2022

September 6-8; Mile 2487-2550 Day 155 I woke to the smell of smoke. The weather forecast had granted a 2-day window of favorable winds to get past the two active wildfires, and I had squandered the first day by going less than 4 miles. I hiked down into the valley of smoke where the trail led past the first spot that I’d ever slept in my tent. Dov and I had hiked part of this section two years ago as a loop to Blue Lakes, and so I retraced our path that morning to

September 3-5; Mile 2465-2487 Day 152 Dov and I spent the day enjoying Leavenworth, a fake Bavarian town in the middle of Washington, as the air around us filled with haze from distant fires. My hopes from the night before – that the fires would burn out quickly, that I could wait them out and still reach the terminus, that I could even walk an alternate route to the Canadian border – had all evaporated in the morning light. The fire near the border had doubled in size overnight, the decision had been made

August 30 – September 2; Mile 2394-2465 Day 148 For almost five months I had been “walking home” toward Snoqualmie Pass and the interstate that led due west to Seattle; now as I stepped back onto trail, each step took me further away once again. Section J covered the part of the trail between Snoqualmie and Stevens Pass – at only 70ish miles, it was a popular backpacking trip for people wanting to complete an entire section of the PCT with minimal endpoint logistics. My friends and I had hiked this section southbound in

August 25-29; Mile 2295-2394 Day 143 I left White Pass early in the morning and walked back to the trail. My mind wandered back three years ago to a trip my friends and I had taken from this very trailhead north to Bear Gap and out at Crystal Mountain ski resort. It was the first backpacking trip that I’d done along the PCT, and I could still remember the awe I’d felt meeting thru-hikers who continued on toward Canada. The taste of the sun-ripened huckleberries above Chinook Pass, the mist rising above the lake

August 22-24; Mile 2258-2295 Day 140 I left behind my lonely campsite in the morning gloom and donned my rain jacket to protect me from the bugs. As the trail climbed steadily upward, I was soon drenched and had to discard my armor once more. Soon I passed the quiet tents of Adam and DD, both still asleep. The trees stayed thick and dense until I stopped for breakfast, and there the trail picked its way past avalanche fields and talus slopes with views toward Nannie Ridge. Adams was resplendent to

August 20-21; Mile 2224-2258 Day 138 The forest was chilly in the morning as I hiked the few miles to the road into Trout Lake. Clouds drifted between the trees, and a hush hung over the mountains. As I sat eating my breakfast, a squirrel sent pinecones crashing down to the forest floor from a branch far above, and the racket shattered the pressing silence. A line of hikers stood waiting for the “shuttle” into town, and I passed the time chatting with Oyster and Emperor. The latter had spent time

August 16-19; Mile 2148-2224 Day 134 Dov and I drove back to the Bridge of the Gods in the late morning. After dragging my feet, I finally set off up the trail into the trees. The air was thick and hot – with temperatures forecasted to reach 100 degrees the next two days – and my shirt was drenched in minutes. Without a breeze to lift the moisture, it stayed wet the rest of the day, and I felt like I was hiking through an aquatic center. The

August 13-15; Mile 2128-2148 Day 131 I left camp in my puffy after a cold night in my borrowed quilt. I was looking forward to carrying my sleeping bag with me through Washington. The trail led steeply down through the remains of the Eagle Creek fire from 2017. Downed, blackened trees littered the trail, but fireweed grew stubbornly amid the destruction. I had chosen to take the alternate route down past Eagle Creek and the waterfalls scattered throughout the gorge. At Tunnel Falls I

August 11-12; Mile 2088-2128 Day 129 In northern Oregon, the PCT passes next to the iconic Timberline Lodge below Mt Hood. Thruhikers look forward to the stop for months – not for the views, the architectural wonder, or the $500/night rooms. What we seek is the buffet. My camp spot had set me back too far to reach the Lodge for breakfast, and as I set out from camp I considered skipping the side trip entirely. The trail led up steep, sandy climbs with views toward the glacial outflow streams flowing