The Adventures of...: Day 143, 144, 145

Day 143, 21 miles, endpoint PCT mile 2423

After breakfast at the Summit Inn Pancake House, we left noisy Snoqualmie Pass and I-90 and climbed up the trail 3,000 feet. I was feeling good; we were past the halfway point for Washington, with only two more resupply points left before Canada. I was ready to put in a big day. However, it was not to be: the terrain was rocky, technical, and very slow going. The miles sluggishly passed despite our best efforts to keep moving.

The other issue today was the weather. It was cool, misty, and foggy all day. Depending on our elevation, we were either in the clouds (and freezing amidst the blank walls of white and gray all around us) or directly below the clouds. It wasn't until we went over a final ridge that we found a rainshadow. The clouds parted, the sun just barely made an appearance, and we finally could see what was around us.

The mountains we are now in finally make it look and feel like we are almost to Canada. We are surrounded by rugged, steep, rocky cliffsides. Below the cliffs are beautiful dark blue lakes. It has a very northern feel to it; definitely different from Oregon and Southern Washington

We are camped near Lemah Creek tonight and will continue through the Alpine Lakes Wilderness tomorrow.

Alpine Lakes Wilderness

Oh boy... what kind of views are we missing on this knife ridge :(

So close to getting above the clouds.

Marmot!!!

At last... some visibility in one of our favorite wildernesses.

Day 144, 27 miles, endpoint PCT mile 2450

Today was a better day compared to yesterday. We got in a respectable chunk of mileage, the terrain overall was easier (although we did have two giant climbs), and I wasn't hurting as much as I was the other day. Better still was the weather: we had blue skies, sunshine, and warmth. It felt good compared to the rainy, cool weather of previous days.

We intended to start hiking at 6:30am, but we were both so tired this morning that we didn't leave our campsite until 7:45am. All day it felt like we were rushing to make up for that lost time, but I think the extra sleep was worth it.

We started off with a 2,500 foot climb, switchbacking up a steep mountain. From there we hiked through beautifully rugged alpine territory. The granite rock and imposing mountains reminded me of the Sierras.

We ran into a trio of hikers we haven't seen since Big Bear Lake--a mother, father, and young son. And when I say young, I mean it: I think the little kiddo is six years old (give or take a year or two). Apparently this little guy was the youngest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail last year. This year, he and his parents tackled the PCT. They realized they weren't going to make it to Canada in time before the snow comes, so they skipped up to the border and are now hiking south to Belden in Northern California to complete the trip. It will be interesting to see if they actually make it all the way.

We enjoyed a nice easy downhill with views of Waptus Lake, which looked very nice. Next we went past Deep Lake and its dark blue waters, then began another 2,500 foot climb up toward craggy Cathedral Rock.

We have about 26 miles to go until our next resupply point, so we are going to try to make it all the way there tomorrow.

Only about 10 more hiking days left of this trip...crazy!

Cathedral Rock

"Bridge" crossing

Cathedral Rock

The Cradle & Wenatchee Mountains

Wenatchee Mountains

Day 145, 26 miles, endpoint PCT mile 2476/The Dinsmore's

We had some beautiful hiking today past several crystal clear alpine lakes framed by rocky hillsides. If we were on any other backpacking trip we would have easily stopped at any of them for the day and camped. But we have a schedule to keep (the Get To Canada Before it Snows Schedule), so we had to keep moving.

We began our final ascent of the day up the back side of Stevens Pass ski area. About halfway up the hill we noticed a pair of hikers ahead of us: Can-Can and Bandit! They are the New England couple we met and hiked with frequently in the desert, but have only come close to running into again. We caught up to them on the downhill towards the ski resort and heard some of their stories since we last saw them. It was fun seeing old friends again.

When we finally reached Stevens Pass at Highway 2 it was about 6pm. Luckily, we snagged a ride from someone leaving the lot, otherwise it might have been hard to get a hitch and it was only getting later in the evening. Our destination this time: the tiny town of Baring, WA, and the home of a retired couple--the Dinsmores--who host hikers.

We traveled the 20 miles to Baring and made it to the Dinsmore's house just as it was getting dark. A large sign in their front yard read "The Dinsmore's Hiker Haven." We picked up the resupply package we shipped to them and got the lay of the land. The Dinsmores have a large backyard with plenty of room for camping. There was also a laundry room and bathroom with a shower out back. We did the whole laundry and shower thing, then relaxed outside in the cool night and drank some beers with Bandit and Can-Can.

Tomorrow we will hit the trail and see what Northern Washington is all about. 193 miles left!