Month: September 2016

I was exhausted after yesterday, and slept late. Even the commotion of the many other hikers leaving camp didn’t wake me up.

When I was finally out of my tent, the morning was warm, and the sky was solid blue.

Today’s hike began with a long descent, down one of “The Octopus’s” tentacles, where the Suiattle River ran along the valley floor.

The PCT used to cross right there, but the bridge washed out in 2003, so the current PCT takes a 6 mile detour downstream. The trail here was flat, gentle, and mossy, though, so we took the modern route rather than trying to ford the Suiattle. The modern bridge gave us a view which, while pretty, convinced us we’d made the right decision.

After we rejoined the PCT, the trail gave us a few vistas.

After a hefty — but not quite exhausting — uphill (“only” about 5500 feet of elevation gained), we slowly walked into a valley, and had many views of the peaks to the Northeast of the trail.

On the way down to our campsite, we crossed the point where 100 miles remained to the northern border.

And also 99 miles.

Soon after that, we reached our campsite, chatted with a local about Big Agnes tents, and went to bed.

104 miles left.

We had good light when we woke up. Our more exposed campsite was cold (high 30s), but also got more light.

Another group of hikers had camped right next to the campsite’s outdoor toilet last night, so nobody could (politely) use it. Fortunately, they were also the types to pack up and leave in the early morning.

Today warmed up quickly, which was nice, but then sent us up the peaks of the ridges and down to the creeks in the valleys radiating from Glacier Peak. It did this again and again, for a total of 8000 feet of climbing and 6400 feet of descent. Some people call this part “The Octopus”, since you traverse the many tentacles of Glacier Peak. It is reputed to be the most difficult part of the PCT.

I hiked very slowly today. The uphills and, especially, the downhills had tired me out. By the time we were at camp, the sun was setting. And we’d only covered 20 miles.

Other hikers had the same idea about camping here. After I’d set up, there were 6 people in a site meant for 2. It was awkward, but we all fit.

So it seems that Washington will punish you with elevation while the rainclouds recharge.

130 miles left.

It had been a cold night last night. Even though there was no condensation, I still woke up from the cold.

We had plenty of frost this morning.

But, by midmorning, the sun shining through the clear sky had turned the frost to iridescent droplets of dew.

Though it remained cold — it was another day when I wore gloves all day — the clear skies held out, which meant no rain and clear views.

As it got late, we descended into a forested valley, which made the area especially dark late in the day. The only campsite in the area was quite busy, so we went a bit past it to an exposed, rocky patch. We had more light than the people in the forested campsite, but the temperature might drop quite a bit out here tonight. We’ll see how it goes.

150 miles left.