Daily Miles: 29.1, Total Miles: 2360.4 I awoke to clear blue skies at my campsite. A short walk to Chinook Pass and down the road a few hundred feet gave me the full Monty on Mt Rainier from the south. What a pretty sight! The trail today was about following contours, usually high up the ridge with good views. I passed Sheep Lake and then up to Sourdough Gap and Pickhandle Gap with views of the eastern side and top…
Daily Miles: 28.3, Total Miles: 2331.3 Squish, squish down the wet trail and jumping from side to side to avoid mud puddles. Hiked in a cloud for much of the morning and then the sun finally shone through. I passed several lakes and ponds in this spongy, muskeg country rich with ripe huckleberries. I crossed a brand-new foot bridge over the headwaters of the Bumping River – the crew just leaving on horseback said I was one of the first…
Daily Miles: 0, Total Miles: 2303.0 Woke up to rain again this morning but this time was in a dry bed with four walls around me. Last night was pizza and movie night in my little studio condo. No TV here but a few DVDs from the motel office. Pizza from the Kracker Barrel store will feed me again today. I thought they were ahead of me but met Splits and Two Step late yesterday at the Kracker Barrel. Good…
Daily Miles: 15.5, Total Miles: 2303.0 The rain started about 4:30am and then the wind started howling, hitting my tent broadside and whipping it good. Looked out my tent about 6:30am because the rain had stopped. The sunrise colors across the sky, clouds, snow and mountains were simply amazing. Despite being somewhat soggy, this kind of scene always gives me a re-charge. I packed up the wet gear and headed down past Lutz Lake and then up to pretty Shoe…
Daily Miles: 21.5, Total Miles: 2287.5 I started to get up at 5:20am but heard the pitter patter on the rainfly. It drizzled for about an hour and then stopped. After over two hours of hiking, I hadn’t seen any goats or many rocks so what’s with this wilderness anyway? Fast forward to the end of the day – Goat Rocks ROCKS! Absolutely one of my top, favorite days on the trail! The views are spectacular. Mts Adams, St Helens…
Daily Miles: 28.3, Total Miles: 2266.0 Hard to take off the dry sleeping clothes and put on the damp, cold hiking clothes this morning – can’t dry anything in this weather and humidity. I started climbing quickly to the east, entering the Mt Adams Wilderness and seeing my first elk on the PCT. Three cows were standing on the trail ahead of me wondering where the noise was coming from – they were gone in a flash. Once Mt Adams…
Daily Miles: 31.2, Total Miles: 2237.7 Another walk in the forest for the most part. Entering Indian Heaven Wilderness, I passed several shallow ponds and lakes. At the high point, I got closer views of Mt Adams, the top obscured by clouds, and a nice view back to Mt. Hood. Raining and drizzling most of the afternoon, I put on the rain jacket and pack cover. Because of all the wet vegetation along the trail, I also put on my…
Daily Miles: 25.8, Total Miles: 2206.5 The wasps found me about the same time I saw the white marker warning on the trail ahead of me. I killed the first wasp that stung my wrist and another wasp stung me on the calf. I ran back aways and planned my next move. Too steep to go around so steeled myself and jogged down the trail as fast as I could. Lots of buzzing but no more stings. When I got…
Daily Miles: 25.7, Total Miles: 2180.7 I had a good breakfast of pancakes and eggs at the Charburger and then a short walk to the Bridge of Gods. The toll booth attendant gave me a high five – I guess this was my toll? Bit of a slow start on the WA side because the ripe blackberries were too good to pass up. I finally had to get going – 3,300 ft climb in front of me. Dense forest and…
Daily Miles: 0, Total Miles: 2155.0 I had a nice rest and enough time to get organized for Washington. A thunderstorm and showers made me happy today was a zero day. A special treat tonight was pizza and beer with my uncle and cousin from Portland!
