Day 143-147: Trail Magic

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 on our third morning, the smell of day hikers as we neared the end of our trip. Meanwhile, everyone around me had begun to smell god-awful after months of being on trail.

The trail led past grassy meadows with stagnant ponds for the first several miles. I marveled as the miles flew by, passing signs, junctions, and berry patches that I recognized. There was the spot where we spent our first night – and where I dug my first-ever cat hole. Here is the spot we spent an hour gathering blueberries for our breakfast.

I stopped to filter water and to chat with Poncho – one of the hikers in the Blue Crew – about our plans for the end of the hike. After that was a big climb up to nice views of the Goat Rocks to the south. I crossed into Mt Rainier National Park, and as I began to descend, who should appear but Sailor heading south! She and Snowshoe had skipped ahead to the northern terminus and started hiking south when the McKinney fire started; now that most of Oregon had reopened, it seemed like their plan had worked well. We said our goodbyes, knowing that this was the final time our paths would cross. It was a luxury in the thru-hiking world: usually you fell behind someone or sped ahead, and there was always a chance that you’d meet again, and so goodbyes were saved until it was too late.

I set up my tent as two brothers reached the camp spot next to me. Adam was just a few minutes behind, and he scouted ahead to find room for Bubbles and Tinder. We ate dinner after getting water from the slowest trickle of the entire trail, and then Dad and Baby Bird showed up as well. I was glad I’d gotten there early, since everyone else ended up cowboy camping in whatever space they could find.

Day 144

As I hiked past the huddled shapes the next morning, Adam waved from inside his quilt. The trail led past fields of glistening lupine on its way to Dewey Lake, a proper lake worthy of a swimming break. Instead I pulled my jacket tight and shivered my way past, enjoying the views of Rainier peeking out from between the mountain ridges.

Chinook Pass was a teeming mass of day hikers and overnighters, and I stopped to fill up my water from a tiny stream above an unnamed pond while a toddler tried to dam the flow. Kid, that’s our only water source, I thought to myself as the little girl struggled in vain. I had heard about the wave of norovirus spreading through the hikers in this stretch of trail, and since my filter didn’t remove viruses from my water sources, I was being extra cautious with where I gathered water.

At the parking lot I ran into a woman with a cooler of cold drinks and a bag of snacks for thru-hikers – one of the benefits of passing a popular area on a Friday. It was a nice break before the big climb up to Sourdough Gap, but I made sure to avoid the public restroom – another possible source for the norovirus outbreak.

The rest of the day was filled with ridge walking. I reached Bear Gap around lunchtime and continued on, into the Norse Peak burn area. Clouds billowed up from the valley, not unlike the burn section near Wrightwood; but where that had been filled with poodle dog bush, here pleasant fireweed swayed in the gentle breeze. I filled up my water from an ice-cold spring a few miles before camp, joining Adam and several others in a patch of living trees. After months of baking heat and scorched earth, it was good to be back among the cold mists of Washington.

Day 145

The cold, gray weather continued into the next morning as I packed up my damp tent. I hurried along to warm up, passing the Mike Urich cabin just before noon. I had heard there might be trail magic at the next road crossing, and as I emerged from the trees I saw several familiar faces gathered around a table of food: Dad, Baby Bird, Poncho, Adam, Galadriel and Twist. There were sandwiches, fruit, vegetables, cold drinks. We sat around shivering in the damp air, one of the other hikers laughing at themselves for having considered sending home their rain gear in the next town.

I stayed for about an hour, until the cold had seeped into my very bones. It was time to get moving. A few miles later I stopped to filter water and four Belgian hikers arrived. “Stormy!” they called out, surprising me since I hadn’t talked with them before. “We have something for you – we all have something for you!” Each person proceeded to drop their backpack and proffer gifts from within: croissants, strawberries, chocolate bars, bananas. They had run into one of my friends as he tried to intersect me on trail; apparently he had walked past the trail magic without realizing I was there, but they had carried his gifts to me.

I ate my fill and shared the chocolate bars and fruit around the group. Then I donned my pack, weighed down with water and food, and hiked on into the clouds. I came across Adam a few miles later and asked if he was interested in some “real trail magic.” His interest piqued, he followed me back to my backpack and watched in surprise as I pulled out the remaining bananas, strawberries, and pastries – in the middle of nowhere. He promised to share with Bubbles and Tinder, and I left to continue on toward my planned camp spot.

Day 146

Sunshine streamed through the forest as I hiked through the chilly morning. This section of trail was crisscrossed with forest service roads and littered with clearcuts. At least the sunny slopes were ripe with berries and full of views. The trail offered up a better view of Mt Rainier than it had in the actual park, and I was excited to see some new peaks to the north that I recognized: Stuart and the Enchantment range.

I reached another trail magic event full of hikers I recognized: Grandpa, Sprinkles, Handy, Galadriel, Twist, folks from the Blue Crew (Dad, Poncho, Stryx, Mad Max). Four guys had set up tents and camp chairs beside a propane grill, with coolers of drinks, a charging station for people’s electronics, even a full-length mirror. Hikers milled about, while the hillside was dotted with gear drying in the weak sunshine. Apparently I had just missed an extravagant breakfast, but there was rumored to be an excellent lunch on the way. I relaxed in a camp chair, chatting with my old hiking friends.

Two hours later I finally started hiking again, my stomach a chasm of hunger. The guys running the trail magic event had only planned food for breakfast and dinner, and so I planned to get in a few more miles before stopping to make my lunch. I climbed up a steep hill past more forest service roads until reaching a spot with cell service. I tried calling Dov, but his phone went straight to voicemail; that was odd. I walked a little further, and then suddenly, who should appear but Dov himself! We hugged amid the bright green foliage, and then my dear friends Andy and Sheila walked down the trail as well. The three of them had planned to surprise me on trail, and it was the best “trail magic” of the weekend.

The four of us sat in the shade eating lunch – they’d brought me fresh bread, watermelon, salad – and I couldn’t stop grinning. It was wonderful being reunited with people that I had missed over the past few months, and we spent the next few hours hiking up and down the steep hills on our way to Stampede Pass. The trail led into a cleared area where powerlines soared overhead, and the slopes were dotted with bright red patches of berry bushes getting ready for fall.

Once back in the trees, we came upon Stryx and Mad Max. The latter was lying beside the trail, pale and shivering, while Stryx looked on in worry. We stopped to talk with them; Stryx said they believed several beers at the trail magic event coupled with steep hills in the warm sunshine were to blame. I stayed back, concerned about the norovirus outbreak. In the end we left them with some extra water, electrolytes, and Dov’s phone number in case they needed a ride once we all reached the car at Stampede Pass.

Too soon it was time to say goodbye once more. Dov, Andy and Sheila left to bring help to Stryx and Mad Max, while I hiked up into the trees toward my camp spot for the night. It had been an eventful day, and I found myself camping alone beside an abandoned forest road being slowly reclaimed by nature.

Day 147

I hiked past more forest roads and steep climbs toward Snoqualmie Pass. Slowly I began to recognize the peaks around me: Mt Catherine, Tinkham, Silver and Abiel Peaks. After months of making the joke myself, and then having other hikers make it for me, I’d finally “walked home.” I sped along the rocky trail, impatient to reach town. The trail led past Lodge Lake, where Dov and I had snowshoed two years ago, and then out onto the ski slopes above Snoqualmie Pass.

I had hiked half of Washington, and only 250 miles remained before I’d reach the northern terminus. In less than two weeks, I’d be done.