Day 134-138: Switchbacks

Date September 16-20
Day 134-138
Mile 2364.5-2476
Green Gap to Stevens Pass

Day 134-Stampede!

We got up early today knowing we needed to do some big miles to get into Snowqualmie pass when we wanted to. The day was pretty simple with lots of trees and not a lot of views. There were also lots of signs of civilization such as power lines and roads. We took a small lunch with H-bomb on an old dirt road. A few hours after lunch we stumbled upon some trail magic.








Some former thru hikers were doing trail magic on weekends at stampede pass. We got got dogs and hamburgers, cookies, drinks, and candy. It was really amazing and we sat there and chatted for awhile. We left the trail magic and hiked on two miles. The mileage was a little less than we had desired but it was alright. What a great day and amazing country in Washington!

Day 135-Snoqualmie Pass

Today we woke up knowing we only had 16 miles to get to the pass and get food! We did the miles quick and the terrain was forested and view less like the day before. We hit the 2400 mile mark!








We got into town got our package and went to get food at the restaurant nearby. After eating to our hearts content we sat on the curb pondering what to do. I suggested we stay the night at the wonderful Summit Inn where we had just eaten lunch. After a few minutes of talking it over we decided to spend the night. We did our last load of laundry and other town chores we needed to get done. We went to dinner with Holstein, Lunchbox, Cosine, and I think there was one more.




It was a great night and after a long dinner we went back to our room and watched a little tv. We were happy to enjoy the comforts of a hotel for likely the last time on the trail.

Day 136-Alpine Lakes

We woke up in good spirits and got everything ready to go quick. On our way out of the hotel we decided to stop for breakfast. We ate with lunchbox and Uhaul and had a nice big breakfast. The hike out of Snoqualmie was good and we entered the amazing alpine lakes wilderness.








It was very pretty with amazing views. We talked to some day hikers and took lunch by an alpine lake. I think we just ate way too much junk food at lunch because I didn't feel good the rest of the day. I figure I ate about 1400 calories of gas station junk food in a few minutes. The going was slow the rest of the day but we still did 21 miles. It was a great day and we found a cool camp spot by a rushing river.

Day 137- Smokey

We wanted to get up early today but it was too cozy so we just slept in. Despite the late start we still got hiking at a good hour. The hike was through some amazing alpine areas which meant a lot of elevation gain and decent all day. We must have climbed at least 100 switchbacks in this section.












There was lots of smoke in the surrounding valleys and there seems to be fires everywhere. The day was good and we hiked on with headlamps hoping to find a spot by a river described as a dangerous crossing in early season. We took this to mean it would be an easy crossing this late in the season. We followed the trail to the river which ended in a sharp drop off into rushing whitewater. We considered camping on the side of the river we were on but there was recent rockfall activity and it didn't look very safe. We had to cross the river in the dark with only headlamps. After a while we found a safe spot to cross on a log/rock crossing and didn't even get our feet wet. We were so glad that what initially looked like a bad situation turned out to be quite easy. By the time we found a camp spot we had done almost 30 miles through rough terrain and we were very proud. Despite the long day I still cooked myself some Mac & Cheese in the dark. It was worth it.

Day 138-Stevens Pass

We had a pretty full day from where we camped to where we wanted to get to which was Stevens pass. We hiked all day relentlessly only stopping for a small lunch and a small break.








The terrain was amazing! There were huge glacially carved alpine lakes and huge peaks all around us. The northern part of Washington is unbelievably pretty and supposedly only gets better. It is weird to think we only have 8 days of hiking left after today and we will be done with the PCT. We got to Stevens pass by 6 and took a small potty stop. We crossed the road to some other hikers who were hitching and got a ride almost instantly. When we were getting in the car Jenna realized she didn't have her phone. We thanked the driver for the offer and I ran back to the bathroom where Jenna thought she may have left it. Fortunately it was there and we resumed our hitch hiking. We got a ride from the first truck that passed. It was an awesome lady named Kat who had a truck full/trailer full of hay. We got into Baring before dark and met several new hikers. The first thing we did was get our resupply boxes and get showered. We did our resupply and did everything we needed to do at this stop. After finishing everything we watched the movie Seven and went to bed. It was a great day and we have our passports and Canada entry permits now! It is a really weird feeling knowing how little we have left to hike. A little less the 200 miles. It has been amazing and can't wait to see the rest of Washington.

-Natey

Days 130 - 133: warm and sunny...Washington

Sept 12 - 15
Days 130 - 133
Mile 2274.3 - 2364.5
Goat rocks - Green gap

Day 130: Why the pacific crest trail is called the pacific CREST trail!

Today was awesome and we took so many pictures! It was another day like we had in three sisters wilderness. After 4 days of hiking in forests we emerged into one of the most awesome and beautiful places on the trail. Goat rocks wilderness kept us occupied all day and was filled with wildflower meadows, rock walls, far reaching views, and waterfalls.












We got views of mt. Adams behind us. Apparently there is a fire that might close the PCT that we just missed again. It made the day pretty hazy but we were so lucky have nice weather. Someone we know on the trail hiked goat rocks a few years past in a whiteout snowstorm .




In front of us we saw massive and majestic mt. rainier, the highest peak in the cascade range.




The trail climbed over a saddle and we began a section of trail called the knifes edge. To the left was Packwood glacier and to the right was McCall glacier. So the trail walked between them right along the crest of the ridge. If you look at these pics you can see the trail in the distance.












While goat rocks was amazing, it was really rocky so we didn't make very good time. After we came down from the knifes edge, we made much better time and were able to finish the last climb before white pass. While treating my water for the night I realized my aquamira bottle had a crack in it and the entire Part B solution leaked all over my backpack and hands. I washed my hands in the dirt and tried to get my pack as clean as possible. Then one of the zippers on my pack broke which was frustrating. We slept just below a saddle with a really cool sunset and views of mt. Rainier.




Day 131: where hikers go

It was a little warmer last night and we did an ok job of getting up today and were hiking by 8:00. It was a clear morning with beautiful views.












The trail was easy and fast and we got to the highway by 10:00. Surprise! There was more trail magic from Lost and Found. We have been so lucky in Washington so far.




We got chili, rice crispy treats, and fritos. We walked to the kracker barrel store and resupplied, ate, and charged batteries. We both heard from our parents who each sent the last box of the trip! There were about 20 hikers there throughout the day. A few hikers offered us a shower in their room they bought for the night. We took them up on their offer and talked with them for a while. We walked back out to the trail and hiked in a few miles. On the way we saw about 10 crows fly up from a spot in the woods. We checked it out and it turned out to be a dead deer/elk with no head whos intestines and other internal organs were all torn out. We have seen a lot of bow hunters lately and were thinking that maybe someone killed it and just took the head but we were confused. We picked a nice flat spot and watched a beautiful sunset. We are rejuvenated and excited for this section. We are still happy to be here and are loving this adventure and every day we are lucky enough to do it. We just heard today that a hiker broke his ankle 6 miles from the Canadian border. 6 miles!! Things can change so quickly and this was a quick reminder that even though Canada feels close, things can change in an instant.

Day 132: The sun really does shine at 7 am

It was a warm night and we both loved it. It felt so good to be warm and cozy in our sleeping bags. It made it easier to get up and we were hiking by 7:15 which is really good compared to our recent record. The morning was warmer too and we walked through meadows, wildflowers, and forests in William O. Douglas wilderness.




We stopped for a long lunch at a creek. Just as we were leaving we saw David and Brit and we leapfrogged with them the rest of the day. The afternoon was even prettier than the morning.












At one point we felt raindrops but there was no cloud in the sky. It was very weird. We entered mt. Rainier state park and saw the gigantic mountain up close. We glimpsed yet another fire.




We stopped early at sheep lake but we were still able to get in almost 29 spectacular miles today.




Day 133: The Lorax

The night was warm and we woke up on time again. The morning was spent weaving through hills and cliffs in the Norse peak wilderness. I loved it!












The leaves are starting to change color and it feels like fall. We ate lunch at a spot overlooking mt. Rainier and the temperature was perfect.




In the afternoon we left public land and entered private land that our guidebook describes as view less and heavily logged. Here we're some of the views we saw.












I'm going to have to agree with the guidebook. We finished 30 miles before dark and set up camp on an unremarkable spot , ready for bed.

-Jenna
-Be Free

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-Be Free

Day 126-129: The Many Faces of Washington

September 8-11
Day 126-129
Mile 2174.2-2274.3
Rock Creek to Goat Rocks Hill

Day 126-A bit of a Tunnel

We camped with a lot of people last night! More than we have camped with the whole trip. We got hiking at a decent hour and made good miles today. We were in a tunnel of trees today with limited views. On days like these we listen to podcasts and audiobooks a lot. Right now our audiobook we are listening to is " A Dance With Dragons" book 5 of the song of ice and fire series. Some of the podcasts we listen to are Planetary Radio, Radio From Hell, Geekshow Podcast, the Instance, Mysterious Universe. They are all pretty entertaining to us. We set up camp near some weekend backpackers who want to hike the pct in a few years. We made our dinner with them and chatted with them late into the night. They gave us a bottle of Nutella that we were very grateful for. Realistically we would carry 1 bottle a day of that stuff for us but that's just to heavy. We went to bed as some of the stragglers we have been hiking near came into camp. Great day! Sorry didn't take many photos today for some reason. We did cross mile 2200 today!




Day 127-Welcome to Washington

Last night we woke up to the sounds of thunder and lighting and the soft patter of rain on our tent. When we finally got up for the day it was foggy, cold, and rainy just like we expected Washington to be.




We hiked on through the mist that looked really cool through the trees. After a few miles we came upon a candy cache in buckets. We were both very excited and happy to take a bag of candy. Very unexpected. The hike the rest of the day was cold and we barely took any time off for lunch. We saw what we thought was a fire off on the distant Mt. Adams. As we were hiking we met some trail crews that confirmed there were some fires on Mt. Adams and that the trail may be closed. We didn't worry too much because that was a few days hike still.




Near the end of the day we got to a dirt road and there was some amazing trail magic. Some former through hikers had set up camp to help out hikers for a night. We had a fire to get warm by and ate Chili dogs and bananas with marshmallows cooked in tin foil over the fire.




It was a great night and we ended up stopping for the day. We camped with magic bag, Uhaul, Tangent, Holstein, and Tank.

Day 128-More Cold Weather...and magic!

We woke up today and Toby, Casey & his wife ( the trail angels) had made some coffee, eggs, and bacon. It was really yummy and a great way to start out the day. It had been a very wet night so the shell our tent had been soaked. Everything else was dry though and for that we were grateful. We hiked on through forest all day catching glimpses of Mt. St Helens and Mt. Adams occasionally.








We dried our things out at lunch and pushed on toward Mt. Adams.




As we were hiking along the trail up towards the mountain Jenna stopped and hushed me. In front of us on a log was a cat standing up on its hind legs. It stared at us curiously for a few seconds before running off. It looked just like a kitten but we are not exactly sure if that's what it was. It sure was cute though. We took a few steps around the bend and off to our left was a bear cub sitting eating berries. We sat and looked at him for a second before some other hikers came along. He ran off before they could see him. We hiked on and camped beneath the base of Mt. Adams with Magic Bag.




We had a great sunset tonight and an ominous view of the clouds.




Day 129-10 AM

We woke up at 9 am today and got hiking at 10 am...not bad. It was so cold we simply could not get out of the tent. When we got up we had amazing views of Mt. Adams without any smoke or clouds. The hike today was pretty simple mainly through trees. The rivers by where we camped had all frozen over in the night. We also had some amazing views of Mt. Adams and the distant Mt. Rainier.








There were a few section hikers we chatted with and some other day hikers. We entered goat rocks at the end of the day too.




It was a fairly uneventful day until dark came around. We hiked on till dark to get in some miles and to try and get to a camp site. When we got to the supposed site there was no good spot like the map said. It was dark so we may have missed it but we just kept going because it was too cold. We ended up hiking on a few miles till we found a spot that would work. It was not a great spot so we ended up digging out a spot for an hour so we could set up the tent. We went to bed very sleepy and somewhat grumpy. The cold is kind of getting to our mental well being. But we are staying strong.



It is a cold night again. It is an interesting observation that our first two nights in Washington were two of the hottest nights we have had so far, the next two nights were two of the rainiest, and the next two nights were two of the coldest. Washington weather can change so quickly and we feel like we have gotten a taste of that in this section.

-Natey