It's All Starting To Come Together...

December 29, 2014

Wow, this is starting to get real now!!!!  WooHoo!!! I've started putting together my mail drop boxes. I'm going to set them up for all the way through to The Bridge of The Gods on the Oregon, Washington boarder.  I'm hoping at that point I will have family and friends meeting me through Washington and bring me my resupply box; Hint, Hint....

Mt Si on a beautiful December day...

My resupply strategy is a Hybrid type.  I am mailing myself dinners and breakfasts with little items added in like canned meats, coffee, sugar, etc.  A few months back when REI was having its 30%  off sale I purchased $1,700 worth of Mountain House Freeze Dried meals.  I saved almost $600! I will supply my lunch stuff on the trail.  Things like tortillas, bagels, cheese, raisins, candy, etc.  This will allow me to add a little bit of variety to my trail food.  I think it will work, but then, too late now.



I have spread sheets, weight charts, maps, books, schedules, mileage marker lists, "to do" lists, list about the lists, and an overview list.  I'm getting listed out.  Hell, I feel like I have already hiked the whole damn trail at this point.  Huh, well, I guess that's good actually.  I still have a lot to figure out. Like, how I'm going to get from San Diego to the boarder and how I'm going to get from Warner Springs back to Lake Morena for the Kick Off thing, then back to Warner Springs to pick up walking where I had left off.  Then my brother in law is going to be in Palm Springs and invited me to come and stay a couple of days.  Huh, let me think about it; Shit yeah!!! Air conditioning, remote control, wifi, swimming pools, hot tubs, good food, good people.  I'm all over that. He will have to pick me up at Cajon Pass, and drive back to Palm Springs, but said he would be happy to do it.  Plus, drive me back and drop me off again.  Your the best Lewis, thank you so much!!!  Will certainly include that in my itinerary.

I've been getting in some great hiking and a snow shoe up on Mt Baker a couple of weeks ago.  Very nice with some great people from work.  The snow pak so far is unbelievably non-existent.  Mt Baker Ski area isn't even open and they are ALWAYS open by the first of December.
I keep looking at the Web Cam in Lone Pine, CA that looks up at the East side of Mt Whitney.  Just a dusting of snow so far.  I'm sure the West side has an accumulation.  I do follow the snow pak charts for the Sierras and to date it is very, very low.  I may consider moving my start date to early April or even late March depending on the Sierra snow pak come the end of February.
I have to put in for my Leave of Absence from work somewhere around the end of February.  The whole work thing is a bit uncertain.  I hope to have a job when I get back, but I certainly know that asking any employer to hold a spot for six months is, well, just not reasonable.  I am fairly certain I will have a Per Diem position when I get back, and then may have to take what ever opens, which would most likely mean going back to the night shift again.  Oh God, I dread the thought of that, but then, if that's the only "work" price I have to pay in order to do this absolutely CRAZY thing, then I will consider that well, well, worth the price.

October 20th, 2014

Two Days; 26 Miles; (Part 2) Of Mice, Rain, Hikers and Things Going Bump In The Night..

-Day 2-

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

11.0 PCT Trail Miles
Pear Lake to Union Gap

PCT Mile 2494 to 2483 (+2 miles to Smithbrook TH)               13 Total Trail Miles

The "Old Version" of the PCT Marker

I heard Cathleen's alarm go off at 5AM.  I was awake anyway.  At home, I am up by 4:30-5 everyday because that's the start of my work day.  I've been getting up at that time for a good decade now.  I've got a feeling this is going to be a real advantage for me on the PCT next year.  
I hear Cathleen get up and go pee. Boy, that had to be uncomfortable; she had obviously been holding that for a while, lol. I roll over onto my back, raise my arms up, put my hands behind my head, and just laid in my tent feeling extremely content.  Last evening I was ready to not even set up my tent, but to turn right around and walk the 13 miles back out; even if I had to use my headlamp the last eight miles.  My pesky friend Loneliness was in great form yesterday and caused me quite a bit of mental turmoil.  He had really gotten into my psyche, that's for sure.  In my defense, I was at a pretty low point anyway with the GI issues and lack of sleep, I was fighting on my way in.  

Just laying here listening to Cathleen starting her day, was simply comforting.  Even if it's something as basic as taking a pee.  While we were talking last night, I shared with her my concerns about the Loneliness factor.  She was so understanding and sympathetic. She told me she hates camping alone too and looks for fellow hikers to camp with when she gets to whatever her destination is for the day.  At Lake Valhalla, where she stayed last night, she had to camp alone.  She says she just sleeps more soundly when others are in camp; otherwise, every little noise disturbs her sleep, as she is more on-guard.  Makes sense to me.  I asked her how many nights she thought she had spent alone over the trip and she said only about a dozen.  Huh, that's not bad really; now is it? That's manageable, I think to myself.  I listen as Cathleen gets back into her tent after her morning pit stop and gets her stove lit.  She had told me one of her favorite treats is to have coffee and breakfast in bed in the mornings.  This makes me smile to myself.  I really like this young woman, and wish I could get to know her better; however, I know that in a matter of just a couple of hours, we would bid each other farewell, as she heads North and I head back South.  

At 5:30 I crawl out of my tent and head for the pit toilet.  Out here, a pit toilet is such a luxury.  Given the problem I was having yesterday, I was ecstatic to discover there was one.  I always have a packet of antiseptic purell wipes with me when I hike.  Good hand hygiene is your number one defense against disease transmission.  When I read thru hiker blogs and someone is talking about GI problems, my first inclination is to think they had gotten into some bad water and didn't treat it properly.  Often this is the case, but I suspect that a good percentage of those were associated with hand to hand contact, or sharing food, etc. I file this thought away for my hike.  I'll keep a bottle of Purell in my pack hip pocket.  About 4 ounces of cheap insurance.  Shake a hand, purell, use the toilet, purell, getting ready to eat, purell.  

Now that health class is over, I bid Cathleen a good morning and fire up my jetboil stove.  I had filled up the water bag last night, so I had plenty for breakfast and to fill my water bottles for the walk out.  

-Things Going Bump In The Night- 

Cathleen apologizes if her getting up so early woke me up.  I tell her I was awake anyway plus I will be meeting my good friend, Bob, at Lake Janus so need to get moving.  I have mountain house scrambled eggs with ham plus instant oatmeal for breakfast, along with two cups of coffee.  Cathleen and I talk as we get our chores done.  I told her about my little visitor in the night last night.  She laughed and said she had heard the little scrimmage going on in my tent last night.  She asked me if I heard some hikers come by last night.  As she said this, I then remembered that I did hear them last night too.  Huh??, I wonder where they went?  It was late and dark.  I can't imagine they would have gone very far.  It had also rained last night.  I remember waking up and listening to it for a few minutes before I just rolled over and went back to sleep.  As I was falling asleep, I was thinking how dreadful the walk back up to the top of Grizzly Mountain would be in a poring rain.  Uggg.  
Cathleen was packed and ready to head out at 7:00.  I tell her what a pleasure it was to meet her and to have this opportunity to talk.  I also congratulate her on her completion of a thru hike of the Pacific Crest Trail.  She only has a mere 10 days to go; wow, that is so very cool.  I feel so happy for her.  She tells me to go for it next April and that she hopes to see my name on the register for the Class of 2015.  Well, we'll see....  At 7:15, I swung my pack onto my back, tightened the hip strap, adjusted the shoulder straps, and started walking back down the trail.  
I quickly dropped the 600 feet back down to Wenatchee Pass where the trail junction for   Top Lake is.  I paused briefly to take a picture.  

Wenatchee.    I absolutely love the name Wenatchee.  The very first time I ever heard the name Wenatchee, was in 1975, in Duncanville, Texas.  The name, just had a ring to it, an unusualness that I tend to gravitate toward.  My Mother was telling me all about my Uncle Charles, who teaches Spanish at the College in Wenatchee, Washington.  She also told me about my Aunt Sue and my four Cousins; Susan, John, LeAnn, and Rick.  1975 was the year of earth shaking change for me.  I was 18 years old, graduating from High School at the end of May, and my family, as I had know it for the last eighteen years, was getting ready to come to an abrupt end.  My Father had gone to Washington DC in January, found another woman, told my Mother they were getting divorced, and promptly feel off the face of the planet.  I helped my Mom pack up the house, have a huge garage sale and sell off just about everything.  My older brother was in college in Oklahoma and my younger brother was a freshman in High School and so was still living with us at home.  I graduated from High School on May 25th and the house sold and would close on June 1st.  Eighteen years of my life had unraveled in a mere five months.  I had already helped my Mother and younger brother move to an apartment just a couple of miles away.  I would be leaving June 2nd to go to my Summer job as a counselor at a camp for the Mentally Retarded and Physically Handicapped.  It was in Argyle, Texas and was called Camp Soroptimist.  This gave me five whole days alone in the house I had grown up in, before the new owners would take possession on the 1st.  There was now only one piece of furniture in the whole house and that was a couch; perfect, I had a place to sleep.  It just felt good that I would be able to live in my families house right up to the point at which I would have left anyway.  Seemed fitting in some way.  Then; June through August at Camp Soroptimist and on August 25th drive North to Wenatchee for the start of Fall Quarter at Wenatchee Valley Community College.  I had a plan...  

The walk back up to the top of Grizzly Peak was dry thank God.  I passed six thru hikers along the way.  I chatted briefly with all of them and told them Cathleen had camped with me last night.  I'm always amazed, and comforted by, the community that develops out here on the trail.  As I was walking the five miles from Grizzly Peak to Lake Janus, it started to rain, but fortunately just a drizzle.  Enough that I stopped to put the pack cover on and to have 2nd breakfast before heading on down.  
I passed a half dozen more thru hikers before I got back to Lake Janus.  Passed another solo woman hiker just as I was getting to the lake.  She had a big hiking skirt on along with a pair of shoes that reminded me of the old PF Flyer High Tops I used to wear as a kid.  What struck me about this young lady was the brilliantly bright and beaming smile she had.  She was moving at an unbelievable rate and without a care in the world.  We extended greetings as we passed each other and I was literally warmed by her glow of energy.  Thank you!  

I got back to Lake Janus about 11:30.  About four hours to go 9 miles; that's 2.25 miles per hour; Not bad.  My buddy Bob got to the lake about 15 minutes after I did.  Talk about timing.  We had lunch and talked about our usual stuff.  We were at the lake for about an hour and a half then headed on out.  It seemed like the 700ft up to Union Gap was a killer for some reason, but once there we turned off of the PCT and meandered on down Smithbrook Trail to the trail head and the point at which I started yesterday.  

Things the trail spoke to me about and taught me along the way:

• When your not physically feeling good, fears become amplified a hundred fold
• When your not physically feeling good, you can go on a lot longer than you think you can
• There will be other hikers as lonely as you looking for someone to camp with for the night and talk
• There are many fears besides Loneliness and all of them will visit you from time to time along the way
• The trail will mysteriously send you Angels with messages, when and where you least expect them
• And to remember that it's got to always be about the journey and not the destination
• There are people back home who love you, are behind you, are rooting for you, and you will go back to
• EVERYTHING is temporary

   

Two Days; 26 Miles; (Part 1) A Thru Hiker; and My Friend Loneliness

-Day 1-
Monday, September 22, 2014

11.0 PCT Trail Miles
Union Gap to Pear Lake


PCT Mile 2483 to 2494 (+ 2mi to PCT from Smith Brook Rd)        13.0 Total Trail Miles

Well, its been six weeks since my Section hike from Stevens Pass to Snoqualmie Pass.  I find myself with a pack on once again getting ready to embark on another PCT hike.  I'm once again on Stevens Pass, this time heading North on the PCT from Smith Brook Road.  The objective is to hike to Pear Lake, stay the night, then hike back.  The purpose of this two day trek is 3 fold.  1st to test out my new feet strategy to see if I get blisters again, 2nd to trial a Demo McHale back pack with a full load to see if the pack problem goes away, and 3rd is to evaluate my continued concern about the "loneliness" factor with solo hiking.

The day wasn't starting on a high note.  I was having some, let's just say "GI" issues, that followed me the whole way to Pear Lake.  On top of this, it was cloudy and started raining when I was about a half mile up the Smith Brook Trail.  I stopped and got my pack cover on and pulled out my GoLite umbrella.  I just heard that GoLite is out of business.  Bummer.  I like the down jacket and this great, light umbrella I purchased from them a year ago.  I'm pleased with this combination of umbrella and pack cover.  Putting on the rain coat is confining and hot/stuffy.  Using the umbrella allows me to have more airflow and stay more comfortable.  Obviously, if its a blowing rain, then I'd be forced into the rain coat, buttoning down the hatches.  Fortunately, the rain only lasted a couple of hours.

The PCT/Smithbrook Tr junction; where it all began 32yrs ago

It took me less than hour to walk the two miles and 700ft gain up to Union Gap where Smithbrook Trail and the PCT intersect.  I stopped there for a couple of minutes reminiscing.  I traveled in time back 32 years; the year is 1981, end of June.  My good friend, Mike Claassen, invited me on an overnight backpacking trip; my first :0)  We drove up to Smithbrook Road the night before and slept in my VolksWagon Camper Van at the trail head.  It was a starry night; memorable for sure, because it was so crisp and clear and a whole new experience; hiking in the Cascades.  Cool.  I had on a pair of jeans with these old Army Boots I had gotten from my Dad about 8 years prior.  I had worn them on three canoeing trips into the  Boundary Waters in Northern Minnesota.  These were not hiking boots; that's for sure.  I'm sure I had on a cotton T-shirt and cotton flannel shirt as well.  Cotton, cotton, killer cotton.  I'm surprised I survived almost 20yrs of hiking in killer cotton; knowing what I know now, I really am.
We hiked down to Lake Janus and stayed a wet night sitting in the drizzle, poking at a very smoky camp fire, trying to stay warm.  The next morning, the rain had stopped and I remember going out to the lake and casting a few fly s. Caught some really nice rainbow trout.  While I was standing there looking out at the lake, a bald eagle comes swooping down to the surface of the lake.  It happened so fast, that at first I didn't realize what was going on.  The Eagle reaches into the water and comes out with a rainbow trout in its talons.  I can still see that fish with its tail flapping back and forth as the Eagle so carelessly flew off to have its breakfast as well.  I was so, so, very impressed.  I had never seen anything like it, ever.  I think I could get into this hiking thing, I was thinking.  There are a lot of lakes up here, I could fish forever.  Oh wait!! There is one other memory that just came back to me.

Lake Janus

As Mike and I were hiking on the PCT heading down to Lake Janus, we passed a PCT hiker.  We stopped and chatted for a couple of minutes.  I was soo impressed; it was a girl, hiking alone!!  At this stage of the game for me, there would have been absolutely no way I would have hiked alone on a day hike, much less an overnight hike.  I don't know if we made her nervous or if it was her standard comment when passing a couple of guys on the trail, but she said her hiking buddies were right behind her.  We never passed anyone else on the trail that day; she told a white lie; understandable.  Ted Bundy was still fresh in everyone's mind in the Northwest in 81'.  It gives me great joy to be running into so many solo women hikers now days; pure joy!!  It's noticeable how comfortable they are as compared to this women I had meet so long ago. I'm the father of two young women so I have a vested interest in women safely hiking solo.  My oldest daughter hiked in solo to meet up with me last year at Colchuck Lake; we then went up into the upper Enchantments for three unbelievable days of hiking and scrambling.

Me and Leah; upper Enchantments 2013

Colchuck Lake; Dragontail Mtn

Glacier Peak

Top of Grizzly Mountain

OK, now that the "Time Warp" is done, let's get back to the present, shall we.  Anyway, after my memory trip pause at Lake Janus I headed on North up the PCT to the top of Grizzly Peak, where I stopped for lunch, rest, and to use the toilet; again, ugh.  From Lake Janus North, this is new trail for me!!  I'm looking forward to seeing Pear Lake.  I have look at it on a map many, many times.  I only passed two people that day; both heading south to Stevens Pass.  One was a section hiker who started at Steheiken and the other was an over-nighter, along with his dog.  My friend, loneliness, came and stopped for a visit and hung out the rest of the way to Pear Lake.  It was a thousand foot drop off of Grizzly Peak then a 600ft climb up to Pear lake. I could actually see Pear Lake across the valley.  Only four miles to go!!  I sure was wanting to stop.  Had there been water up here on the top of Grizzly, I think I probably would have stopped for the night; but, I pushed on.

Pear Lake in the distance from Grizzly Mountain

My feet were doing fantastic, not an issue at all and this McHale Pack is unbelievable.  I'm definitely going to order one.  At this point I was figuring I will use the McHale pack even if I don't do the PCT.  My pesky friend, Loneliness, was really doing a number on me right now.  Lonely. I kept thinking to myself,  Na, I'm not doing the PCT, this is not going to be tolerable for me.  I like my people, I need my people, I want my people god damn it!!!!
Anyway, I worked my way on over to Pear Lake, and dropped my pack, then headed for the pit toilet.  This going to the bathroom business is getting very annoying.  Afterwards, I got the jetboil going and made a cup of hot coco.  I turned my i-phone music on speaker mode so I could feel like "my people" were around.  All I could think about was, get dinner done, go to bed, then get up and get the hell out of here and never, ever, ever, hike alone ever again!!  I didn't know it at the time, but the trail was getting ready to send me an angel.  Another PCT phenomenon was coming my way and just like all the other ones I have had, I wasn't expecting it.

Pear Lake Campsite

Pear Lake from my campsite

Once I had the tent up, I cooked my dinner of Mountain House Beef Stew with Pees; my favorite.  I had another cup of hot coco, then grabbed the water bag and headed down to the lake to get water.  When I got back it was about 6 in the evening and the sun was just starting to set.  I was deep in thought, most likely thinking about how fucking lonely this whole fucking thing is, when out of the blue a voice calls out; "Hello"!!!  Startled the hell out of me.  I turn around, and up on the trail is a young blond woman about the same age as my daughter.  I said "Hello" back and then asked her, "are you a thru hiker". "I sure am" she said.  "Started in San Diego in April at the kickoff".  "Wow, that's so great", I said.  She then said something I would have never expected from her in a million years.  She has hiked all the way from San Diego and was almost done, but she looks at me and says;  "I just hate camping alone; can I come down there and camp with you tonight?".  I was absolutely tickled to death; literally tickled to death.  Here I was thinking how lonely this whole thing is and out of the blue the Trail sends me Cathleen.  No trail name she said, just Cathleen.  Well, Cathleen, it is a real pleasure to meet you!!!  I sipped my hot coco while she got her chores done.  She was the purest example of efficiency I had ever seen.  Tent up, stove out, cloths changed. sleeping pad inflated, sleeping bag fluffed and in the tent, off to the Lake to get water, then cook dinner.  While she was cooking dinner I sat on a log and finished my hot coco while we chatted for a bit, sharing experiences and answering each others questions.  She is from Connecticut, lots of Marathon runners in her family, and she is planning to stay in Seattle after she gets done with the trail.  She had stopped in Ashland, Oregon, at a grocery store and put her food drops together for this section, then mailed them on ahead to be picked up later down the trail.  Her next stop is Stehekin, but, that's still a few days away.  I told her all I knew about the trail North from Kodak Point; which she will go past tomorrow.  I've been from Kodak Point all the way around Glacier Peak and up over Cloudy Pass.  It is truly one of my favorite sections.  Glacier Peak is breath taking and the old growth Douglas Firs on the North side are the biggest I had ever, ever seen!! A whole forest of them.  Shear Giants; I can still see them so vividly. There are so many of them through that section.  It's like you can feel them as you walk under their canopy.  It's almost like a low frequency vibration.  I remember my Cousin Rick and I talking about this as we hiked through.  How fitting to, that, while walking through here,he was telling me all about a "Trilogy" he had just read; Lord of the Rings.  I hadn't heard of it before; remember, it is 1983 at this time..
Well, it's dark now and time for bed.  Cathleen said she was going to be up about 5 and on the trail by 7.  I crawled into my tent and got changed into my sleeping cloths and slipped into my sleeping bag; all fluffy and cozy.  I left the light on for a little bit while I wrote a few lines in my journal.  Once I turned the light out, I was instantly asleep....

About two in the morning I opened my eyes to darkness.  I laid there for a moment when I heard what had woken my up.  There it was again, the scurrying just outside my tent door. I reached for my headlamp and switched it on to an instant beam of bright light. Oh crap! I left the food bag at the door.  I unzipped the tent door and flipped it back.  Out of a small hole in the side of my food bag, a little head popped up.  It's beady little eyes were reflecting in the light of my head lamp.  I thought for an instant I could read her mind, "What the fuck! I had just found the peanut M&Ms!!"  In an instant she jumped out of the food bag and right into my hiking shoe next to the bag.  Her head pops up again, and I gave her a hearty, "Get! Go on you pesky little vermin".  She flew out of my shoe and was gone in a flash.  I pulled the food bag, along with my hiking shoes, into the tent.  Nothing to do with it for now.  I turned the headlamp off and zipped my bag back up and drifted off back to sleep...

Lake Valhalla; 6 miles North of Stevens Pass 2014

Last Day...

-Day 8-
Monday, August 11th, 2014

8.0 PCT Trail Miles
Ridge Lake to Snoqualmie Pass

PCT mile 2410 to 2402                                                           8.0 Total Miles
811ft elevation gain; 3,115ft loss

Ridge Lake from South Shore looking at PCT

Is it really the last day!?!  Day 8 of an epic journey through the heart of the Alpine Lakes.

Ready to Go :)

We could have done this Section in 5 days, from a pure logistics stand point; however, the near zero on the 1st & 8th day, plus the full zero on the 6th, quite simply made this trip.  We had the luxury all the thru hikers we met did not seem to have or, most likely, mental desire for.  At this point in a NoBo thru hiker's journey, they have been on trail for almost five months and have walked 2,400+ miles.  Most seemed ready to bring it to a close.  We spoke with a few that were actually putting in 30 mile days!!  That's right; 30 miles a day!! Which translates to; they will do in 3 days what we took 8 to do! Simply Amazing Athletes!  Most all of the thru hikers were doing 20 miles a day, which means they will do this section in 4 days; half our time.   But we knew this coming into it; Hike Your Own Hike, as the saying goes.  

Pika;!!! eeeekkkk!!!

We did meet a particular thru hiker today that really caught my attention; and, admiration.  I'm so remorseful that I did not get his name but I did pick up on a few facts about him.  He is from Texas, he is about 26ish years old, he was thru hiking the trail in 2012 but did not complete it that year, he is back finishing up the part that he did not complete.  Now, all that adds up to nothing particular right?  After speaking with him for a bit, I started to get a sense about this young man that was refreshing.  He turned out to be like not a single one of all the Thur Hikers I have met to date.    This young man is here totally for the experience, period.  Every thru hiker I have met talks about miles per day, what was tough, what was easy, other hikers, etc.  But this guy only commented on these things when specifically asked about them and, usually, then turned quickly to other things; like the flowers, pikas, blueberries..  When Jim asked him what his daily mileage averaged over the PCT, he said, "about 10".  Uh, excuse me?? Did you say "10"?  

"Yeah, about 10. I wanted a good experience.  Some days I would do 14 or so, then other days 8.  It all balanced out.  Got through California and Oregon; now I'm back to experience Washington".  He really got me to thinking about it.  I've got five months to use however.  No matter what you plan, it's never going to come out exactly as planned when there are this many variables.  Make the emphasis be the journey, not the destination.  How the Hell do you do that?  I can plan for a 15mi per day average instead of 20, I'll for sure take the train down to San Diego instead of fly.  The train will take 36hrs.  I'll be able to watch the passage at ground level, through changing terrain, on a different time scale than the one that lives at 30,000ft and 600mph.  Interesting thing this idea to take the train.

Yosemite

Sierras

Oregon

South Lake Tahoe

 At the time of my departure, it will have been a Year and a Month ago that I flew back to Seattle from San Diego.  It was on March 12th 2014.  Anytime I fly to Southern California, I always have a window seat on the Left side going down, and on the right side going back North.  I love watching the Sierras go by.  I've seen Yosemite's Half Dome from my comfortable chair at the height of Mount Everest. Unfortunately, rarely do I get consistent views, but I always try.  On this particular evening flight home to Seattle, I witnessed the most remarkable airplane flight of my life.  From the moment I took off in San Diego, all the way back to Seattle, I had a clear and unobstructed view of the entire length of the PCT. Of course, nothing North of Seattle, because we landed.  Just simply amazing.  I had a bad cramp in my neck when I got home from straining it to the right to look out the plane window.  

Mt Hood

Mount St Helens

Seattle

Sorry for the diversion.  As you have probably already figured out, I'm writing these posts in December.  I use my notes from the notebook I carried in my pants pocket to write down details as I went along.  I also use the pictures to cue me to specific events along the way.  It amazes me how memories come flooding back when I look at a picture I had taken.   OK, enough of that stuff, now lets get back to the last day on the trail.

Kendall Kat Walk

Interstate 90 @ Snoqualmie Pass

It didn't take us long to get to Kendall Cat Walk.  I've been here before a half dozen times easily.  Familiar ground.  I do know that its a lot of down from here; A little over 3,000 to be exact, and the balls of my feet are going to make sure I know about each and every one of those; personally.  We could see Interstate 90 far below.  !!Interstate 90!! We had done it.  We walked the 76 miles from Stevens Pass to Snoqualmie Pass.  It doesn't seem real; was it all just a dream.  Now, all of a sudden, I feel ready to be home.  It's not far now at all.  I can taste it.  But there is still a lot of down left to do, so gotta keep moving.

When I got to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness sign, I stopped for a minute to take a picture and reflect.  At Stevens Pass I took a picture of this sign as I was coming in at the beginning, and now I'm taking a picture of it as I'm coming out at the end.

Snoqualmie Pass!!

Jim and I asked a couple to take our picture at the Snoqualmie Pass sign.  It just feels good.  We have about two hours before Jim's wife, Barb, picks us up for the ride home.  There is a restaurant at the pass.  It's soooo time for a burger and a Beer!!! Tonight a shower and a soft bed.


     

       







                                                               LIFE IS GOOD.......

Of Mountain Goats, Marmots, and Men

-Day 7-
Sunday, August 10th, 2014

10.0 PCT Trail Miles
Spectacle Lake to Ridge Lake

PCT mile 2420 to 2410 (+1 mi up from Spectacle Lake)              11.0 Total Miles
3,800ft elevation gain; 2,851ft loss

Spectacle Lake from the PCT

Alarm goes off at 0530 and I don't want to get up.  My little cocoon is so warm and comfortable and I know my feet are going to give me grief today.  But, time waits for no one, and its time to get going.  We had first breakfast with Claire and Andy talking excitedly about the coming day.  They are going back out the way they came in; 9 miles via Pete Lake.  Jim and I will be heading south on the PCT to Ridge Lake 11 miles away.  We start with a big climb out of Spectacle Lake then, once back on the PCT, we climb some more.  4,400ft gain and 2,886ft loss; that adds up to 11 total miles of a whole lot of work and feet that are already starting to complain.  Thankfully, my pack is now noticeably lighter; only two more days and we will come out at Snoqualmie Pass!!!  Wow, we are almost there.

Typical day at the office :)

The smoke is becoming very noticeable visibly, and you can smell it now too.  As we head up from Spectacle, I notice a lot of campsites tucked in and around the bolder fields up here.  I'm sure most all thru hikers will camp up here instead of expending the energy to get down to, and then out of, Spectacle Lake.  Thru hikers, at this point, are in maximum efficiency mode of operation.  We have now crossed paths with about two dozen thru hikers and should run into yet a few more this last little stretch to Snoqualmie Pass.  Jim has noticed my enthusiasm for thru hiking the trail has wained quite a bit since we left Stevens Pass.  I feel unsettled about it all, not more settled, as I thought I would once making this SOBO section hike.  The reality of a thru hike has come to light as we have met, and spoken with, so many thru hikers.  The day in, day out, up at the crack of dawn, walk till dark, eat, go to bed, and get up and do it again the next day, reality is bothersome. Can I do this, but even more important, do I want to do this??  My mind says no, no, no!!!  My Spirit says go, go, go!!!  It is all so overwhelming when my mind tries to wrap itself around 2,660 miles,  so I decide that I will go to Campo, start the trip, and make a commitment to Warner Springs, but that's it.  I have given myself an escape hatch and it feels good; comfortable.  After all, this isn't a contest, I don't need to prove anything to anyone at this stage of my game, Hike My Own Hike.

As we came over a pass we came face to face with a Mountain Goat!!  He was pretty casual about the whole affair and just kinda meandered off up the slope, stopping to check us out one last time before moving on.  Such powerful looking animals; beautiful!

 The trail kept a constant up until we got to the top of a pass overlooking the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River.  It was hot and exposed, but manageable. We stopped for a great lunch at the top and just admired the sweeping view.  I can see the trail as it goes all the way around the head of the Gold Creek basin.  I can certainly see why they put the PCT here.  This stretch from Kendall Cat Walk and all the way to Waptus Lake, is some of the most beautiful of the Alpine Lakes. I am soooo happy to be here.  It's hard to believe that tomorrow is our last day; tonight, our last night.  I'm so content

 Lots and lots and lots of people going by.  Day hikers, trail runners, short section hikers, full section hikers, and, of course, thru hikers as well.  Most everyone is friendly and ready to talk for a bit to share experiences, talk about what, and who, is up ahead.  A great place.  We only have about four miles to go to Ridge Lake and boy will the,every present, complaining, and tender balls of my feet be happy to get there!!   Once we got to the lake, we went around to the south end where Jim said one of the guys we passed mentioned a grassy spot with a view.  Sure enough, it was there.  Dinner and early to bed tonight.  Jim and I sat up and talked for a bit, but the bugs were pretty bad.  We layed in our tents for relief and talked until it got dark.  Only eight miles tomorrow to Snoqualmie Pass.  Eight miles; piece of cake.