Knifes edge

Day 117

24 miles

Hiked over Knifes Edge in Goat Rocks wilderness

Where do I even start to describe today?

First, we started out our day knowing we were going to have some amazing views of Mt Rainer as we progressed through the Goat Rocks Wilderness. This wilderness area is definitely a beautiful treasure of Washington. The trail was pretty exposed as we climbed up to the ridge and this gave us some great views of Mt Adams behind us as well.

Then we sidelined past a neat waterfall and climbed up towards the Knifes Edge. At one point, I could see a part in the bushes as the trail reached the first crest of a ridge. Cheerio, Shuffles, and Pebbles were ahead of me and had stopped there. I assumed it was because there was a neat view. Unfortunately, we all found ourselves overlooking a huge plume of smoke from a wildfire a couple ridges away. This was very disheartening as it looked like the trail went in that direction. There was nothing for us to do except look at the map to confirm that we do move away from the fire, and know we were hiking towards the nearest road. It was also sad that the smoke obscured any view of Rainer.

Knifes Edge is part of a ridge line traverse which is very narrow and steep. We scrambled up to the top of it and could over look a few miles of trail that stretched along the ridge line. It was so beautiful even though the smoke from the new fire and southern fires obscured any view of Rainer. I was really looking forward to seeing Rainer because of its glaciers.

With the little bit of service on the top of knifes edge, we found out the section in Northern California is fully reopened! This was great news so we can go there and complete as many miles of the trail as possible.

Then we found out there are fires near the Canadian border and the last maybe forty miles of the trail are closed including to the monument. This was so demoralizing to find out. It felt like our goal we were hiking towards was snatched away. There is just something about a terminus monument that is sentimental and fully signals the end of a trail. I have been envisioning our moment ending at the monument for the whole trail and it is very motivating to have that kind of goal to work towards. I’m not sure what to envision or work towards now to signal the end of our journey. I highly doubt the trail near the border will open by the time we reach that area or later in the season with enough time to finish before the snow comes.

The rest of the day we hiked slow and without motivation. We were sad and even though we can go and complete the California section now, which we are grateful for, it is rough not being about to end at a monument. As far as we know, the fires aren’t threatening any homes but is just forested land.

Volcanoes

Day 116

26 miles

Camped at mile 2261.7

This morning we had lovely views of Rainer and Mt St Helen’s. I speculated if we would survive an eruption from any of those volcanoes while so close. The results varied depending on which mountain hypothetically erupted. I had read a book about Mt St Helen’s eruption when I was younger so that is what spurred on these thoughts. Also you have to stay entertained somehow when hiking! According to our friend, Mt Hood is the most likely to erupt again.

As it is September 1st today, we potentially have 20 or 21 days left on the trail. Of course this depends on weather and us not getting sick or injured etc. but Kevin has our miles planned out until the terminus and then back to Rainy pass as well.

It is crazy to think of this journey coming to a close. Of course, if the McKinney section opens we would want to go finish that part right away, otherwise we will be heading home to Colorado this month. There is so much excitement for finishing a trail. But along with that, I also feel the sadness of leaving the trail and returning to day to day life where I don’t walk exorbitant amounts, where I don’t dig my own poop holes, where I don’t filter my own water. Actually I don’t mind returning to running water, I highly dislike filtering water. Sometimes my filter is slow or I dump water on my shoes. But the community, scenery, people’s stories, and powerful feelings of independence are all wonderful out here.

Today I found my mind wandering to where we will live and what jobs I should apply for and where we will go after the trail. Kevin suggested I slow down my brain and speed up my feet because we still aren’t to Canada yet! So here’s to trying to enjoy the last few weeks of the trail without letting life after the trail take too much away from the moment of right now.

Trout Lake

Day 115

15 miles

Resupplied in Trout Lake,

Camped five miles past Trout Lake

We started out at a decent time to get to the forest road where the Trout Lake grocery store provides a shuttle from. When we arrived, I stood by the road for a moment and heard a car. Just for fun I stuck out my thumb and to my surprise the truck stopped to give us a ride into town. Easiest hitch so far on the trail! Trout lake is a tiny little incorporation with a grocery store, coffee shop, restaurant, and taco truck! The church lets hikers camp in the back yard. The store has a charging station for phones. The park has showers. The church also arranges shuttles to and from the trail for hikers. It is such a great little spot and I was impressed with their candy selection! It was very nice to rest in town through the hot part of the day. Once we left town with heavy packs, we went six miles up hill to our campsite! The views of Mount Adams were spectacular!

2200 miles

Day 114

27.6 miles

Camped at mile 2222

Some days just lack motivation, today felt like one of those days. A warm morning led way to an afternoon where as soon as I got into the sun I couldn’t wait to go back into the trees. The sun was so hot. I was so grateful for the thick tree cover for most of the day. The underbrush has been thick and leafy as well when we entered Washington. All the trees still tower over head.

At our lunch stop, the flies were so annoying and were biting. I felt so hot and tired to go 12 miles to camp. Somehow, we dragged ourselves along. I had to try and hydrate a lot this afternoon and eat more to stave off the dehydration and hunger.

The humidity has been wrecking havoc on my hydration.

Eating dinner in two different stops helped keep up the energy levels to camp.

Big climbs

Day 113

25.6 miles

6000 feet of elevation gain

Hello Washington! The forest often appears to be a tropical rain forest with moss hanging from towering trees and various shapes and sizes of undergrowth. It has been lovely so far! We even had a cooler of cold drinks for trail magic today. We had a few different climbs today but the longest one at 3,000 feet was at the end of the day. It was also a 10 miles water carry! About three quarters of the way through the climb, it cooled off and began to have a pleasant brew. I was so glad to have it get cooler.

All in all, at the end of the climb, we felt strong to have made it through all the climbing and still get to campsite at a decent time.

Washington!

Day 112

20.2 miles

Camped near a seasonal creek

The first day in Washington! This morning we set out from the campground by the river in the town of Cascade Locks. It is such a beautiful place with super nice camping on grass with a potta potty. We walked by the coffee shop on the way to the bridge and stopped for a latte before leaving. It was a great start to the morning! Then we headed to the Bridge of the Gods which spans the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington. It is a huge bridge with a metal grate as the bottom road so it is a bit terrifying to walk across. There is also no walking lane so we were glad we waited until early morning on a Sunday with little traffic to walk across.

This is the first time I have ever been to Washington and I am so excited for it!

This is also the first state border crossing we have gotten to walk across on the PCT!

On the far side of the river, we paused to take some pictures with the Bridge of the Gods sign. While we were there, a man driving passed pulled over to talk to us. He said he was a geology teacher and he gave us a bit of info about this area. According to his story, this is called the bridge of the gods because about 5 or 600 years ago there was a massive landslide which caused a natural bridge over the river damming the water but creating some cascading waterfalls where it is now Cascade Locks. The Native Americans named it bridge of the gods at that time. He said it is the most studied landslide in the Pacific Northwest.

The rest of the day was spent climbing a few thousand feet up along the ridge of this old supposed landslide. The first few miles we were feverishly dodging poison oak which sometimes was hanging over the trail. Cascade Locks is the lowest point on the PCT and there is always poison oak at the lower elevations.

After a long day of climbing we were happy to settle into camp near a babbling brook and meet some more hikers along this section!

Tunnel falls

Day 111

15 miles along the Eagle Creek alternate

Camped at Marina campground in Cascade Locks, OR

Day four of rain on the trail

The beginning and end of today were both quite fun (mostly) and enchanting but the middle was a bit annoying. We woke up last night to drizzles of rain. Packing up a wet tent and damp sleeping bags wasn’t great. Clouds had moved in overnight and brought an overall dampness to the air and also rain. As soon as we had gone a couple miles down the trail, the evidence of rain spattered trail vanished. We were still mostly in a cloud but it was clearing up. The Eagle Creek alternate trail is known for its many waterfall views including Tunnel falls. We had been excited to see tunnel falls since learning of it. About five miles into our morning, I looked up to see a corner in the trail and behind the corner I could hear the loud misty sound of falling water. Tunnel falls is a very tall waterfall where the trail has been chiseled out of the rock to walk around the waterfall basin and behind the falls. The path is narrow and full of slippery rocks and over is edge is about a 50 foot drop into water. I was a bit nervous but also astounded by this neat trail. It was like a tropical rainforest with ferns and so lovely!

Once we got past the falls there were several more along the way. There were also about one hundred tourists along the trail as we got nearer to the trailhead. It was a really narrow trail with some poison oak along the side so it was rough to get over to the side of the trail to let people pass without getting a rash.

Once we got into town, we got some diner food which was needed and tried to figure out what to do in town. There was no laundry in town so I did sink laundry which was annoying but we ended the day with some French fries at the brewery. All is well that ends well, I reckon.

Ramona falls

Day 110

25.2 miles hiked

Camping at Eagle Creek alternate junction

I was slow packing up and getting ready this morning. We had a few miles going down hill then a tall climb and the rest of the day were gradual ups and downs. The smooth ways the trail has gone up and down hills in Oregon has been healing to my knees. Today is our last full day hiking in Oregon so I am soaking it up and enjoying it while also so excited for Washington!

Along the trail there have been several opportunities to take some alternative trails to get the best views. One of those was walking along the rim of Crater Lake. Today was a trail down to Ramona falls. The cascade falls glided down dark basalt cliffs with a cool breeze wafting from the base. It was absolutely beautiful! I am so glad we took the scenic route! Most of these alternates meet up with the pct further along the trail. The mileages are usually similar so we don’t miss out on the final total of trail miles overall.

After the waterfall, I used my plant ID app to check out some of the plants in the rainforest like section of trail. I passed some sicklewort lousetop plant which sounded like something from a potion in a Harry Potter book. I also noticed a Canadian Bunchberry and was excited to see a plant label Canadian since it means we are getting close! We also passed some delicious blueberries!

The last couple miles of trail were an exposed ridge walk with clouds curling up the ridge and billowing over the top. It was super neat to watch the clouds roll in but still be able to see the sun shine on the valley where we are headed tomorrow.

Food!!

Day 109

15 miles

Lunch buffet at Timberline lodge

Camped at mile 2103.4

Today we ate at the legendary Timberline Lodge buffet! Before we began the trail I had heard about this buffet. It was talked about on blogs and in YouTube videos. The food was delicious. I ate five plates of food and drank three glasses of soda! Then a few hours later, still ate dinner. The buffet did not disappoint and watching Mount Hood rise up in front of us this morning and peak around corners of the trail was astounding. From our campsite we could see the setting sun’s glow on the mountain and it was beautiful!

I was happy to get to talk to mom and Allison today as well. There was surprisingly great service at the lodge and for a couple miles after so I could hike out and talk with mom. We are getting to close to Washington and to so many other neat parts of the trail that are iconic! I am excited for every step ahead of us. Except for maybe the 60 miles south after getting to the border! Since Canada isn’t open to walking traffic yet and the nearest road has had a mudslide, we have to backtrack 60 miles on the PCT to get off of it. Hopefully the mudslide will be cleaned up by the time we get there so we can just back track 30 miles instead.

The green cathedral

Day 108

29.7 miles

Camped by Twin Lake junction

The last few days have been showing us what I am calling “the green cathedral”. On the AT, people call it “the green tunnel” because of how the rhododendron trees curl in close to you along the trail. In Oregon, we have walked through many green forests but the firs and evergreens are huge and towering above our heads like a cathedral. I love the tall trees and the wonderful fresh smells of the forest. It has been quite humid the last few days but being in the shade of the trees has been a welcome reprieve. The springs and streams we are crossing are cold and some are even glacier fed. This also makes the humidity feel less stifling. All in all, the Oregon forests and volcanoes have made me into a Pacific Northwest fan!