August 20, 2016

Miners Creek (mile 2541.9) to Five Mile Camp (mile 2564.3)

Miles: 22.4

Our total miles: 2158

We slept like rocks. The sound of the creek muffled all noise around us.

We headed out of camp with Ed around 7 am. The trail very gently climbed up towards Suiattle Pass. We talked as we walked – Ed asking us questions about our experiences on the trail and us asking him questions about his life. It is amazing how fast the miles go when caught up in good conversation.

We stopped to dig a hole and Ed continued on. The trail meandered past multiple clear and cold streams. The twists and turns of the trail felt so gentle that although we were climbing it felt like we were walking on flat ground. 

It feels great walking on gently graded switchbacks! We are aware we’ve mentioned this numerous times but it really is that nice.

We were pleasantly suprised that the air was less smoky this morning. There was still a haze which lessened the dramatic views but at least our throats and noses didn’t burn.

We caught glimpses of Glacier Peak and tried to make out other peaks and glaciers through the haze. 

We stopped to pick blueberries and attempted to fill a Talenti for dessert but the sun was too intense. With no breeze it felt like we were standing directly under a heat lamp. After 10 minutes and 1/5 of a Talenti worth, we were walking again.

From the top of Suiattle Pass we descended into a basin. We washed our faces in a creek and took a short break in the shade, staring out at a wall of rock. 

We switchbacked down, out of the boulder fields and back into the trees.

Here we discovered super ripe and sweet huckleberries and thimbleberries.

We were both immersed in the bushes when Sam, an Aussie thru hiker, joined the picking party. We talked and picked and hiked until we found another good patch of either berry.

We had heard of Sam from Nemo and thought he was ahead of us. Upon meeting, Andy recognized him from the desert. We had started around the same time and had chatted briefly around mile 85. Neither Laurie nor Sam had any recollection of this but it didn’t matter. It was nice to see him..again.

We descended through overgrown bushes, trying not to trip over rocks or roots that lay underneath. 

We crossed the South Fork of the Agnes Creek by walking on a huge fallen tree. There was a large river bed but only one third contained running water. The fallen tree spanned the entire river bed. 

Laurie took a quick dip in the river to revitalize herself. She does not do well in the heat. She feels sluggish, her feet swell and she gets grumpy. Cheese, candy and cold water help bring the smile back to her face.

Once her internal temperature had dropped to a comfortable level, we continued on, walking through the forest. Despite being in the shade, it was hot. Near creeks we enjoyed brief reprieves.

“I am tired.” reported Laurie. She was tired of being hot, sticky, dirty and stinky. We had walked more miles per day in this section than the majority of other sections. And with not enough sleep she could feel her body starting to rebel.

“We are almost there, you can do this” reassured Andy. “And tomorrow you can have pie!”

This brought a smile to Laurie’s face. “Yum pie, I can do anything for pie!”

With 3 miles until camp we stopped for ‘happy hour.’ We soaked our feet in cold creek water and shared our last chunk of cheese. 

Laurie was hungry today. Apparently she had donated too much of her food to the hiker box at Stevens Pass. 

Tomorrow we will be going into town with only bars (2 for Laurie and 4 for Andy). It feels good to know that we are not carrying excess weight but it is uncomfotable being hungry most of the day.

We got to camp around 6:45. Many people we have never seen were already there. We found a flat spot and set up the tent before going down to the creek to rinse off and get water for dinner.

The water in this creek was cold. So much in fact that it hurt to stand in it for more than 30 seconds.

We returned to our tent, Laurie lay down inside while Andy made dinner. The ground was warm from the sun and to Laurie it felt like she was lying on a heating pad.

Eventually the air cooled and we were able to fall asleep.

Tonight we are grateful for sweet thimbleberries and trees to cross rivers.

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.