Pacific Crest Trail - Von Mexiko nach Kanada, zu Fuss

Montag, den 27. August
August 27th we were up and trekking by 6:15am, once again greeted by a gorgeous sunrise which shone on the snow capped mountains across from us. As well, the valley below was filled with fog which made for a wonderfully scenic sight. The day followed the patterns of the previous two days in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness -- alot of climbing and descending (a total of 3870ft of elevation gain), rocky terrain that takes its toll on the feet, and gorgeous panoramic views.
We tallied up 20 miles for the day and arrived at Stevens Pass at about 3pm where we sat in the sun and relaxed. Jean and Bob (Tom's older sister and brother-in-law) picked us up at 4pm. It was great to see them and when we got into the car, Jean had prepared some munchies for the ride into Everett where they live. On the way into town, we stopped at a sporting goods store where Tom purchased another Leatherman Micra which put him in a great mood for the rest of the evening.
We arrived at Bob and Jean's house by about 6pm and I had a chance to savour a bubble bath with a glass of chilled white wine -- ahhh, the life indeed! Jean had prepared an incredible feast and we ate our share and more. After repacking and doing another duct taping job on my shoes, we settled into a comfy bed by about 10pm clean, well fed, and in denial that we had to head back onto the trail tomorrow morning.

Dienstag, den 28. August
August 28th we awoke at the ridiculous hour of 5am along with Jean and piled into the car for the drive up to Stevens Pass. We arrived at the trailhead by about 7:15am and Jean joined us for the first few miles of the trek. The weather was overcast but the temperature was comfortable for walking and it was wonderful to have some company on the trail. Jean turned back at about 9am and Tom and I were stuck with each others' company once again (it wasn't really that bad!).
The trail entered into Henry M. Jackson Wilderness and it had its fair share of ascents to open ridgelines and meadows and descents into forest. Just like the past two days, there was alot of climbing (4000ft elevation gain) and spectacular views, especially of Glacier Peak which is becoming closer with every step. The one thing missing today was the rocky, rough walking terrain which we didn't shed any tears over. We decided if we could just get rid of all of the elevation gains and be left with the fabulous views, we'd have it made in the shade.
The afternoon was sunny but cool with the odd cloud floating in the blue sky. We devoured some deli sandwiches that Jean had prepared for us along with some carrot sticks and cookies while soaking in the scenery at Janus Lake. Throughout the day I also consumed a ridiculous amount of huckleberries which helped distract my attention from the multiple climbs that filled the day, and I managed to get purple stains all over my hands (classy chick!).
Dinner was enjoyed at Pear Lake which was situated in a cirque (a low spot surrounded by steeply sloped mountains) and the lake displayed a magnificent tone of aquamarine blue. We set up camp alongside Pass Creek at 4200ft after 24 miles of trekking for the day. The night was damp and chilly, but that didn't hamper our sleep in the least.

Mittwoch, den 29. August
August 29th we awoke at 6am to damp sleeping bags and a chill in the air. We had a bit of a restless sleep due to a mouse in the house. He was more a nuisance than anything and it was amazing how loud his little feet sounded on the sleeping pad when my ear was resting against it.
We hit the trail at 6:30am and enjoyed one of the most beautifully scenic days on the trek in my professional scenery observing opinion. The weather was sunny and warm with clear blue skies and we crossed over into the Glacier Peak Wilderness in the later morning. The trail did a ridiculous amount of climbing and descending (approximately 6000ft of elevation gain for the day) but this was balanced out by the wonderful sights. The trail followed high, open ridgelines surrounded by tall grasses, huckleberries, and various wildflowers as well as dipped into lush green valleys with meandering creeks and shady forests. We could see jagged mountains for endless miles, one series behind another with many of the mountains supporting glaciers or patches of snow. Mount Rainier was still in view and the day was spent trekking towards (and eventually on) Glacier Peak. I got into my Julie Andrews mood and belted out "The Sound of Music". I performed such a fantastic version that even the pikas and marmots stopped their calling to listen (that, or they were trying to figure out where the awful noise was originating from!). The scenery was spectacular and the last half hour of the day was spent ascending to our campsite alongside Glacier Creek at 5640ft where we were witness to a wonderful sunset that turned Glacier Peak into a soft tone of pink.
The 25 miles for the day was exhausting but the scenery made it worth every drip of sweat. The night was clear and chilly with a full display of stars in the nightsky which were eventually joined by a bright 3/4 moon.

Donnerstag, den 30. August
August 30th ... does it get any better than this?!? Just when I think a previous day's scenery cannot be topped, today ranked up there with the competition. We awoke to dew on our sleeping bags again, although the weather turned out to be sunny and warm for the day. Tom reported that he had a midnight mouse encounter once again. I wondered if maybe the mouse from the night before hitched a ride in Tom's pack to last night's campsite because we were so much fun to tease the night before.
We hit the trail by 6:30am for a morning climb (not by choice). We stopped for breakfast just below Fire Creek Pass where we pulled out the sleeping bags to dry in the sunshine. We continued on with panoramic views of surrounding mountains as the trail switchbacked up and down ridges, sometimes encrouched by overgrown with wildflowers and various other grasses and brush. As well, we soaked in the sights of gorgeous lakes (Mica Lake was one of the prettiest on the trip) and meandering creeks with colourful wildflowers as we descended into the valleys. We also encountered an array of creatures -- marmots, pikas, chipmunks, grouse, butterflies, crickets, and our least favourite, biting flies.
We stopped for dinner midway up a basin along Glacier Peak Mountain with views of snowcapped mountains as well as the awing Glacier Peak which rises to 10541ft. We continued down to silty Vista Creek along 59 switchbacks (calculated in the guidebook, not by Tom). We set up camp just beyond the silty Suiattle River, along a widening in the trail as it switchbacked up the ridge at approximately 3600ft elevation. We trekked 25 miles for the day with about 4200ft in elevation gain.
The night was a comfortably warm temperature and although the moon was approaching full, we were surrounded by a forest of tall trees that kept our site incredibly dark and quite. We had a great sleep and dreamt of our arrival into Stehekin tomorrow and all of the treats that come with a town stop.

Freitag, den 31. August
August 31st we were up and on the move by 6am. Last night was incredibly warm and we did not have to deal with dew on the sleeping bags. The morning weather was foggy but the day's weather turned out to be overcast and warm which was comfortable for trekking. We finished off our ascent that we began yesterday evening to reach Suiattle Pass at 5990ft and had breakfast in a field of grass. We alternated between shivering and basking in the sunshine as the clouds covered the sun and then momentarily allowed the sun to shine through.
We continued on through forest for the rest of the day, spending the majority of time along or close to the South Fork of the Agnes River. We trekked 23 miles for the day to reach High Bridge at 1600ft at about 5pm. Hiking Pole, a thru hiker from Oregon that we had met previously about two weeks ago, was also at High Bridge, so we chatted and waited together for the shuttle which arrived at 6pm and whisked us off to Stehekin 10 miles away (he got the trailname "Hiking Pole" due to his Polish descent -- get it?!?). We arrived in Stehekin by 7pm and went to the lodge with Hiking Pole for a delicious dinner buffet where we all did a serious amount of eating.
After dinner, Tom and I took advantage of the free shower that the town has and then headed to the local Purple Point Campground. Stehekin is incredibly small with approximately 65 full time residents, and it can only be accessed by hiking in or taking the ferry. The community had one communal satellite phone which was not working at the time ... did I mention it was an extremely small community?!? Tom and I enjoyed an incredibly warm evening -- clean, well fed, and savouring the fact that we got to sleep in in the morning.

Samstag, den 1. September
September 1st -- where has the summer gone? Although we had dreams of sleeping in until noon, we awoke at 6am and were unable to fall back asleep. We headed to the lodge and met Hiking Pole for a delectible buffet breakfast and then went and did our laundry. While we were waiting for our laundry, Doug (trailname "Skywalker") arrived and along with him arrived Patch, Kam, and Mike (thru hikers that we had met in Seiad Valley). It was great to see everyone again and we did alot of visiting and relaxing.
At 2pm, Tom and I caught the shuttle back to the trailhead to begin our final 88 mile stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail. You would think that we would be racing to Manning Park pumped full of adrenalin, and although we have had moments of excitment, we both are still in disbelief that it is almost over. I'm sure that when reality hits, it will hit hard.
We trekked 11 miles for the day, the majority of the time spent close to the Stehekin River with views of the mountains above us as well as peaks at the river below us. We crossed into the North Cascades National Park and spent alot of the trek amongst the trees whose leaves, to our great disbelief, were beginning to change to autumn colours.
We trekked until dark and set up camp at Six Mile Camp for the night alongside Bridge Creek which, like all other creeks that we have slept beside, had the strange sound of voices and music within it -- sort of like a radio whose stations are being switched back and forth. I still wonder if it is just Tom and I who experience this, and if so, maybe we should get some professional help!

Sonntag, den 2. September
September 2nd we were up and on the go by 6:45am, crossing Highway 20's Rainy Pass and ascending through forest to Cutthroat Pass at 6820ft in the Okanogan National Forest. From this pass to Methow Pass at 6600ft we were audience to panoramic scenery, making today one of the contenders for the most scenic day on the trip. We could see mountains far off in the distance and the mountains we were traversing along began in lush green valleys of trees and meandering creeks, turned into steep slopes of forest, then solid exposed granite, then decomposed granite, finally topping off with tall craggy spires. The weather was cool and overcast and we had to don our jackets a few times during the day.
We stopped for dinner at Golden Creek at 4570ft then continued on through forest and dry grassy meadows at the lower elevations. We ascended along an exposed and scenic ridgeline to our campsite at Glacier Pass at 5500ft. We arrived at dusk and the mountains around us slowly felt larger and more looming as darkness approached.
We trekked 29 miles for the day. We set up camp in a cozy flat spot with trees on one side of us to block the wind and a small open meadow on the other side of us that gave us a great view of the night sky full of stars to gaze upon as we drifted off to sleep.
At about midnight, both Tom and I awoke to the sound of hooves and munching noises and when we looked out into the moonlit meadow, there were two deer dining on the grass about three feet away from us. They briefly looked up, and then continued on with their munching for the next 20 minutes or so. It was a magical trail moment and a beautiful sight to be witness to.