints and arrows were really from FoodTruck and not Marquis afterall.
I passed one couple and we chatted a bit. They asked about conditions, I was honest. I asked about the road, they shot down my hopes. I told them about my lighter situation and the girl of the couple dropped her pack and dugout hers to give me! WHAT?! She’s like, “why not? We have two” wow the kindness of strangers!
I made it to Hart’s Pass and got my food for the next 3 days out of the bear box. I verified that my friend’s food was all still there. I talked to the big group of hikers at one of the picnic tables that were just getting up from the 10 mile road walk. I used the pit toilet, I laid on another picnic table with my socks and shoes off-letting my toes air out.. and then I got cold.
It was only 3:30pm. I could set up camp here somewhere, or I could hike 5-6 more miles into the unknown and camp there, closer to 6pm and be warmer longer by moving. If I waited, I bet my friends would camp here.. ah, I was too cold. So I put my socks and shoes back on, loaded in my new food, and set off.
The clouds lifted a bit and man was I glad! The views are simply breathtaking.. the climb was too.. haha but it did make me warm up. I had to cross a bit of snow, one section that I put my microspikes on to be safe.. the others weren’t bad at all. Every turn I kept saying, “WOW,” out loud. I wish I could describe it better for you.. being able to see the tiny trail sketched into the side of this massive mountain that I’m just walking along.. besides magical I’m at a loss for words.
When I got to where I wanted to camp, I set my stuff down and ventured down the side trail to the tiny snowmelt stream to get water. There were more campsites down this way, too.. but all of them, minus one, was lumpy or slanted-and the one good one had FoodTruck’s tent at it already. He was inside, I whispered a hello just incase he could hear me, but I got no response.
On the way back from getting water, there was a deer just standing beside his tent! I snapped a pic. It was pretty neat. I set up my camp, dried my tent out with my already damp sleeping bag liner, which now I can’t use tonight to help keep warm. Fudge. But it had to be done, and it was either that or a layer of clothing, and in the cold weather, those are too precious to give up.
As I ate dinner, I walked around with my bowl, eating and moving to attempt to keep warm. It wasn’t working but the rocks were colder to sit on. The deer came and visited me, without a care or scare in the world. It kept its distance but circled the area, checked everything out. I pray it, or the nosey chipmunks I also saw around, don’t try to chew on my tent strings-or tent at all for that matter.
It’s 9:20pm and the sky is still light. It’s so crazy to me. I think I may have some snow to traverse tomorrow, but it shouldn’t be anything sketchy as all the people I saw leaving harts pass have already gone up and over everything ahead of me anyway. So it should be ok 🙂 I guess I’ll find out tomorrow either way, huh? I haven’t had service since the start of this new journey, I’m itching to call my mom and hear her voice. Some of the comments mention service at one of the passes tomorrow, I sure hope they’re right.
Otherwise I won’t get into town for 3-4 more days.. really hoping on the 3 and then I can zero there Sunday since I can’t get my resupply box mom mailed to me until Monday anyway. The comments say all kinds of stuff-like other places to stay that aren’t listed on the app we use. I don’t have service to find out for myself, so I also hope I don’t bust ass to get there a day early, just to have to set up my tent another 2 nights at a campground. Although I would get a hot shower and be able to do laundry. There’s something about a hotel/motel/shack with a bed and a private bathroom that’s calling my name. And God let them have an available room with a heater!
Ok, I’m shivering pretty hard now. Time to figure out how to get warm over here. Sweet dreams. Pray for warmer weather to come my way! Like-50-60s would be great. These 30s and high 20s at night (only 28 the one night, don’t let me be that dramatic) are quite colder than I thought it would be. Goodnight!
The beauty here is unmatched, but damn it’s cold as hell! That snow I thought wouldn’t accumulate to much turned our world into a winter wonderland. In the middle of the night I could see the snow piling on my tent and making it sag, so I’d break it off by pushing on it praying that was enough to not bring it down on me.
The bivvy warmed me up and I slept with it all night, of course waking up to a damp sleeping bag liner. Crap. And it wouldn’t be warm or sunny enough today to do anything about that. I woke from dream at 5:45, and it was an odd one: NancyPants Fischer was giving me a hug and when I realized it was her I squeezed her so tight she fussed at me to let go, with that laugh of hers still in my ears now (and a couple tears now, too).
Then after talking awhile, not that I can remember about what, she goes, “ok, you’re gonna be late! Get to it!” Kissed my cheek and I woke up. Dammit y’all, I really flippin miss her. With that dream on my mind, I couldn’t press snooze. And then when I noticed the white glow outside my tent, I started to panic. I quickly packed up just my food bag (after getting a snack out of it for my hip belt pocket), my electronics, and my water filtering stuff. I stuffed my sleeping bag in the dry bag and rolled it a few times, so if my tent collapsed while I was gone my sleep stuff should stay fine. I left my sleeping bag liner and the bivvy laid out to hopefully.. dry? Lol yeah right. But beggars can’t be choosers. I got my shoes on and was out the door.
My God it was a totally different scene than the one I saw before bed. Completely white all around. I peed real quick, then shoveled the snow away and off of my tent.. walked over to see if Marquis (I spelled his name wrong, still pronounced like Marcus) left his tent. I already saw his massive footsteps leading to the trail. He did, so I felt better leaving mine, too.
It was 6:15 when I passed A-Train and Drake’s tent.. no footsteps to be seen in the snow besides Marquis’ that I was following.. but I didn’t want to yell to them if they were finally sleeping well. I regretted that later, when I was worried about them not catching up to me, until they did 😉
It was completely white all around except for the set of footprints I was following. Thankfully because of him, I knew where the trail was going so my mind was at ease. I passed Wolf and two people hiking with her just as they were getting up from their tents, Pica and FoodTruck (they camped about 3 miles closer to the terminus) and they were just as shocked as I was about the snow! Hearing that first sound of “WTF?!” Had me laughing because I did the same thing-amazement, shock, slight horror. It’s one thing to wake up, look outside and see snow and then put on a sweatshirt while watching tv.. completely different feeling when it’s coming down and you’re miles and miles from safety and a warm anything.
I carried on. Not far from passing them, the snow turned to sleet, and then to rain: cold cold rain. Y’all, I was hiking in every layer I own and the cold water now seeping into my shoes, in a way the snow had not, had me shivering! It was pure torture ! It rained like this all the way to the terminus. I ran into Marquis about 15-20 minutes before reaching the border. He had the same thoughts I did.. try to get as far out of this hole and snow as possible today. The problem is, the border was 6.3 miles downhill.. which meant turning around was 6.3 uphill to pack up the stuff we left, then another mile or so of snowy/potentially more sketchy switchbacks and ridge crossings.. yikes.
I got to the terminus, walked a little farther so I can say I went to Canada.. and then took pictures to mark the occasion, before stripping some layers and protecting them inside my pack. I also decided to put my phone away too, just to be cautious, with the rain and snow.. and I felt confident I’d have footprints to follow.
I was the only person the most north on the PCT for a solid hour or so! There was no one more north than me until I ran into A-train and Drake! It was a weird feeling! I was happy to see them, just under an hour after I reached the terminus and started hiking back south. They ended up packing all their gear. We talked a bit about the plans for the day: they too wanted out of this bowl. There was a campsite 5 miles past the lake, 8 miles from the lake, and then 11 miles from the lake. The second 2 seemed safer, since those would be lower elevations, with the last one being the lowest. We all made “idk” faces and decided we’d just see how far we got.
I got back to camp at 12:30, slower than expected. I was shaking from the cold. I ate my oatmeal and drank hot coffee in my tent, letting all of those things warm me through. Then I packed as quick as I could. I had to reshovel snow off my tent before I could take it down. It was hard to do, and I kept pausing to warm up my hands. Now, I’ve realized I’ve broken both thumb nails pretty low on the nailbed.. it had to be when I was taking the tent down and forcing out frozen stakes. Before setting off, I put on my microspikes. Better to be safe!
I looked for Marquis but couldn’t see his tent.. I was pretty sure those were a second set of his footprints though, so I assumed he was in front of me. I was so thankful for him, all of the sketchy areas he would drag his trekking poles and so I could see exactly where the trail went. At the top of the switchbacks when it came time to go up to a snowy peak, he drew arrows showing the better way to go. A true Angel, seriously.
I started running into northbound hikers, at least 7-9 of them. I’d ask about Marquis and A-Train and Drake (I assumed they passed me while I was packing and eating, but I couldn’t differentiate their steps in the snow). Half the people saw all of them, the rest saw one of them.. I had no clue where anyone was. Except for Margo, one girl said she saw that Margo decided to walk back to Hart’s Pass yesterday.. her pad kept deflating and her leggings were torn, I hope she got to town and warmed up ok.
I made it to Woody Pass: the tent sites were covered in snow. I made my way down and heard an avalanche or a tree breaking and sliding towards the area we ate lunch at yesterday: note to self, don’t camp there! And all this time I never caught up to anyone. So, I kept chugging along. Around 3pm I saw a site or two that I could make work, but decided against it because I’d be cold as hell waiting for morning to come for that long. I was warming up pretty nicely with the steady movement.
I made it up Rock Pass and the sketchy snow area just after 5pm. Then, I made it to the next campsite area we had all talked about just before 6, and it was a ghost town. No A-Train and Drake.. No Marquis. Hmmm.. did they carry on to do a 23 mile day? It is all down hill from here to the campsites. Surely that’s what they did.. so I kept going another 2.3 miles.
I get to the bottom of this mountain and can see a tent! I walked over to it, and it’s not either of my friends. It’s FoodTruck that was hiking with Wolf and Pica. Only he is set up here, so he must have wanted to stop early. Dammit, where the hell are my friends?! Oh well, surely I missed them somehow. I found a flat spot with some distance between us so my crinkling and rotisserie-ing doesn’t bother FoodTruck, and I set up shop. I took my time and dried out the inside with the last bandana I have.. Then once everything was inside and set up, I ate dinner closer to the trail.
After dinner I got in bed for the night. Not long afterwards I heard a couple walk through. I popped my head out so fast hoping for my friends, but it was a different couple, Molly and Harry, hiking north at the moment. They did as I did and walked around until they found were they wanted to lay claim. And now, at 9:20pm it’s starting to get dark. My bed stuff is a little damp. I’m cold, but nothing like last night. It’s drizzling a little bit out there and I think it’s time for me to roll over and call it a night. Sweet dreams, y’all.
