September 3rd, 2022 by Jon

When we woke in our small, dispersed campsite in the morning, Griff had taken over most of the foot area of our tent. I pushed him over and squeezed my legs into the very corner of the tent, and he slept on, unaware. We got up around 6:45, and Griff and I took a walk up to a nearby waterfall and explored some of the creek we had camped by. Afterward, we came back and waited around reading while everyone else slowly got up. We made eggs and pancakes for breakfast before we packed up. The plan was to head down the dirt road back to the actual campground nearby and hike out from there. There is a trail that runs along the cliffs next to the lake, then turns up Mineral Valley, following the creek there up to a pair of lakes before hiking up the final ridge and back to the PCT. Logistically, it was much easier for our friends to drop us off there, then go back to pack up the rest of their stuff and meet us at the campground so we could all hike together. There wasn’t room for all of us and the stuff to go back to the start of the actual PCT without them having to do two trips. The mileage was somewhat similar, although this trail would be a touch shorter, but it was also quite a bit steeper.

We got to the campground, and after waiting for Stefan to go back and grab the rest of the stuff and Katelyn, the 5 of us were off! The trail along Kachess Lake brought us up and down steep rises to get over cliff faces that shot out from the wall we were hiking against. It was constant up and down and very tiring. After a few miles, we came to an excellent viewpoint with a great lookout of the lake. We stopped there to rest and said goodbye to our friends who came to hang out with us. They were turning around here, and we would be continuing on. We ate lunch a little while later, sitting on a log in the middle of the forest with no views, but we were hungry and found a good spot, so we took it. Griff has a habit of just lying right in the middle of the trail during breaks, and today was no exception.

Once they left, we did more steep ups and downs, crossing many streams along the way that ran towards the lake. We got to the end of the lake and began following a trail that gently ascended as we made our way northward, passing a trail junction where you could head back to a nearby trailhead at the north end of the lake. After the junction, the trail turned northwest, and we slowly climbed up a valley, generally paralleling Mineral Creek. After some time, we came to a stream and crossed it. We walked over a few stones and over a fallen tree that covered part of the river. Griff walked all the way over the log and was about 7 feet in the air when I frantically got him to stop, since it only kept getting higher. I had to practically pull him off the log so I could catch him and put him on the ground. When we hike together, he’s my little shadow. He stays about 2 feet from my heels.

The next few miles through the trees were very steep as we made our way up to the end of the valley, which dead-ended in a basin. High up inside that basin were the lakes! We stopped at a creek partway up and otherwise made our way uphill slowly, feeling very winded. We passed a few hikers on their way up to spend the night there at the lake. When we got up to it, we admired the water for a while before climbing around its eastern edge, climbing the last ridge, and finally setting foot back on the PCT. We celebrated, and then saw a small nearby lake on the map about 0.1 miles ahead, and then off-trail just a hair. We went there, calling it a day, and although it was less mileage, I think the route we took was probably harder than the actual PCT. Ah, well, though. It was still quite beautiful!

We walked into a different small basin and found a nice spot in a dirt patch with space for two tents. Griff passed out a shade patch and half watched us with bleary little eyes as we set up camp. The wind would occasionally pick up and send a lot of dust into our tents, which was pretty annoying. Hopefully, the wind dies down overnight, but we will try to use our packs as windbreaks to keep some of the dust out, like we used to do in the desert. Dinner was a relaxing time, and we enjoyed some of my mom’s homemade cookies for dessert. The view of the lake and the towering rock spires up above made for a dramatic and wonderful view.

Tomorrow we plan to do around 20 miles. We don’t want to push Griff too hard in this section, especially considering how much elevation gain and loss there is. It’s a notoriously steep section! We will just start walking and play the day by ear.

September 2nd, 2022 by Jon

We woke up in our air-conditioned oasis feeling so happy to be in a bed. Man, we miss those. We took a gloriously hot shower before getting up and walking over to the pancake house, which is connected to the hotel. We got some hot food and had an amazing stack of pancakes with fruit and whipped cream, along with perfect diner coffee. We sat and made some plans to go to Orcas Island after we were done hiking, which we were very much looking forward to. We even found a place that allows dogs, so Griff gets to come with us! After breakfast, we headed back to our rooms to relax for a while before cleaning out our food bags, back flushing our aging filters, and packing up.

At 11:00, we headed over to the brewery again, got some drinks, and waited for my mom and Missile to come meet us. Missile’s leg is feeling better now, and he’s excited to get back on trail. They are also bringing the food we got in Packwood for this section, and our dog, Griff, who will be hiking to Stevens Pass with us! We’re very excited to be bringing him. We’ve done some backpacking before with him, and he’s done very well. They arrived, and we spent some time catching up and chatting at a table outside, and then our good friend Stefan showed up. He and his girlfriend, Katelyn, got a campsite nearby, and he came to hang out for a bit, then take us back once we were all set.

We got our food prepared and then spent some time talking with a guy at another table about the PCT. He’s pretty seriously considering a thru-hike next year and had a lot of questions. I went up to get one more drink before we left, and he ended up paying for it as a thank you for answering all his questions! So kind! We headed out after that, saying goodbye to my mom, and then went over to the Chevron so Missile could pick up his packages. Once that was complete, we drove about 30 minutes to a nearby lake, then up a nearby creek, and found Katelyn waiting at a great campsite there. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening eating, hanging out, going for a walk with Griff, and spending time with their dog, Theo. We had an excellent time with them and then crashed around 9:00.

We plan to have a pretty chill, slow morning tomorrow before getting back on the trail. This extra time has been so, so good for our bodies and our souls.

September 1st, 2022 by Jon

We woke up and, after a brief lie-in, got moving. We had breakfast right next to a fog-covered lake, and the rainfly was covered in condensation on both the inside and the outside. We stuffed it into the bag, resolving to get it dry again once we were in the hotel. We had everything ready to go by 7:00, walked up the road back to where the PCT crossed it, and kept walking down the ridge on the road. We both felt a bit better this morning and definitely less sick, but still pretty worn out. Both from the illness and because this was the 5th day on the trail since town.

We followed a switchbacking forest road that took us down from the mountains for a little over 3 miles, crossing under a few power lines and waving at passing cars. We got down from the steepest part and walked along a fairly flat stretch for a while before turning onto a gravel pedestrian and biking path. It was a section of the Iron Horse Trail, which runs along an old railroad that used to run here. We walked on a raised gravel path for a number of miles, admiring a few of the cabins nearby and the creeks that flowed out of the woods near the trail.

Eventually, we came to Roaring Creek Campground, which is a primitive campground along the trail with a few sites and a pit toilet. We took a small break there before continuing on. As we walked further, we passed a number of informative signs about the trains that used to run through here, about the protections they built against snow and avalanches, and what led to their eventual demise. It was actually super interesting and a nice conversation topic for most of our walk. We walked along the edge of Keechelus Lake and admired all the stumps everywhere. We passed Cold Creek and the other primitive campground there before finally reaching the trailhead about 8 miles after we turned onto this trail.

We cut over onto a small side path so we could walk along the neighborhood roads to get to the pass. If we had stayed on the trail, we would have gone through the 2-mile-long railway tunnel that goes under the mountain. We would later find out that Biscuit and Wilco had accidentally gone down this path, as would other hikers we met. We walked past tons of cool-looking mountain chalets and cabins before walking along a busier road for another 2 miles past the ski area. They had a huge shoulder, and the speed limit was 35 mph, so it actually felt totally fine.

When we got to the pass area, it was a little after 12:00, so we grabbed beers at the brewery, food from the restaurant next door, and spent the next 3 hours just chilling. I also had a great root beer float from the brewery that I thoroughly enjoyed. Around 3:00, we headed over to the hotel, and after a kind of insane check-in process, we ended up with a room upstairs that had an AC unit! We were pretty thankful to have it. We spent the rest of the evening in our room. We left once to do laundry, and another time to grab our pizza, which we got for dinner. We ended up watching Death on the Nile, finally, which was great!

We went to bed feeling thankful for a shorter day and an opportunity to get some extra rest to help our recovery. Tomorrow will be an unplanned zero because our friends are coming up to Seattle to camp nearby, and we’re gonna hang out with them before hopping back on the trail Saturday. We really want to spend time with them, and it will be nice to give it an extra day to get over our colds and give Singsong’s back some extra rest.

August 31st, 2022 by Jon

When we woke up, it actually felt fairly warm. We had camped on a saddle, and I guess instead of being down in a pocket of cold air, we were on top of a hill in a way. We packed and got ready, but had already planned on a fairly short day given how we were feeling. To make matters even more difficult, Singsong tweaked her back while lifting her pack after lunch a few days ago, and it’s been bothering her a lot lately. As a result, we’re headed for a lake today that’s right next to a forest road that we will use to walk into town on Thursday. In doing so, we will cut about 4 miles from this section and a bit of elevation as well. We could absolutely do the hike, but we want to feel like we can slow down, and this will help us with that.

We left around 7:15 after eating the last of our muffins, which we bought in Packwood. I swear they taste just like the Costco ones, and if you grew up like I did, eating those all the time, you know those are the best kind. We hiked up out of the saddle and climbed a ridge. We switchbacked through the pine forest, and soon we reached the top, where we walked along a ridge for a while with sweeping views of the surrounding mountains. The sun was covered by a big cloud, and so everything was illuminated in a strange way. We hiked along the ridge before descending the other side.

We hiked through a forest of cedar trees, and after many miles, we came to the end of one switchback and stopped there. A side trail led away from the PCT and brought us to a small stream where we collected cold, fresh water. We’ve been drinking tons of fluids; it feels like we’ve both been so thirsty lately. We sat there for a while before heading on. We reached the bottom of the hill and crossed a well-traveled gravel road labeled Tacoma Pass before heading back up the hill on the other side. We had a steep 3-mile climb up the other side, and much of it was among rocky trail without tree cover. At midday, the sun was high in the sky, and it felt like a magnifying glass was burning our skin. When you don’t feel great anytime the trail feels especially hard, it feels extra difficult, more than it does usually. So a sunny climb was pretty rough.

Eventually, we reached the top and had a pretty nice view of Mt. Rainier in the distance, with rows and rows of mountains in various shades of blue. We took our sweaty shirts off and hung them on some tree branches to dry in the sun, then pretty much sat in a bush in the shade while we ate lunch. We were for a while and did some reading on our phones. I even took a small car nap. After a little more than an hour, we decided we should probably start hiking again. The trail passed a number of overgrown forest roads as we descended off the very top of the ridge we had just climbed. We undulated up and down a few jumps on top of the ridge, walking through a logging area before going back into the trees again.

We were walking on the side of a hill when we finally came to a muddy seep in the ground that descended down below the trail. Yet another spring bubbling out of the side of the mountain, and someone had done some “leaf technology” as we’ve been calling it on the stream. That’s basically when you find a water source that’s flowing so lightly that instead of falling down a rock or over a log, it doesn’t really fall in a way that can be easily collected. It’s just running along a rock. Someone can take a large leaf and place it so that it acts as a spout. You place a rock on the leaf to keep it there, and now hopefully you have an easier time collecting. This was one such spring.

We filled up a few liters and filtered before heading out for our last push of the day. It was 4 miles, mostly downhill with some flat sections, to reach the road where we could take a tenth-mile trail to a nearby lake. The miles came easily, and the forest was interrupted 4 times by power lines running through clear-cut areas. 3 times it was high voltage power lines, and once just a regular power line. The buzzed and crackled with energy as we walked under them, and eventually we came to another well-traveled gravel road. Stampede Pass. We made it! We walked down the road to Lizard Lake, where we found a campsite a little ways off the road, about 30 feet above the water.

We set our packs down, and before doing anything, we both just jumped in the water. We both felt especially hot and sweaty today, and it felt amazing to wash off and swim a little. The water was cool but not cold, and we stayed in for a while. We got back out and found a sun latch to dry things out before putting on other clothes. We got camp set up and had ramen for dinner. We sat and watched the water for a while and then went to bed early. We plan to walk down this road, take the hiking/biking trail along the south shore of Keechelus Lake, and follow it all the way into town. For you Seattleites out there, it’s the large lake you drive right next to on I-90 right after you get on the east side of Snoqualmie Pass. We hope to get into town before too long and do absolutely nothing for the rest of the day besides lie in the hotel bed or bathtub.

August 30th, 2022 by Jon

We woke and felt the weight of illness. We both felt hot, tired, and achy. Kind of like the feeling when you’re getting over something, but exhausted afterward. We slept in until 6:45, then slowly packed and ate breakfast, not hitting the trail until 7:45. We planned to walk and see how we felt; whatever miles we did would be enough. We continued walking through the burned section, climbing up and over the top of a ridge before beginning a long descent. There were some cool views from exposed ridges along the way, and eventually we came to a small stream. We took our first break there, having gone about 5 miles and filled our water bottles for the next 10 miles until our next planned water source. We have slowed our pace a bit, but we actually feel a bit better now that we are up and walking.

After we got moving again, we descended along the mountainside. We entered a healthy, unburnt forest again and enjoyed the cool and quiet of it all. There was a peace to the morning, and perhaps with the fact that we weren’t upset to be slowing down. We are pretty sure we can keep up enough miles to still get into town on Thursday, so it’s all going to be fine. The trees here were old, and it felt nice to walk on the soft pine duff covering the trail. We came to the bottom of the descent, then immediately climbed up, over, and down another small ridge before coming to a large meadow. At the edge of it, near where the PCT goes, we passed by a log cabin that the local snowmobile club built and maintains. We saw a family hanging out there, but we headed on.

We crossed a dirt road and went up the trail a bit before stopping in a small clearing off to the side of the trail to eat some lunch. The cheese and summer sausage wraps have been totally awesome in this section. We took a pretty long lunch; we both felt the weight of the day. But we had managed to go 10.5 miles, so that felt pretty good. Afterward, we continued along a relatively flat trail, then a long, gentle ascent, before coming to a small stream that bubbled out of the side of the hill. We stayed there for a while and took another break to fill up with water. This is the last source for about 12 miles, and so we filled up with plenty since we knew we would need to dry camp before then.

We left that water spot and continued along the ledge we had been walking on. We wandered through a more peaceful forest and then climbed up and down a few very steep ridges before coming to the road that we agreed to start looking for campsites. We took yet another break, then headed out on the trail. After about half a mile, we came to a small saddle between two mountains, with a flat spot large enough for 4 or 5 tents. It was only 5:30, and we only went 19 miles, but we were ready to call it. So we did. We set up camp and then spent an hour and a half just eating, leaning against trees as the evening sun warmed our skin. We finished the evening with hot chocolate and tea before getting into our tent by 7:00, planning to get some really good sleep tonight. We have another 37 miles to get to Snoqualmie in two days, which is totally doable. Hopefully, we will feel a bit better tomorrow.

August 29th, 2022 by Jon

Today was both beautiful and difficult. We hiked 4000 feet of elevation gain and 3900 feet of elevation loss. When we woke up, the air was cool, although not as cold as it had been the last few days. We got up at 6:00, as seems to be the norm now for most hikers. The morning is too dark at 5:30 now, and it has been so much harder to get up than. We enjoyed some awesome muffins for breakfast, along with warm beverages, before heading out. The trail continued along a steep ledge that we hiked pretty flatly along the side of for a long time. After a mile of hiking, we turned a corner and Mt. Rainier was out in all its glory!

We stood and looked at it for a while before heading on. The trail meandered over so small ridges and hills, passing a few small meadows, creeks, and mountain lakes. The water was so still in the morning, and you could see a perfect reflection in almost every lake we passed. We descended into a large basin and passed by Large Dewey Lake. What an awesome place to come camp. It’s less than 10 miles from Chinook Pass, and the sites were pretty incredible. Definitely a spot to come back to someday. We stopped at an inlet and considered getting water here but after reading a few comments, realized there was a flowing creek up and over the next hill which was good for two reasons, it wasn’t lake water (more prone to be bad water and we’re being extra cautious due to all the stomach bugs among hikers right now) and we wouldn’t have to carry this water up a hill.

The climb was about a mile long and fairly steep. Both Singsong and I are still pretty tired, and we’re worried we might have some sort of cold coming on. The climb was a trudge, and when we got to the top, we were rewarded with excellent views of Chinook Pass and the surrounding valley. We climbed down the trail and stopped about halfway to fill our water bottles. We probably passed about 50 hikers who were coming up as we were going down. Pretty incredible for a Monday. We got close to the road, and there was a sign for trail magic! We crossed the small footbridge over the highway, then came down a small side trail to the parking lot, where a canopy was set up with food and drinks. We had beer, a bagel with cream cheese, some fruit, and a cup of yogurt. It was seriously wonderful.

When we first got there, Wilco and Biscuit were there; they had hiked an extra two miles last night. They told us they were headed for Snoqualmie and wanted to push so they could get there Wednesday night. We wished them the best, and they took off. We still plan to do a half-day on Thursday and stay the night. Missile showed up a little later and said he really needed to take some time off the trail to rest his leg. Apparently, it’s been slowing him down quite a bit. Thankfully, the folks doing trail magic are driving back to Tacoma, and then he’s gonna go stay with my brother. The two of them hit it off when Andrew came down to hike with us in the Sierra for a bit, so I’m glad that all is working out. He’s going to come back to the trail on Friday when my dad comes up to drop off our Snoqualmie resupply.

We said goodbye to Missile and wished him a speedy recovery before thanking our trail angels for the magic, and then began another climb out of the pass. The trail sucked. It was so, so steep. We passed a pretty lake, but otherwise it was just exposed walking along a rocky ledge. The climb was a little over 3 miles, and when we got to the top, we took a 40-minute break. Partially to eat some food, but it was a seriously killer climb. We had amazing views from the saddle where we ate, then climbed along a ledge, rounding several mountains as we made our way northeast. The trail climbed up and down, following a ridge that overlooked the Crystal Mountain Ski Area. They had their lifts running so people could reach the top of the ridge and stare at Mt. Rainier. Thankfully, we could do that from the ridge we were on across the valley.

We climbed over the top of the ridge and then did more ledge walking on the shady side of the mountain, looking east. We entered a burn area and had to sadly pass by white skeleton trees for a few miles. There were patches of green trees in some places, but not many. Eventually, we came to a small spring that bubbled out the side of the hill just below the trail and stopped there to get water. We filled up enough to get the 7.5 miles to the next water, as well as camp tonight, which was 3 liters for me and about 2.5 for Singsong. When we left the spring, it was about 6:00. The next 2.9 miles were up a small climb, over a saddle, and then down a long way along a ledge before climbing back up to a different saddle. Those miles may have been some of the most tired I’ve ever felt. Everything hurt, and I left exhausted. Singsong had left a little before me, and I caught her with about a half mile to go.

We climbed the last bit together up to the saddle and found a small tent site for 1 near the edge of a ridge with great views to the east. We ate dinner, drank electrolytes, and hit the hay. We’re thinking we may need to tone down the mileage just a bit for this section. Partly because of how tired we feel, but also because it’s been pretty hard. The elevation gains and losses have been no joke. If anything, it just means doing closer to a full hiking day into town on Thursday instead of a half day, but we will play each day by ear and see how it goes.

August 28th, 2022 by Jon

We got up and listened to the wind blow steadily off the lake, causing all the trees around us to sway and creak. Thankfully, our tent spot was hunkered down in some trees and bushes, and we didn’t have any of it pushing on our tent. We didn’t set an alarm this morning, and ended up getting up around 7:15. We lay in our tent for a while before deciding the picnic table would be too cold to eat at, as it wasn’t protected from the wind like we were. We ended up eating in our tent instead. For breakfast, we enjoyed peaches and nectarines that our parents had left us, along with an entire loaf of banana bread. We are the entire thing, and it was absolutely delicious.

After eating, we got up and packed everything, then stood in the sun and did some last-minute internet chores while we had service. Finally, at 8:45, we left our campsite and hit the trail. We switchbacked up a very wide trail, as is common near big roads with large trailheads, before it narrowed again a few miles later. On the way up, we stopped at a small flat part so we could take our sweaters off. It was warming up quickly. As we were getting our packs situated, our friend Goob rolled up! We’ve hiked near or around him since the desert section, and we last saw him in Cascade Locks after not seeing him in at least 1000 miles. We caught up some more and hiked together for the rest of the climb before reaching a plateau pockmarked with small lakes and ponds. We walked among them for a way before a super gentle descent through beautiful pine forest.

We stopped at a small lake where there was supposed to be an outflow we could collect running water from, but the lake was so low that there wasn’t any flow. There have been reports of bad water or Norovirus spreading in this section, so my dad totally came to our rescue and picked up some different water treatment drops that chemically treat the water. He had to go to two different REI’s to find it! We are so lucky to have him helping us with gear stuff. It’s a bit of a pain to use, since it requires time to treat the water, but if it prevents another stomach bug, it will be totally worth it.

We used it to treat a bit of lake water and then polished off some of my mom’s cookies that she also brought down with her. They made for an amazing mid-morning snack. Oatmeal, craisins, and chocolate chips. They are one of my mom’s specialties, and they seriously rock. When the water was done, we separated it out a bit and then hit the trail again. There were plenty more small ponds we walked past that were very picturesque. There were meadows and streams as well, and lots of pine trees. We passed numerous trail junctions for hiking in the area, and they were as well-traveled as the PCT, so we actually had to rely on our maps to make sure we were on the right one. Usually, you just follow the one that isn’t tiny.

It was on this stretch of the trail that I started to feel very tired. I just didn’t have the energy that I usually do, and I think it’s because I’ve slept very poorly the last two nights. We were trying to make it to a stream 6.5 miles from our break spot, but Singsong stopped early, partially because she got hungry, and partly because she could tell I was lagging pretty far behind her. We had lunch while resting in a small clearing right off the trail and enjoyed the sun streaming through the trees and warming our faces. We have cheese and summer sausage this stretch to put in our tortillas for lunch, and it was a nice change from what we have been eating. We washed it down with plenty of snacks, of course.

As we were finishing up, Biscuit walked up, and we enjoyed hearing about the rest of their evening in town. We chatted for a while and then continued hiking for another 3.6 miles. We crossed a few streams and walked over some foot bridges built to keep our feet out of muddy marshes. I struggled a bit on the downhill; my left glute has been spasming pretty often lately, and today it was especially bad. It’s almost like your knee giving out, except it’s your butt. It’s extremely annoying. We continued on and reached the river crossing, where we found a nice tree to cross on, so we didn’t have to take our shoes off. Once on the other side, we took yet another break. I put my head on my knees for a while and listened to Singsong and Biscuit talk, and then Wilco rolled up as well!

We all hung out there for a while before pushing up a 3.5-mile climb. We passed an absolutely gorgeous meadow, filled with water from a creek halfway up, and then climbed around the edge of a bowl with great views of the surrounding hills to the east. When we reached the top of the climb, we hiked along the south side of the mountain, then turned and looked northeast. And there stood Mt. Rainier in all its glory. No clouds in sight, and the sun was glinting off its ice-covered slopes. It was spectacular. It both took my breath away and almost made me tear up with how amazing it looked. Maybe it’s just due to the difficulty of the day, and all the negative thoughts I was having because of it. But that moment took away some of the negativity. I was still exhausted, but it was a moment that just felt good for my soul.

We stood and looked at that mountain for a few minutes, not really talking much. We sighed then, after some time, and began walking once again. We hiked along a ledge for a while before passing over a ridge, then hiked along another ledge on the other side. We came to a trail junction for a lake 0.3 miles down the cliffside. We found a good campsite just off trail and set up camp there. I sat for a solid 10 minutes before I mustered up the energy to start getting stuff ready. We enjoyed some gnocchi and pesto for dinner, and as we were eating, Missile walked up! His leg has been bothering him the last few days, and he’s been taking it slower than usual. We enjoyed eating and talking together, and chatted for a while after we ate, while drinking tea and hot cocoa. Eventually, it got pretty cold, so we jumped into our tent around 8:00. I took some Benadryl right when I got in, and I hope it helps me sleep well tonight.

August 27th, 2022 by Jon

A little after we went to bed last night, it began to rain. The rain came in small bursts, along with strong gusts of wind that actually bent our tent a little. We did our best to doze through it, although we didn’t have much luck. Eventually, around midnight, it finally stopped. When the alarm went off, we were tired, but got up anyway because we were motivated to get to the highway. We planned to meet my parents around noon at the trailhead, and then they would help us resupply and hang out in town. They were also bringing our dog Griff, and we seriously could not wait to see him. I think it’s because we have talked on the phone or FaceTimed with my family that it doesn’t feel as crazy as a reunion, although we still really want to see them too. We said bye to Biscuit as she left camp; we knew we would see her on the road in a little bit. Wilco and Missile were still in their tents as we left.

The trail switchbacked up and over a ridge, and then immediately down the other side. For the first time since the Sierra, I actually had to start my hiking with my puffy jacket on. It was pretty cold, but the wind cut through everything like a knife. After we got over the ridge, we entered the tree line for the first time in a super long time, and we finally had something to block the wind. We hiked through the forest for a while, enjoying the silence of an early morning after the rain. It was pleasant in a way that’s hard to describe; it was nice to just listen to how quiet it was.

We passed a few nice-looking tent sites near a small lake before continuing on, crossing a few creeks before finally beginning a climb. We got about a third of the way up before hitting 2 hours since we started, which is where we usually take a break. We found a nice flat spot with an open view of the mountains through the trees and sat there munching on our bars. We tried drinking water, but it was difficult with how cold the water was. We climbed the rest of the hill, passing a small burn section, trying not to get too startled when the trees rubbed against each other in the wind, making a horrible creaking noise.

We passed the cutoff for a small spring, but didn’t stop since we had all the water we needed. We kept hiking and, after a few switchbacks through healthy forest, began climbing a more exposed ridge. There were excellent views to the east, but trees right on the edge of the cliff blocked our views to the west. Soon we passed those trees and over the top of the ridge, then along the west side of the ridge on a small ledge. Turns out we weren’t missing much as clouds covered everything. You could kind of tell where Mt. Rainier should have been, but clouds covered everything.

We crossed back over to the other side of the ledge and walked along that for a while, admiring a beautiful lake down below in a basin. Soon afterward, we began our descent, walking around the whole bowl, standing on a small ledge the whole way, looking down into the valley far below. At this point, we only had 6 miles to go to the road, and with it being downhill pretty much the whole way, we really began to pick up the pacewere. The next few miles were a blur of trees. We took a break at a trail junction with 3.5 to go, and Wilco and Missile caught us there.

When we started hiking again, I went ahead of everyone, excited to reach the trailhead. The next miles were more forest blur, though certainly a pretty steady descent. Being so close to the road, I also passed a number of dayhikers on their way up for a weekend hike. Soon I arrived at the trailhead, and just as I looked and didn’t see my parents’ car, I heard one pulling up, and it was them. We waved and hugged, and after an initial cold greeting from my dog (I honestly think he didn’t recognize me at first), a very happy dog reunion. Soon, Singsong, Wilco, and Missile arrived and met my family, and my parents offered cookies, fruit, and drinks. We enjoyed chatting for a while before Biscuit came over from the campground where she had been hanging out.

We all walked back to the campground, where we found an open site and claimed it. As we set up our stuff, my parents handed out more food and drinks, and Wilco called around for a hotel room for the three of them tonight. They camped in Trout Lake, so they really wanted a hotel room here. My dad managed to swap out my trekking pole tips, which was very impressive given how hard they are to get off sometimes. He also helped zip tie some of the holes in Biscuit’s mesh on the back of her pack. We joked we should call her “porcupine” now, given how the ends of the ties stick out. My mom chatted with us, and honestly, it was just so great to talk with them in person. They drove 2.5 hours to get here, and it means a lot that they came out. Griff enjoyed sniffing everything in sight and hanging out with us.

We hung out for a while longer before we headed into town. The rest of the crew walked down to the Kracker Barrel store to pick up their packages there before they planned to get a hitch into town. Spoiler alert: they ended up getting a ride in a semi-truck, which sounded totally awesome. When we got to town, we headed straight to the local burger joint and found a great table outside where we looked through some mail from home and talked with my parents. Soon the food came, and I wolfed it down ravenously. I had just started to feel kinda cranky before we got it, so I’m glad it came when it did. Feeling refreshed, we headed to the grocery store to get food for this section and the next two. My parents plan to bring it out to us since it’s pretty close to Seattle, so we don’t have to deal with shipping.

It took a while, and it was stressful to plan out so much food, but we got the chore done and took everything over to the local brewery to organize it. My parents got us all some beers, and then the four of us set to packing everything the way we needed it. We got it all sorted into bags for easy delivery, and we actually finished quite fast, given how many days of food we were organizing. We were joined by the rest of the gang afterward and spent another hour just hanging out. It felt great to just relax in town, and it finally began to warm up for the first time that day. Missile, my dad, and I all got ice cream from an ice cream truck parked at the brewery, and then we headed out.

My dad drove the gang and me to their hotel so I could use the shower before he went back to pick up my mom and Singsong, who were still drinking their beer, and they couldn’t fit in the car anyway. After I got out of the shower, unfortunately, they kinda got yelled at for letting me shower. I think they must have had bad experiences with hikers in the past. It’s the first time it felt like a really unfriendly encounter with a town person on the trail so far, and that was a bummer. My parents came and picked me up with Singsong, and unfortunately, she didn’t get the chance to take her shower this time. Thankfully, though, we had three showers during our hotel stay in Trout Lake, so we still feel pretty clean. We already have a hotel room booked for our next stay in Snoqualmie, so all is well.

We got back to the campsite with my parents and finished organizing the resupply. My dad used the trimmers he brought to shave some of my beard and help it look a bit more under control, and then it came time for them to head back. They helped us out big time with this stop and will continue to help us with the next few stops as well. We are so lucky to have a supportive family that lives so close! After they left, we had dinner and enjoyed the delicious cider my dad gave us, as well as the cookies that my mom had made to perfection. We finished our meal in our tent because it got pretty cold, and then fell asleep without setting an alarm, so we could enjoy “town” tomorrow morning.

August 26th, 2022 by Jon

When we woke up, we just couldn’t get out of bed. It was still far too dark out. When we finally decided to get up, we packed, and eating ate a bit later, drank some of the water we got last night, and then walked through dark pine forest for many miles. It was actually pretty flat, with small rolling hills. We passed a few trail junctions for various lakes in the area, but kept walking. The bushes grew very close to the narrow trail, and we actually got kinda wet with all of the morning dew that was still on them. We began climbing after about 4 miles of flat and gained elevation steadily.

The trail ran along a ledge, in a tunnel of green pine trees. We hiked for a while and got partway up the climb towards the pass before stopping to sit on a log with our feet hanging over the edge. Although we didn’t really have a view, it was kind of a nice break spot. Eventually, we actually got cold, so we started hiking again. We continued going higher and higher before turning a corner and heading along a different face of the mountain we were going up. This side was covered in meadows and small pockets of trees, which made for much better views. We were hiking north, and behind us, we had spectacular views of Mt. Adams.

We got to a ridge and could finally see the top of Cispus Pass. In between us and the top, we could see a long exposed climb through beautiful red rock, small groups of trees, and sweeping views of the valley below. It was breathtakingly gorgeous. We climbed up the pass and both reached the top feeling very hot and absolutely drenched in sweat. But we also felt proud to make it all the way up! On the other side, we could see a large bowl and the trail that hiked around above it. We passed a stream that would join the Cispus River down below and stopped there for lunch. The water was very clear and cold. I suppose that makes sense, because it was snowmelt from the patches that remained at the top.

We got going again and walked all the way around the bowl, passing a few superb-looking streams, waterfalls, and tent sites. We reached a trail junction where one trail led down, and the PCT went up. We climbed through the most gorgeous meadow I have ever been to. Probably the most beautiful place I have ever been, period. The wildflowers were everywhere, mountains surrounded us, the trail crossed perfect streams, and even the rocks looked good. It felt like paradise. I was so happy to be climbing up and getting to experience it all. Just before we got to the top of the ridge, we ran into our friends Sparkles and Free Refill! We last hung out with them in Ashland when they were taking some time off trail. They ended up flipping up to the northern terminus and are now hiking south to Ashland, where they will finish their hike. We talked with them for a long time before sadly saying goodbye.

When we got to the top of the ridge, we saw Mt. Rainier somewhat covered in clouds, but majestic nonetheless. We hiked over a large snow field and then up some loose rocks before reaching the junction to go up to Old Snowy. It’s a nearby mountain you can go up to, and we decided to check it out. The trail was steep, but when we got to the top, we were rewarded with amazing 360-degree views in every direction. We began our climb down, and once back on the PCT, we began the Knife’s Edge section. It’s basically walking on a razor-thin ridge for a few miles, and it’s astoundingly beautiful. We had a great time hiking it. As we moved along the ridge, the clouds began rolling in and covered everything in a bit of a fog. I’m glad we got there in time for at least some views! We hiked down through more astonishingly amazing meadows and creeks, our feet and knees aching from how steep it was.

We stopped at a small stream and collected water there to take with us to camp in a few miles. Then a hiker friend told us that Biscuit wasn’t too far behind us! We waited there for a while, and a little later she and Wilco showed up! Apparently, Missile wasn’t too far behind. We all hiked together for a bit and found a nice set of tent sites where we made camp. We ate dinner together, and I had messaged Missile where we were. He arrived as we were just starting to eat. It was really great to catch up, and now we have friends to enjoy the town with.

Tomorrow we plan to hike the 14.5 to get into White Pass, where we will meet my parents, who are bringing some snacks and helping us out with some resupply stuff. They are also bringing our dog, Griff. We cannot wait to see them all!

August 25th, 2022 by Jon

After getting into camp late last night and then staying up for longer than we should have, it was very difficult to get up when the alarm went off. We ended up sleeping another 40 minutes before finally getting up and going. We packed and had breakfast, then got on the trail by 7:15. We wound our way up the hill we had been climbing for miles and picked our way past broken, burnt trees. It seemed like there were more and more green patches as we went through. We had pretty amazing views of Mt. Adams through the trees, including the cloud that obscured its top and the sunshine that punched through its edges.

We passed a number of small, flat meadows with a sandy patch in the middle. It seems like there are lots of little spots to set up a tent or two if you are willing to camp without water. We finished the climb and then walked along a fairly flat ledge for a while with great views of the west. We could see Mt. St. Helens most of the morning, and then all of a sudden, we came up a small rise and had a view to the northwest. We got our first big look at Mt. Rainier. This mountain reminds me so much of home; it feels strange to see it in a different context sometimes. We continued hiking, passing over some lava rock flows and glacial melt streams that were cloudy with sediment.

We climbed over a few logs to cross a larger glacial stream, then reached the other side and found a small tent site under a large pine tree for our first break. We sat under the tree eating our bars and chilling for about 15 minutes before we got going again. We walked along the ledge for a while more, admiring the views of all the mountains around us before descending gently down the side of one of the ridges extending from Mt. Adams. We hiked down the hill for about 5 more miles, and it was basically a green tunnel of pine trees and lush bushes, with a few easy stream crossings.

When we got to the bottom of our little descent, we crossed a large 25-foot-long footbridge that spanned Muddy Creek. This branch of the creek was actually quite clear, though. We crossed the bridge and had lunch in the shade of the trees. We filtered water when we were done eating, and by 1:15, we hit the trail again. We hiked separately for this section, and the trail had small ups and downs, passed a few streams, crossed a few dirt roads, and before we knew it, we had gone another 6 miles walking through the forest, and came to another stream. We filtered some more water there and steeled ourselves for the upcoming climb.

It wasn’t necessarily a long climb; it’s just that it came at the end of the day, and those feel tough. We climbed through a dark, thick forest, passing a few small ponds covered in pine needles. We also came across a few large tent sites that were big enough for 4 or 5 tents each. We passed them all, both Singsong and I, and I felt like we were struggling up the hill. Thankfully, she told me about some of the podcasts she has been listening to to distract me, which was very kind of her. We made it to the top after a long while and began the climb down the east side of the ridge. With the setting out west, it was totally in the shade of the ridge. We walked through more forest, and the mosquitoes started chasing us through the woods.

With a half mile to go, we had to stop and put DEET on, and Singsong actually hiked the rest of the way with her bug net on her head. We finally came to a small stream, noticed a side trail running downhill, and stopped at an area with a few small tent sites. Most were right up against a tree, so they could actually be pretty flat. We found one that wasn’t too bad and pitched our tent there. Once everything was inside, I went to grab water back at the stream while Singsong began cooking. We ate pretty quickly, feeling much better now that we were stopped and had food in our bellies. We talked about our day, then made some hot chocolate to enjoy in our tent. We were inside by 7:30.

It’s gonna be an early to bed kinda night because we want to be fully rested for the Goat Rocks Wilderness, which we entered a few miles ago. For many, it’s one of the best sections on the trail, and we are super excited for tomorrow’s hiking.