August 5, 2016

Bushcamp (mile 2256.9) to bushcamp (mile 2273.8)

Miles: 16.9

Our total miles: 1867.5

The ground was bumpy since we were sleeping on tufts of grass but our inflatable pads made for a decent bed.

We bargained for another 5 minutes when the alarm went off at 5:15, then another 10 minutes. At 5:45 Andy deflated his pad- the hallmark sign that it is time to get moving. 

We have a system now. Andy stuffs his sleeping bag and rolls up his sleeping pad while Laurie soaks up the last few moments of coziness. 

Then Laurie does the same while Andy goes out to fetch our Ursacks. When he returns we either pack our own bags, or lately, Laurie packs both while Andy eats breakfast. Typically, in Andy’s absence, Laurie positions herself in the middle of the tent making it difficult for Andy to organize his things. So, either Laurie moves or she packs his bag.

We were on the trail around 7am. We have heard amazing things about the Goat Rocks Wilderness and couldn’t wait to see the beauty with our own eyes.

We walked through the forest, gathering wetness from the plants and spider webs in the face. The mosquitoes were in full form so we hiked with our bug nets on.

The mountains don’t give up their views that easily! 

We watched the ground as we walked to keep from stepping on frogs. They would leap out into and off of the trail, blending in well with be sand and dirt. At one point Andy stopped abruptly.

“Look!” He said as he pointed towards the ground. 

Thirty to fifty baby frogs hopped down and across the trail towards the uphill side. We have no idea where these frogs were going but there were lots of them traveling together in the same direction!

We walked down through the forest, inhaling the fresh morning air. As we crossed small creeks we could almost taste the dampness. 

We climbed up the west side of a hill, appreciating the shade provided by the hill itself. 

We passed a handful of SOBOs, some more friendly than others but all said we were in for a treat!

We caught glimpses of jagged dark rocks with patches of snow peering out above the hill to our right. On the left were mountains covered in green except for rocky out croppings. 

We hiked through meadows filled with wildflowers – lupine, paintbrush, columbine and many other white and yellow flowers littered the green hillside. 

As we crossed over a saddle our eyes widened. Before us was an expansive view of the aforementioned jagged peaks. A deep green valley extended to the right and we continued to traverse to the left up toward Cispus Pass.

We took an hour long lunch break at the pass, taking in the view on either side. We felt so fortunate to be here on a clear and sunny day. 

We dropped down, stopping frequently to soak up the views. We crossed many small streams and got water at one just below a waterfall.

We hiked on, passing many day hikers and overnighters heading into the area just below Cispus Pass.

We walked through more fields of wildflowers, these with bear grass added to the mix. The colors of the flowers stood out against the green grass and dark gray and brown mountains. We felt like we were walking through paradise.

We climbed up to a ridge and found a campsite on the edge. It had a rock wall built around it for protection from the wind. From our tent we had a fabulous view of Mt Adams and Mt St Helens. Within 10 ft either up or down the hill, we had a nice view of Mt Rainier too.

We sat on the rocks below our campsite and ate cheese and carrot cake cookies (thanks GoRaw). Andy sewed the newest hole in Laurie’s hat and her gloves as Laurie blogged.

We ate dinner on the same rocks watching the golden light grace the western face of Adams. Two days ago we watched a similar show from a different location – 36 miles south to be exact.

Today was pretty epic. Definitely the best day we have had on trail thus far. Many hikers say their favorite portion of the trail is either the Goat Rocks or the Sierra. We are enchanted with this area thus far and look forward to what tomorrow brings!

Tonight we are grateful for panaramic vistas and clear blue skies in Washington.

August 3, 2016

Highway 23 (2226.4) to Riley Creek (2236.6)

Miles: 10.2

Our total miles: 1830.3

Andy woke up with a startle. He thought he was late for morning meditation. 

Then WHACK.

He sat up in a haste, forgetting he was on the bottom bunk. It was 5:45 am – he was not late after all. Andy crawled into Laurie’s bunk and we watched the pink alpine glow spread over the face of Mt. Adams while toasty under a down comforter.

This was a magical way to start the morning.

Just before 6:30am we walked across the driveway to the Zen Buddhist Temple. We joined 11 others in a morning meditation led by Master Kozen.

Kozen spoke about awareness and how we can only change ourselves, not others or our environment. He shared a quote that resonated with both of us: “You cannot carpet the world, but you can wear slippers.”

It was a great reminder – particularly as we continue on this trail with unforeseen challenges. We are always in control of our attitudes and no matter how bothersome the mosquitoes or rain, we feel so fortunate to be out here. 

And like most Buddhist teachings remind us, this experience is transitory and awareness is the best tool to cherish these last 900 miles.

After meditation we chatted with a woman who had started the PCT earlier this year with her family. Her warmth and excitement about the trail was heart warming. 

She offered us a ride to the trailhead and to cook dinner for us that night. We were so tempted to stay another day to spend more time with her and her family, but alas the trail called and we wanted to take advantage of the good weather window for the Goat Rocks.

With 30 minutes to spare before breakfast we wandered around the property and said good morning to the llamas. 

We enjoyed a delicious breakfast with the other B&B guests before packing our things and attempting to upload as many posts as we could in a short amount of time. No matter how early we start our day, there never seems to be enough to time to do it all!

We are sad we were not able to walk to the neighbor’s house to say goodbye to the woman we had met earlier this morning. We need to continue to work on not over committing ourselves on short neros and zeroes. 

The day before we had organized a ride back up to the trail with Dave who was bringing up a bucket full of trail magic for hikers. We picked up Toaster and Smudge at the general store and all rode up together.

We purposefully choose to slow down in this section. It is one of the best on the trail and we want to soak it all in. We plan to take a little over 4 days to hike 66 miles.

With only 10 miles on the agenda we took our time. We picked huckleberries, took pictures of flowers and enjoyed the sunshine.

We walked through a large burn area, admiring the fields of lupine and paintbrush. Fluorescent pink paintbrush neighbored orange and pale pink ones. 

The wildflowers made us both smile. We feel so fortunate to have had this showcase of flowers. It’s been the best since Northern California.

All the while Mt Adams loomed in front of us. We walked around to the west side of the mountain, watching the afternoon clouds obscure the top. 

Sections of the trail were narrow trenches etched deep in meadows of wildflowers. These are Laurie’s favorite types of trails. 

About 2 miles from camp we turned a corner to an expansive view of Mt St Helens and Mt Rainier. Incredible!

We crossed Riley Creek and searched for campsites. We found a grassy spot with room for about 3 tents. We set up near a woman named Julie who is hiking with her dog Custard. We met them 2 days ago at Blue Lake, then ran into them again at Bear Lake. 

We chatted a bit and offered her some of our extra food. Apparently we are attached to our food because we keep carrying too much. We now try to provide trail magic along the trail whenever we can.

The clouds parted and we ate dinner in the refuge of our tent admiring the glaciers on Mt Adams. This campsite is pretty epic.

We had 18 Rabbits granola with huckleberries for desert and man was it delicious! We are loving this pick-and-eat-as-you-hike business. 

It was 7 pm and we had eaten and organized food for the next day. We don’t know what to do with ourselves when we stop hiking this early!

As the alpine glow faded from the face of Mt Adams we got out to brush our teeth. 

Andy reluctantly put on the fly to combat some of the meadow condensation. As he was pulling the fly taught one of the poles popped out of its connector. The tent collapsed and the pole ripped a hole in the fly.

Whoops!

Thankfully Andy was able to screw the pole back in and we placed duck tape on the hole. Gotta love easy backcountry fixes 🙂

We fall asleep tonight to the sound of insects and running water.

Tonight we are grateful for still being on trail together and for duct tape.