Traversing the Knife’s Edge
Mile 2249.7
Ziploc and I left Trout Lake yesterday evening and camped about a mile past the trailhead. It was nice to get back to the trail so we could have an early day today and get the climb over with. We had a cute campsite and both of us slept really well for the first time in a while. This was probably the best I’d slept since being back on trail after Minnesota. I’m really grateful for this heatwave to be over, and to be up at a higher elevation for a while.
The climb rose up toward Mt. Adams, passing through a large burn area from several years ago. There was plenty of fresh green ground coverage that helped the area feel alive, while most of the trees were lifeless and bleached from the sun.
As we climbed, we started to notice the smell of a bonfire, and soon realized we were in a haze of smoke from the active wildfires further away. The wind had brought the smoke all the way to us, and it clouded up our views for the rest of the day.
Even with the smoke, it was a gorgeous day. Mt. Adams was magnificent, with several glaciers clinging to its slopes. We saw two rock slides happen in the distance on its western face as we rounded the base of this impressive titan. As the day went on, the mountain became shrouded in more of the haze but we felt lucky to be seeing what we could.
I’m hoping we’ll have less smoke to deal with tomorrow, but it may be a reality for the next several days. we’ll just have to see what the days bring.
Mile 2267.3
We slept in this morning and got moving around 7am, exited the Mt. Adams Wilderness, and then ran into some trail magic around 9am. After an unexpected stop so early in the day, it was hard to get our momentum back. We had spent close to two hours there, so we’d lost more of the day than planned.
The terrain was pretty easy and gentle today, but for some reason our moods just felt a bit “blah”. There’s still a lot of wildfire smoke permeating the area, more than there was yesterday, so I think that affected our collective energy. We’ve been leapfrogging with a girl named Sticks, and she agreed the smoke was affecting the way she’d been feeling too.
Got to camp and tried to drink a lot more water. I think I might be slightly dehydrated, probably didn’t drink enough today since the terrain was easy and it wasn’t too hot. Now I’m fighting to keep my eyes open.
While at the trail magic this morning I got stung by a bee! There are a lot of bees and flies around lately, and I guess I must have sat on one. It hurt but luckily wasn’t too bad, and after several minutes the pain had ceased completely. Ziploc helped me take a look at the sting to make sure it wasn’t something else, and took a picture so we could monitor it over time. So now I have a picture of my butt on my phone, and it makes me laugh each time I open up my photos because I keep forgetting it’s there.
Since today was a bit boring, I’m hopeful that we’ll have a better day tomorrow. We’ll ascend into the Goat Rocks Wilderness, and it’s supposed to be one of the most beautiful areas in Washington.
Mile 2282.2
Wow. Today’s scenery was the most beautiful I’ve ever seen in my life. I kept saying “wow” over and over again, as well as “this is so epic”. The Goat Rocks Wilderness has been absolutely gorgeous, and once we were just south of Cispus Pass, my jaw started to drop, and hung there slack the remainder of the day.
Jagged fins of rock towered in the distance while we ascended. The colors, the magic, the wind. We took a break by the Cispus River and then continued around the valley. We started ascending again for several miles, and as we went we started to lose the tree line behind us. The views became more expansive, the depth and scale of the peaks in front of us hard to comprehend. At certain points I quite literally couldn’t believe my eyes. I felt as though I was in a painting, that I wasn’t really there. This place couldn’t be real. And if it was real, had I really hiked up to get there? I hadn’t just been dropped off by some car or train? It was amazing. I felt strong today and loved the climbing even though it’s always physically tough. It felt good and exciting as we neared the junction that would lead us along scree and several snow traverses to reach the Knife’s Edge, a 3-mile ridge walk over scree with steep dropoffs on either side.
The snow traverses were nerve wracking but I did my best to stay calm. I went out first, Ziploc and a woman we met named Special Jay were trailing right behind. I kick stepped to make better foot holds, and moved slowly and deliberately. I wanted to be off the traverses as soon as possible, but I knew I had to be thoughtful. The first one wasn’t too bad, the second one was a bit worse. The fallout would have been higher consequence, it was further to get across, and getting off of the snow and on to the rock was tricky and sketchy. The rocks all moved and teetered when you stepped on them, and it made me question my normally sure-footing.
At this point we’d arrived at the Knife’s Edge, the highest point in Washington at 7,000 ft. It was incredible. One of the coolest things I’ve ever seen and done. It started out quite wide at first, about 30 feet or so with the trail right in the middle. Cliffs on either side made for a dramatic view, and it was a 360 degree mesmerizing feeling. The trail was well-maintained, it wasn’t too windy, it wasn’t that cold, and it just felt so exhilarating. It continued for two more miles, going up and over multiple high points. The climbs were steep and challenging but I didn’t care. It was bliss to be up there. It felt like real adventure again.
We finally made our last descent and rounded to the east as we approached camp for the evening. We’re tucked away in the trees but still have a gorgeous view of the valley below us. It’s partially covered by wildfire smoke, but I’m grateful for whatever views we have. It’s just so, so pretty. We decided to sleep in tomorrow after such a big day, so I don’t have to wake up until 7am.
I kept thinking all day how much Erich would enjoy Goat Rocks, and I know this is a place I’ll return to someday. I can’t wait to come back with him. Experiencing this with him would be the icing on the cake, snuggling at the end of the day and watching the sunset together. I can’t wait to talk to him tomorrow when I get to town.
The photos above show the first half of our day until we got to treeline. The photos below show our traverse of the Knife’s Edge into camp.
Mile 2297.6
This morning when we woke up, it was absolutely freezing. It had gotten pretty windy since the early hours of the morning, and when I finally opened my eyes, I saw there was a thin layer of dust and grime all over everything. My sleeping bag felt gritty, and I could see the dirt lining the bottom of my tent. When I got out of my tent, I saw that visibility was worse than it had been the past few days, however this time it was due to fog rather than wildfire smoke. The air smelled a bit crisper, and the wind was whipping around us. We packed up and bundled ourselves up and then started down our descent. After only a couple miles of walking, we were blessed with a gorgeous and clear view of the Goat Rocks behind us. We hadn’t seen a clear view in maybe 5 days, and getting to see views of Goat Rocks like that was intensely special.
The wind continued to pierce through us, and since I don’t have a midlayer with me (Erich is sending it to Snoqualmie Pass, about 7 days away) I ended up putting on my rain jacket to cut the wind which helped immensely. I felt good hiking today even though I was tired from yesterday. I’ve been feeling stronger and stronger recently, and it’s a really good feeling. Hiking in Washington is not easy, and I’ve heard it only gets harder the further north we go, but I’m just absolutely loving it.
We took a detour to see a beautiful alpine lake, and after climbing out of there we were treated with another spectacular view. This was our most expansive view in Washington yet, you could see for miles. Peaks as far as the eye could see. The trail curved around an incredible ridgeline, descending but mildly so, and gave us a mile or so of blissful hiking. It was hard to keep our footing because we were busy looking at the views. At the top we’d gotten a peek at Mt. Rainier, which we’ll be hiking around in the upcoming section.
We’re now at a motel in Packwood after getting a hail Mary hitch outside the White Pass Kracker Barrel store. It was 6pm and the sun was setting, and we had a room booked but no way to get there. We went out to the highway and stood there dancing and giving prayer hands to each car that went by, and after maybe 5-10 minutes, an amazing family pulled over and brought us in to town. I’m always amazed at the beauty and generosity of others.
Safe, warm, dry, and clean now in our room, and it’s a great feeling after a section with scenery that felt like an Everlasting Gobstopper - endless and delectable.
