Monthly Archives: July 2015

When leaving Snoqualmie pass, I had an immediate decision to make: follow the PCT or take an alternate route to some hotsprings. After consulting the maps and the internet, I decided to go to the hotsprings. From the pass, I followed a road for a mile, then started up a different trail to Snow Lake. … Continue reading »

I was awoken in the middle of the night by the sound of rain drops hitting my tent. While in White Pass, I had heard that it was supposed to rain either Saturday or Sunday, bit the storm was to last less than a day. I was warm and snug in my sleeping bag and … Continue reading »

On Friday morning I hiked the remaining 12 miles to White Pass, getting some nice views of Mt. Ranier from a cold and windy ridge. The hiking was pretty flat and easy and I made it to White Pass by 11 am. There’s not much at the pass except a gas station with a small … Continue reading »

I started off in a thick forest this morning with a few flat miles before I started to climb. Suddenly I came to a saddle and out of the woods. The view stunned me with its beauty. I had entered the Yakima Indian Reservation and was greeted with scenery I can’t describe in words. These … Continue reading »

After leaving my campsite near the spring, the trail was nice and rolling. I passed a small lake in the morning and saw a black bear drinking on the other side. It paused for a moment while probably smelling me, then ambled off into the woods. I managed to get a photo with my camera, … Continue reading »

On Sunday afternoon, Jacob, Jean, and Jerry drove me back to Cascade locks so I could get back on the trail. Jacob walked across the Bridge of the Gods with me then I bade everyone farewell on the Washington side. It was 4 pm and I had a few  rocky miles of hiking before starting … Continue reading »

I had been in touch with Jean about my schedule and she offered to come pick me up after work the next day. I spent the morning walking around town and watching the river, but there isn’t much to do in cascade locks except hike the trails so I was ready to go my mid … Continue reading »

The following day I started with a big uphill and Rocky trail. I still had nice views of Mt. Hood and I could see Mt. Adams in the distance. About 15 miles from Cascade locks, I took the Eagle Creek alternate which bypasses 16.5 miles of PCT and deposits you just outside of town. I … Continue reading »

When we broke camp on day 101, Rocky Point joked about hiking the 42 miles to Timberline lodge that day. I wasn’t in a hurry since I was so far ahead of schedule and didn’t think he was serious until he never stopped for a break and I didn’t see him all morning. At lunch … Continue reading »

In my resupply box at Big Lake, I got my rain jacket, gloves, and fleece top back and not a moment too soon! As we approached Mt. Jefferson, a cold front came through with biting cold wind and heavy fog. I put on my puffy, gloves, and rain jacket and wore them for most of … Continue reading »

Fox, Rocky, and I stayed at Big Lake for breakfast the next morning then headed out. The day was filled with forest then more forest. For variety, nature provided us with dead forest to hike through for a bit. The burned areas were due to different fires because in some parts there was nothing on … Continue reading »

Fox got his resupply box at Elk Lake, but Rocky Point and I were getting ours at Big Lake Youth Camp, just 36.3 miles away: another worthy goal for the day. The scenery was also very pretty; instead of just hiking through the forest, we passed through several meadows and had some views of mountains. … Continue reading »

There are a lot of mellow hills along the PCT in Oregon. None of them are very long or steep, which makes the hiking pleasant and pretty easy for the most part. It’s a lot of hiking through the woods, but today we went past several beautiful lakes. Rocky and I hiked together for most … Continue reading »

Our path continued through forest and along ridges, but would occasionally come out to an open area like the ones below. There’s still a bit of snow on the tops of the mountains but nothing where we were. After several fairly long stretches without water, we finally came to miles of trail filled with lakes. … Continue reading »

Fox and Rocky Point have the goal of finishing the PCT by the end of July so they have been hiking 32+ miles per day  to get through Oregon in under two weeks. They have been good company and consequently I have been going faster than I thought. The day after Crater Lake, we mostly … Continue reading »