Autumn Arrives in Washington
Mile 2299.8
Back to trail tonight after a stop in Packwood. We decided last-minute yesterday to book a room for a night at a motel, so Erich called for us and got us a room. It was really nice to have a bed and be indoors, as well as shower in a clean bathroom with control over the water temperature. I wasn’t sure how I felt about leaving the “trail life” of White Pass, since I was feeling like I had good momentum going, but since we may not take a zero until Stevens Pass, two town stops away, it was probably the right call in the end.
I’m happy I was in town and able to talk on the phone for a long time with Erich. We’ve both missed each other’s voices, and it’s getting more painful each time we have to say goodbye. The closer I get to being done, the harder it becomes mentally. I can see the ending, I can almost taste it, but I can’t have it yet. Recently whenever I’ve had to get off the phone with Erich, I start crying. That didn’t used to happen, and I think I’m just feeling more and more raw as this journey continues. It’s tough, terrible, and bliss all at once.
Mile 2317.3
Camping tonight with Ziploc and a guy we met named Texas. We had an interesting day because of the water situation. We’ve realized that there have been previous reports of norovirus in this area, so we decided to be choosy about where we filter our water from. That meant we ended up hiking 10 miles this morning on less than a liter of water so we could collect from a moving stream, rather than a stagnant pond. There’s a lot of ponds and small lakes around here.
Walking along the banks of one of the lakes today we saw 3 otters! We suddenly heard a splash and it was too loud to have been a fish jumping, but I couldn’t imagine what animal would be running into the water to get away from us. After a moment, we saw 3 otters poking their heads out of the water looking at us. They swam away but continued to turn around to look at us, very curious as we gleefully filmed them.
We had a nice lunch with Texas and a guy named Trypp, and it was nice to have a larger group together. We continued for another few miles and started to climb up toward Mt. Rainier National Park. I came upon Trypp eating dinner at a stream and decided to join. Eventually all four of us were there and ended up having the giggles and telling funny stories. Tripp played us all a beautiful song on a wooden flute he had, and it matched our environment perfectly.
We finally made it to the top of our climb after that, having weaved through colorful meadows on the way. I could see Mt. Adams far in the distance, and the Goat Rocks Wilderness was slightly closer on the horizon. It feels good when you can see your progress. It was only last week that we were at the base of Mt. Adams.
We got a hazy but beautiful look at Mt. Rainier this evening when we were a mile and a half from camp. The sun was setting behind the mountain and it felt special to be there. Ziploc and I hiked the rest of the way to camp together, and set up at a small trail junction that has a few tent sites. Texas joined us a little while later, which I’m happy about because it’s always nicer when we can camp with more people, it helps me feel safer.
The ridge walk on our way into camp was breathtaking, and it really feels like we’re in Washington now. I hope the views like this just keep coming. We’re hungry for them.
Mile 2331.7
It’s almost 11pm and I’m still awake because I have full bars of service at this campsite. Normally I’m asleep around 9 or 9:30pm, so it just goes to show how much time is easily wasted on the internet.
One good thing about having service though is that I got to call and talk to erich while I was setting up camp tonight. It was so nice to hear his voice, we talked for 45 minutes and it was such a treat in the middle of a longer stretch of trail.
The last few days have been really enjoyable. Me and Zip have been hiking with Texas, and it’s nice to have a few of us again.
We hiked along the edge of Mt. Rainier National Park today and it was very beautiful all day. It rained this morning with some thunder and lightning, but then cleared up into a gorgeous afternoon and evening.
We’re camped now at a trail junction on the most slanted tent sites I’ve ever experienced. I keep sliding into the mesh of my tent. The comments on FarOut said these tent sites sucked, and wow they were correct. At least we have a place to be though, and ironically it’s the fastest internet we’ve ever had while on trail. Compromises.
Mile 2349.8
This morning we woke up and got to ridge walk for about 5 miles. As we were finishing our first mile, Texas yelled to us to turn around, and when we did we saw the clearest view of Mount Rainier that we’ve had so far. It’s been hiding from us the last few days, so it was spectacular to finally see it. It was extremely impressive, and just breathtaking, the scale of the mountain was insane. Pictures will never do it justice.
We took our time taking pictures and videos as we rode the ridge all the way to the next water source where we took an early lunch. After that it was time to get to work as we had 13 miles left for the day. I turned on my music and made my way through a burn area that seemed to never end.
Later in the day while I was listening to an audiobook, and still in the burn area, I started to hear the sound of branches snapping. I quickly turned my audio off and looked around, and to my total delight there was a whole herd of mountain goats! I haven’t seen any yet, and we didn’t get to see any in Goat Rocks Wilderness, so it was so special to see so many at once. I immediately started to hope that Ziploc wasn’t too far behind me because she hadn’t seen a goat yet either. Luckily after only a few minutes she came up the trail. I motioned for her to be quiet and beckoned her closer. I was so delighted to see her face light up when she saw them. It was a cool moment to share because we’d been wanting to see goats so badly. Another few minutes went by, and all of a sudden Trypp came down the trail and yelled “hey guys!” And we immediately shushed him but told him to come nearer. He hadn’t seen goats yet either, so it was an amazing moment to all have together!
We walked together to the water source and all had some dinner together while chatting with an elk hunter who was passing through. Trypp left and then shortly after, Texas came along. We all decided to do our planned 5 more miles to camp, and Ziploc and I set off together. It was nice to walk in the evening together, because the woods are dense and started to get creepy. We were pretty tired but pushed to camp, and I’m glad we got here and didn’t stop early.
We set up camp and after about an hour Texas rolled up having walked for a bit in the dark. We’re all three happily in our tents now and ready for sleep. It’s 10:30pm, a super late night for thru-hiking, and I’m just praying I get some good sleep tonight, since last night’s slanty campsite was pretty uncomfortable.
Good day today, lots of wonderful moments.
Mile 2366.8
Today was tough physically, but I’m proud of how I made it through. It was a lot of up and down, with one particularly steep uphill in the middle of the day to crest over Blowout Mountain. On the descent I was able to see the North Cascades for the first time. The peaks looked jagged and ominous, but beautiful. People have been telling us that the climbs and descents are super steep in Washington, and looking at those peaks I can understand what they mean. Just continuing to take one day at a time, but I am looking forward to the views we’ll get from here on out.
Camping tonight near a dirt road, and there’s a group of 7 other hikers who are cowboy camping right next to us. It’s a super crowded site, and they’re a pretty social bunch. I’m planning on wearing my ear plugs tonight for the first time in a while.
Mile 2379.7
Another good day today in the stretch from White Pass to Snoqualmie. We had a lot of climbing today, but I still felt good. This morning’s climb was the toughest, with several miles of steep elevation right out of the gate, but I think if I had eaten something before I’d left camp, I would have had a better time.
After eating breakfast at the top with Zip and Texas and a view of Rainier, we continued on and I messaged Erich for our 2 year wedding anniversary today. It’s crazy to think it’s been 2 years already, but also it’s crazy that it’s only been 2 years. We’ve known each other now for 11 years, and I feel so lucky that I get to be married to my best friend and love of my life. I’m lying alone in my tent right now thinking of him, and I am just really looking forward to being home soon. It doesn’t escape me for one moment what a gift he’s given me by supporting me on this journey, and cheering me on the whole way and encouraging me not to quit when things have gotten really hard.
On a funnier note, we just realized we only went 12.9 miles for the day. It’s the lowest mileage we’ve done in a while, and it’s pretty funny. I was convinced we at least went 15 😂 oops. Oh well though, because we’re at a great campsite that’s near a water source, and had a lovely evening getting to relax and hang out at camp, which we haven’t gotten to do for most of this stretch. I’m really grateful for this stretch of trail. It’s made me feel whole again when it comes to the PCT. I was feeling jaded for a bit, and really run down, but now I’m feeling fuller. I hope I can care for myself during our town day so that I don’t lose this mental state.
The last few days, the fall colors have really started to pop. The huckleberry bushes have been turning a strikingly deep red, and some of the maples have been getting some orange. There’s so much beauty around me, it’s impossible to convey.
Mile 2395.8
Last night it thunderstormed pretty heavily, to the point where a few times I felt a little nervous. Waking up this morning our tents were soaking wet and it was freezing cold. It’s always a little tougher packing up in those conditions. We got a move on since we wanted to make it to town as soon as possible today, and since we did so few miles yesterday we had about 16 left to make it to Snoqualmie Pass.
The more we hiked today, the more we began to be worried that we may not be able to get a room or bed at the inn or hostel (since the weather was so bad we thought that a lot of hikers might decide to stay an extra night and fill up the inn). When we were about 3 miles out, Ziploc was able to call the Summit Inn and booked a room for us. Thank god, because we’re here now and it feels so good to be clean and dry.
This stretch was incredibly beautiful, and potentially was my favorite stretch of trail so far, but with 6 nights and 7 days on trail since Packwood, I’m totally exhausted.
It sounds like there’s going to be some inclement weather over the next couple of days, so we might be stranded here for a while. Not entirely sure what our plan is right now, but I’m just going to take whatever the PCT has in store for us. That’s what we’re out here for anyways.
