Day 106: mile 2292.4 - 2318.5
- Mount Rainier National Park
Not sure if it was the beer, the bed, or both, but I slept like a freaking log. My body didn't seem thrilled about getting the day started, but my wallet (a ziploc baggie with some cash, a credit card, and my ID) said that staying in White Pass for another day and night was a no-no. So by 8am I was packed, breakfasted, and on the trail.
Trail sign says it all
As is typical when leaving "town" with a fully loaded pack, the day started with a climb. The cool morning air made it doable. Then it was a long flat/downhill section followed by a steep uphill section. This Washington trail definitely likes to change elevation... At the top of the climb we crossed into Mount Rainier National Park. Having come through Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Yosemite, Lassen Volcanic, and Crater Lake National Parks, Mount Rainier is the sixth National Park we have hit on the trip. The trail still has one more in store for us, too!
Another century down...
We saw a lot of trees today, but still got awesome views of the volcanoes. Mount Adams, which only a few days ago was looming over us, has almost disappeared over the horizon, and Mount Rainier is taking its place. For the past four hundred miles the volcanoes have gotten bigger and bigger as we have moved further north. Now they will start getting smaller again, as Rainier (clocking in at over 14,400') is the tallest. And man is it an impressive looking piece of work.
Still there...
Despite the late start, we hauled ass today and made it to camp well before 6pm. Instead of the typical mashed potatoes, dinner tonight was something new that my mom put in my resupply box to try and mix things up - instant refried beans. They were really tasty, so I appreciated the change of menu. Now we'll see if my sleeping bag and tent blow up tonight...
Trail crossing green hillsides
Day 107: mile 2318.5 - 2349.2
- Premature congratulations
- How to catch a thru-hiker
- Also an equestrian trail
You would think that after three and a half months of this, the morning get ups would be easier. But when everything aches, and it is a little nippy outside, getting out of your sleeping bag seems like a Herculean task. Fortunately, as is the case every morning, the urge to dig a cathole hit, and that never fails to get me going.
The day started with a beautiful climb and descent to Chinook Pass, one of the road entrances to Mount Rainier National Park. Even though we are within spitting distance of the park, we only saw the very top of Rainier today. As the trail climbed, we passed through several meadows rich with wildflowers and the humming of, I don't know, millions(?) of bees. It is pretty cool to hear their collective buzz. So long as they keep their stingers to themselves...
Not sure how many bees are in this picture...
Being close to a national park, the trail was popular with day and weekend hikers as well. Many of whom knew about the PCT. And many of whom knew how to identify thru-hikers. On several occasions we had people congratulate us, making it sound almost as if we had already completed the trail, and that this was our victory lap. While I appreciate the kind words, it ain't over till the fat lady sings. And she is still over 300 miles away...
I think the trail goes that way
We were doing a good job of knocking out miles, but about nine miles in things came to a grinding halt. We had cell service. And three bars of LTE. The latter hadn't happened in nearly two hundred miles. With blogs to update, Animal and I plopped down by the side of the trail and our thumbs started working while our legs rested. Two hours, and two updated blogs later, we were back on the trail. Gotta love these wilderness adventures...
No snow, but still pretty
Rainier was hiding again...
The rest of the day took us in and out of the trees, and through some rugged-looking mountains that reminded me a bit of the Marble Mountains in Northern California. The day was also a reminder that the PCT is in fact an equestrian trail, as we pulled to the side of the trail on three or four instances to let the four legged critters and their riders pass. I kept wishing one would offer me a ride. But no dice.
We caught a second wind at the end of the day and knocked out five more miles than we planned. The second wind had worn off by the time we got to camp, and I was happy to get horizontal. I'm really not going to want to move tomorrow morning.
Walking late enough to catch a sunset
Day 108: 2349.2 - 2377.3
- Smoke in the air
- Plum tasty trail magic
- Huckleberry pros
If you would have watched my first few steps out of my tent this morning, you wouldn't guess I have been able to walk 2,350 miles. After stumbling off to dig my cat hole, and then sitting in a deep squat for a minute, things felt good as new, and I spryly walked back to camp.
Rainier shrinking...
Today had a lot of elevation gain in store, and we started climbing early. As we started to climb, we thought we were approaching a camp with a campfire. As we climbed higher, we realized it wasn't a nearby campfire that we were smelling, but a thick layer of smoke that was rolling in. The next few hours were filled with smoky lungs and hazy views, and we were never able to quite figure out which direction the fire was. Fingers crossed that it isn't on the trail up ahead of us.
Hmmm... That doesn't look fun
Mid-morning we passed a dirt road, and came across an EZ-up with a tray of fresh fruit underneath it. The angel responsible for this trail magic was sitting a little ways up the road in his VW camper. I helped myself to a fresh-picked Italian plum (from a tree in his front yard). Then another. Then another. Seven plums later it was time to get back on the trail. They were damn good, but I'm moderately concerned about what they are going to do to my digestive system...
Really testing my digestive system with these...
The day didn't offer much in the way of views - partly due to the trees, and partly due to the smoke. What it lacked in views it made up for in berries. Namely, huckleberries. We saw some of the most densely loaded bushes we have seen all trip. And spent a fair amount of time picking and eating handfuls of berries.
Turns out we weren't the only ones who thought picking them was a good idea. We must have passed two dozen folks who were filling five-gallon buckets and backpacks with ripe berries. I don't think I'd be very efficient at picking berries like that - half of what I picked would probably get redirected to my mouth instead of the bucket.
People aren't the only ones eating berries. This is bear shit in the middle of the trail. I think they need to chew their food better
We kept trudging on, and by early evening my body was screaming to be done. The last few days I have been getting shin splints late in the day. Couple those with my Achilles, and walking isn't much fun. So I called it a day after 28, and Animal pushed forward for another five. It will be a shorter day into Snoqualmie Pass tomorrow, where town and all of its luxuries await.
Things are about to get more rugged... That skyline to the north is pretty jagged
Day 109: mile 2377.3 - 2390.6
- Snoqualmie Pass
- Strawberries by the pound
- Snoqualmie Falls
It was another slow start to the morning, but the prospect of town put some pep in my step. The pain in my shins and the stiffness in my Achilles that ended my day yesterday were nowhere to be found, so the 13.5 miles to town were done in about four hours, with only one brief stop to fill up a water bottle. Then the trail magic began.
Green trail this morning
Those are going to be fun to climb... But first, town!
First I ran into a former PCT hiker at the trailhead parking lot. He had some amazing home-grown peaches, and an extra garlic ciabatta roll (some of the best bread I have had in a long time) that he shared before setting out on a northbound section hike with his trusted dog.
Then I rolled into Snoqualmie Pass, where I caught up with Animal and some other hikers who I had been leapfrogging over the past week or so. Even better than seeing the familiar hiking faces was seeing a face that I knew from before the trail. The timing worked out so that Brad, a fellow HMC alum from the class of 2013 and current Seattleite, could make the hour drive from Seattle to the pass and hang out with this smelly hiker. The two pounds of fresh strawberries that he brought didn't last very long, but man they were good.
Salmonberries (the first of many berries I would eat today)
Because I don't get enough nature out here, we decided to go check out Snoqualmie Falls - a 250-ish waterfall that is close enough to civilization to make parking a nightmare, and remind me why I enjoy time in the wilderness so much. Still, I have learned that I have a thing for waterfalls, so even with the hordes of people, it was awesome to stand there and hear the water crash down.
Snoqualmie Falls
After a very tasty lunch and a few chores, it was back to Snoqualmie Pass. It was great to get to spend a few hours with a non-thru-hiker (and fellow Mudder). Different questions, and different conversations, than you get with the thru-hiker crowd. And you can't forget the belly full of fresh fruit.
Then it was the usual town chores of laundry, eat, shower, eat, blog. This might be the last Internet service I have for a while, so gotta make the most of it!
