August 19, 2016

Bushcamp (mile 2516.9) to Miners Creek (mile 2541.9)

Miles: 25

Our total miles: 2135.6

The wind howled most of the night but we slept well. Our wonderful tent kept us warm with its elevated, thin Silnylon panels.

When we awoke we were happy that nothing was wet. Being above tree line condensation was a concern. 

When Andy went to retrieve our Ursacks he noticed one of our sit pads was missing. He hoped it hadn’t been carried too far from our tent by the wind. 

He found it in a drainage about 100 feet from our campsite.

When we left camp around 6:20am the air was smokey and many of the glorious mountains surrounding us were blanketed by haze.

Today it smelled like there was a fire nearby, much more than yesterday. We weren’t very concerned though – at least Andy wasn’t. 

As we switchbacked down to Mica Lake we discussed whether we should have an exit strategy. It’s instances like these when a larger Forest Service map comes in handy. 

Our apps and Halfmile maps cover the PCT but don’t offer much in the way of where side trails and Forest Service roads lead. 

The smoke made for a beautiful sunrise, the sun blood orange and already relentless.

The mountains surrounding Mica Lake were being kissed by the sun when we got there. 

We were glad we camped where we did because there were lots of people camped near the small lake. 

Who can blame them? Mica Lake is really pretty. It reminded us of our favorite alpine lakes in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. 

One of the people we met today was Sauté. He is section hiking Washington and dealing with lots of gear failures, his water filter being one of them. 

We gave him some Nutrasilver colloidal silver to purify his water as we had extra. Hopefully this relieved some of his worries. 

Past Mica Lake we descended our second series of many switchbacks to come (the first set were descending to the lake).

We were sightly worried about today because we were already tired and were facing a 25 mile day that included 6,000+ feet of elevation gain and over 9000 feet elevation loss. 

Halfway down our worries were relieved since the switchbacks were gently graded. The miles came easy, except for the times when we had to steeply ascend or descend use trails to get around downed trees. 

A few switchbacks before we reached Milk Creek we ran into Billy Goat hiking southbound! Billy Goat is a hiking legend and someone Andy has talked about often on this hike. He is in his 80s and has more than 40,000 PCT miles under his feet. 

We chatted for about 15 minutes before going our separate ways. Billy Goat walked with a slight limp and had a very genuine smile – the type of smile that comes from a content heart.

As we parted ways we took a few steps and turned in his direction, smiling with admiration, only to find him turned around looking towards us with a similar smile. 

After crossing the very fast flowing Milk Creek (Creek? Really? This thing was raging!) we then climbed over 3000 feet on gently graded switchbacks. At times it was hard to breathe given the smoke.

The abundant thimbleberries helped Andy forget about the smoke, but the same can’t be said for Laurie. 

She felt robbed of views. And that she had lost and other people ahead of us had won because they got to see the views and we didn’t.

“What’s the difference between smoke and rain?” Asked Andy. “At least we’re not wet and miserable.”

He’s a voice of reason but sympathizes with Laurie’s feelings. We did all the hard work the last few days to be here, but we don’t get to see any of it.

All we can do is accept that this is what we’re encountering and enjoy what we can. 

Laurie’s nose was burning and her lungs were feeling irritated from the smoke, so she tied her banana over her face, resembling the hiking bandit. 

This didn’t last long though as her dark glasses kept fogging up with each breath. 

On our descent we met and hiked with Bonus Miles. Fires forced him out at Stevens Pass last year. He’s back to finish his thru hike from Stevens Pass to Stehekin. 

We traded stories about the trail and our experiences, and introduced him to thimbleberries. His feet hurt because he hadn’t hiked much before this trip, so we parted ways when he stopped to soak them in a creek. 

We continue to meet people from all walks of life out here for different reasons. It’s great! 

We continued our long descent to the Suiattle River. The old bridge washed out a few years ago, and getting to the new bridge included an extra 7 miles of hiking.  

At first we were annoyed but later it made sense. The river was fast flowing, silty and very wide in some places. At least the 7 mile detour was scenic. We walked through an old growth forest with huge trees. Andy hugged one of them and his arms didn’t even go a third of the way around!

We enjoyed a cheese break once across the bridge. Well… we enjoyed it as much as we could. It was another hot day and at 2000 feet it was muggy.

Laurie was hot and uncomfortable. She was struggling. It’s been a rough section for both of us, but battling the heat was taking its toll on her.

Hopefully cheese and candy help! They can’t hurt right? 

After 15 minutes we were ready to go. The flies have been horrible lately, making breaks unpleasant. Particularly when we get covered by biting horse flies. 

We pushed on to the first crossing of Miner’s Creek. When we arrived the man already camped there greeted us by saying with a big smile, “Hey I know you!”

We smiled too anticipating what he’d say next.

“I read your blog!”

Ed (trail name Enoch Sir Peanut Butter) has been following our hike since the beginning. He is a very friendly guy hiking with Bonus Miles from Stevens Pass to Stehekin.

We love running into people who read our blog. Ed thanked us for journaling on a regular basis. He also told us he really appreciates how we end each post with two things we are grateful for.

We cleaned off in the cold creek, made dinner and went to sleep around 10pm with the creek keeping us cool and the breeze keeping the flies and mozzies at bay.

Tonight we are grateful for gently graded switchbacks and our healthy lungs. 

August 18, 2016

Lake Sally Ann (mile 2491.1) to Bushcamp (mile 2516.9)

Miles: 25.8

Our total miles: 2110.6

Andy woke up with a startle at 2:22am. He smelled something funny. He yanked out his earplugs and grabbed his headlight looking around the tent for a creature.

He saw nothing.

The smell was probably one or both of us farting in our sleep. Ha! 

A diet of primarily dehydrated food and bars lends itself to lots of gas. 

He went back to sleep laughing.

Today we managed to get going at 5:15. After a water and bathroom run we stepped onto the trail at 6:30am. 

We watched the sun poke over the horizon as we stretched. We hope that even 5 minutes of stretching will help our bodies.

It was already hot when we hit the trail. There was no wind and we could smell smoke. We had no reception and didn’t see any signs of a fire so we kept walking.

We walked up and down many rolling green hills. The climbs were short and relatively gentle. The sun was hot and intense but it nicely lit up the surrounding green mountains.

We walked through grassy slopes with corn lilies and white wildflowers. The views continued to get better and better as the morning progressed.

It looked and felt like we were walking through the Swiss Alps. All we were missing were the cow bells and the voice of Julie Andrews singing. 

We saw a lot of people today. Similar to the Goat Rocks, this area is a destination. Near White Pass we gazed down on a little tent city. People set up basecamps and explored from there. Someday we may be two of those people. This area is absolutely spectacular in good weather. 

We walked through hillsides of lupine and paintbrush until we got to Red Pass.

Here we stopped for a snack and shoes off break before a long 3200 foot descent. The 270 degrees views were amazing, but the flies, not so much.

Some guy we passed in southern Washington asked if we knew the secret to Washington. We both shrugged.

“Just keep walking.” 

We weren’t sure what he meant but now we do. The biting flies are almost as bothersome as the mozzies. But nothing has been as bad as what we experienced in Oregon. So we are still happy!

We crossed over Red Pass and dropped into a beautiful basin. We meandered down the alpine tundra taking in the views.

We continued to drop down into the trees, crossing a number of creeks – some with logs, some with rocks and others with bridges. The trail just kept going down. Both of our knees were sore when we finally bottomed out at Kennedy Creek.

We crossed a raging glacier melt river on a broken bridge. Andy remembered seeing pictures of said bridge in blogs over the years. It was a fun challenge for both of us. 

We made it across easily and climbed and climbed and climbed.

The trail initially went straight up – so steep in fact that our calves burned. It eventually mellowed out. Just in time too because Andy’s Achilles were beginning to burn.

We climbed switchbacks and wound our way around hillsides. We walked up Kennedy Ridge, a 4 foot wide spine with major drop offs on either side into deep canyons and rivers. Thankfully there were trees and other types of foliage around us so the drop off wasn’t as obvious or scary.

Around 6 o’clock we reached the top of the climb. We took a short break and enjoyed our daily chunk of cheese with fantastic views of Glacier Peak.

From here we descended down to Fire Creek. The trail lead us through swamps. Stagnant water lay on either side of the trail and we carefully stepped to avoid getting wet shoes. 

But the mud was unavoidable.

When we reached Fire Creek three people were already set up. We chatted with them and went back and forth trying to decide whether to push to Mica Lake, go partway there, or stay.

Mica Lake was only 3 miles away but by this time it was 7:15pm. We prefer to get to camp sometime between 7 or 8. This allows us time to eat, digest and get ready for bed before 9. If we get to camp later we stay up later, energized by food.

Guthook (one of the apps that gives info about the trail) mentioned a tentsite 0.8 miles up the hill. We decided to shoot for that.

But we couldn’t find anything flat that slightly resembled a tentsite.

So we kept walking. 

Andy’s left knee had been sore all day and was making him grouchy. He was tired and willing to keep going but was tired. He later said “that was the first I felt like the trail might break me. This section is really kicking my ass!”

Many thru hikers talk about pushing themselves past exhaustion. We have never done this and don’t plan to. We are here to enjoy ourselves.

For Andy, this evening had moments of pain and lack of enjoyment. But once we got to a saddle his pain dissipated as he was distracted by views. Glacier Peak shone in the evening light.

We walked on, stopping periodically to soak in the views.

The trail took us out of the trees and we walked along a ridge staring at the mountains around us. This may have been our favorite evening on the trail. 

We found a flat spot which probably used to house snow or at least was a drainage route. But given the clear skies and warm temperatures, we were not concerned about getting wet.

We set up our tent and enjoyed dinner sitting on the nearby rocks. The rocks were warm, almost like sitting in a car with a seat warmer, and felt good against the increasingly cool and windy air.

Laurie was giddy. She ran around taking photos and oohing and aweing. We are not sure if this sudden burst of energy was from excitement or a sugar high from the sour jelly bellies she ate while hiking uphill.

We watched as the sun dove behind the horizon. The golden blanket of light faded off the mountains behind us but the orange and pink sky remained.

The fire that we smelled yesterday is more obvious tonight. We can see the smoke coming from the east. It is very unfortunate but makes for a more dramatic sunset.

We fell asleep to the whapping of the wind against our tent.

Tonight we are grateful for stunning panoramic views and campsites not listed on any maps.

August 17, 2016

Bushcamp (mile 2464.1) to Lake Sally Ann (mile 2491.1)

Miles: 27

Our total miles: 2084.8

Hiker fatigue has set in. Andy deflated his air pad and promptly fell back asleep on the cold ground. Now both of us have trouble getting going in the morning.

While packing up we shared a bag of 18 Rabbits granola to both lighten our load and lift our spirits. 

We were hiking by 7 into the already warm morning air. Sunlight turned the tops of the trees a golden color. We hiked past many streams, slowly gaining elevation.

Andy’s knee has been bothering him for the last few days. Laurie thinks it comes from tight IT bands and the fact that we have totally neglected to stretch. 

Laurie took the tent poles to slightly lighten his pack in hopes that it would lessen his knee pain. The agreement was that she would carry them up the hills and he down the hills.

As we started hiking Laurie experienced a weird pain in her right hip and thigh. With a little stretching this too improved, but Andy took back the poles.

Our bodies have held up amazingly well but things are starting to hurt. Upon standing up we initially limp as our bodies work through the stiffness that immediately sets in upon ceasing to move. 

The trail took us up and down all day. In total we gained 7300 feet and lost 5700 feet over 27 miles. Every climb was rewarded with magnificent views of Glacier Peak and the North Cascades. We stared at green mountains and meadows as we walked. This part of Washington is truly spectacular in good weather. 

Around 4 pm we got water from a small creek. Laurie was feeling sluggish and pulled out some Swedish fish in hopes of a boost of energy from the sugar. 

Unfortunately the opposite happened and she felt even slower. It was 9 more miles to our ideal campsite at Lake Sally Ann. But we had other options if we didn’t want to push as hard. 

We agreed not to make a plan and see how far we could get by 7 pm.

At 6 pm we were at the creek and 4.4 miles from the lake. We were a little hesitant to make that our goal given our previous experience with lack of camping and popularity of lakes as destinations. 

However the mileage was right on target so we decided to take our chances.

We climbed 1600 feet over those 4.4 miles. Laurie sang “the ants go marching 1 by 1 hoorah…” over and over in her head. The rhythm of her trekking poles matched the beat of the song. 

As we neared the lake we stopped in awe of the alpen glow on the distant peaks. The sky turned a light pink and the distant green meadows looked to be carpeted in grass. 

While settling into camp around 5 or 6 pm is nice, hiking during the golden hour is quite a treat, especially when up high along ridges.

We walked the last few tenths of a mile smiling. Today was physically exhausting but the views made it all worthwhile. We were proud of ourselves for covering so many miles despite the steep terrain. We walked more today than we did for most of Oregon which had a lot less elevation gain and loss.

Rolling into camp around 8 pm made Laurie feel like a “real” thru hiker. Andy doesn’t care about things like that. He is just happy to be out here in good weather.

Lucky for us there was only one other couple at the lake and we found a great spot near some trees.

We ate dinner and mapped out potential tentsites for the next 4 days. We plan to be in Stehekin on Sunday and want to maximize our time – both along the pretty stretches of trail and in town.

Tonight we are grateful for plentiful campsites next to a lake and for blue skies in Washington.