Alpine Lakes Wilderness to The Dinsmore's!!!!

With the extreme magnetism of the Canadian Border but so much to soak up and enjoy in Washington, we are completely savoring each and every moment on trail. We are thrilled that we have reached this point in our journey and we know we still have some challenges ahead, but we are constantly questioning how we will adjust without the trail. I guess we will figure it all out once we reach our goal. For now, we will be walking Northward....

9/2

We were picked up late last night, after a long hitching drought, by some nice hikers who were dropping their car at White Pass. Deciding that we deserved a little rest, we camped at the trailhead so as to have fresh legs for the start of the longest leg we have left (99 miles). Walking was relatively easy by Washington standards, and as we rounded a bend to take a lunch break, we were nearly knocked off our feet by the spectacular views of massive Mt. Rainier. The 14,300 foot monster looked like it was on top of us! We traversed west around the mountain, made it just in time to the pit toilets at Chinook Pass, and decided after 29 miles, to push a little farther. Leaving the pass at 6:30 PM, we climbed past beautiful Sheep Lake, up and over Sourdough Gap, saw 5 elk in the valley, and found some flat ground for the tent. We said goodnight to this chilly night at 9 PM.

33 PCT miles, 2336 S->N

LOVING the Half Dome

Rainier

Still Smilin'

9/3

Up before the sun, we crawled out of our frosted tent and got moving quickly to try to warm up in the cold morning. We rolled along high, windy ridges with spectacular views of Rainier before dropping down to a refreshing spring. Expecting to see THE Sam Fox today, we were all extra alert and peaked around every corner in search of the protege. Sam Fox is an incredible collegiate athlete attempting to break the southbound speed record by completing the entire trail, running, in 60 days! That means averaging 45 miles a day! He is also working hard to raise money for Parkinson's research. Support Sam and check out his story at http://www.runwhileyoucan.org/.
As we were all disappointed and hypothesizing on why we hadn't seen him yet, we looked up in the glow of the sunlight to see the majestic Mr. Fox himself. After a short, sincere chat, he took off like a black panther on pursuit of prey. Quite impressed with the young man, we too moved on down trail with a little bounce in our step. Passing through drab clearcuts and munching on handfuls of huckleberries all afternoon, we finally rolled into camp after dark at Tacoma Pass where we were rewarded with a cache full of cold beverages and fruit. Soon, we were stretched out in our comfortable, roomy tent.
37 PCT miles, 2373 S->N

Another Brisk Morning Stroll

9/4

We slept in today, waking at 6:30 AM to a warm morning. Warned that this section can be drab and monotonous, we spiced up the morning by gorging on ripe huckleberries. We passed by numerous day hikers out berry picking on our rolling traverse, steeper than average PCT at times, through clear cuts, and along forested ridgetops. The day passed uneventfully and soon we found ourselves breaking the 2400 mark at our next checkpoint, Snoqualmie Pass. Resupplying at the Chevron, we dreamed of the day, just 260 miles away, when we could eat REAL food.... After a lousy meal at a restaurant, we found camp in a trailhead parking lot, and the roar of cars on nearby I-90 guided us to sleep.

29 PCT miles, 2402 S->N

9/5

Up at 6 to the zooms, vrooms, honks, and roars of I-90.... We hit up the pancake house for one last calorie overload before hitting the trail for a 2500 foot climb out of Snoqualmie Pass. We cruised by tons of day hikers and climbed over some monster deadfalls before reaching the top where we were rewarded with breathtaking views of Cascade pinnacles, Mt. Rainier, and massive lakes below in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Throughout the day, we climbed over 6500 feet in the unforgiving, wild Cascades of Washington. After a refreshing drink at Lemah Creek, we pushed 7 miles to find camp just after dark. Honey Buzz was being just a tad grumpy! We hit the tent for another gourmet dinner under the starry sky.
28 PCT miles, 2430 S->N

Deadfall Obstacle Course

Alpine Lakes Wilderness

Washington

9/6

After the late night, we happily slept in past 6 before forcing our feet and legs into another day of abusive walking on the rough terrain. A long, hot descent brought us to the clear, rushing Waptus River. Again, we ran into many other hikers on the trail today, as we climbed up to Deep Lake for a lunch break in the shade. Finishing the climb, we crossed over Cathedral Pass and immediately began a steep drop to the raging Mt. Daniels drainage. We carefully crossed over a narrow, swift shoot of water on two slippery fir branches and then rock hopped our way across the remaining white water. After water, a snack, and a few laughs, we once again were climbing back up to the Crest. Passing through a steep slope of tasty huckleberries, we encountered two small black bears that crashed down into the brush with our arrival. Continuing our "climb," we took the wrong trail for a 1/4 mile before realizing we shouldn't be on a brutal, switchbacking descent and worked our way back to the trail. With the recent warm temperatures, the mosquitoes have hatched again and swarmed us as we passed by Deception Lakes and climbed up to Pieper Pass. Here, we waited for Honey Buzz to catch up, but he never showed.... Anticipating that he camped below, we moved on to Glacier Lake where we encountered numerous signs in the dirt signaling us to move on to find Rory (Honey Buzz). Totally confused, we finally found the kid camped in the middle of the trail. He had taken the wrong trail again and bushwhacked his way back to the trail ahead of us. We once again gorged on our extra food and passed out in our comfy home.

33 PCT miles, 2463 S->N

Don't Watch Mom

Glacier Lake

9/7

Sleeping in yet again, we woke to the warm morning near Glacier Lake with only 13 miles to our next checkpoint at Steven's Pass. The Alpine Lakes Wilderness threw a few more steep climbs at us on this beautiful, sunny day, and we finally reached the pass around 12:30 PM. This 75 mile section was beautiful and the 16,000 feet we climbed and 15,000 we descended challenged what strength reserves we have left. After a quick hitch to Skykomish, we called the Dinsmore's, local trail angels, who are completely set up with hiker bunks, laundry, showers, and everything else you can imagine! After a half day here, we are getting back on the trail tomorrow for our next leg! 187 miles to go!!

13 PCT miles, 2476 S->N

The Red SHORTs in Action

Friendly Fella

What's New?

Hitching Can Be Stressful....

We also learned today that huge wildfires are ripping through areas where we had just been, forcing PCT hikers to detour and even skip sections! Even Washington, because of these uncommonly hot, dry conditions, is under a severe fire alert.

Anticipated Itinerary:

Stehekin (98 miles) - 9/12

CANADA (89 miles)- 9/15

We have a bit of work (play) to do still, so we will be in touch after our meeting with the Queen. Good Livin'

Spread the word. Spread the love.

Much Love, 

F+A