Days 139-147: 1250-2396

Sorry it's been a while! The trail has been hectic with our various skips for fires. But I'm in the last trail town, Mazama, right now! Only 30 miles left of the trail, which feels absolutely crazy considering last time I posted I was at the start of Washington. I'm trying to get at least this post out before we head back to the trail tomorrow. This has been a whirlwind of a section and it's so surreal to think the hike is almost over! It's exciting and sad and bittersweet all at once - there's definitely things I'm looking forward to in 'real life' but there's also so many things I'll miss.

Day 139: zero day!

Today we headed to Cascade Locks for PCT Days – a big festival for PCT hikers with lots of vendors and care companies (we're only going to the first day of it though). We slept in, then had breakfast before heading over. The traffic was really bad since this big truck crashed on the highway, but we finally got there and headed to the marine park. As promised, there were tons of vendors and booths, and the whole area was full of hikers. We walked around, getting free stuff at various booths (so many stickers!) and chatting with people. It's sad, but there's a massive number of hikers finishing their hikes here, since so much of Washington is closed. We're going to try to do as much as we possibly can, but quite a few people are feeling like they'd rather stop here than try to piece it together. We said goodbye to a couple groups we'd been hiking around as they got off trail, and it was a sad moment to realize how many were leaving. I'm really happy that Shade, Cheers, and I are on the same page about hiking as much as we can. We got lunch at a food truck and attended some raffles. We saw Abby and Tiffany, Snugs and Rooster, and Lookout and Waddles. I got an ice cream and we went to the big raffle, where there were tons of giveaways – probably thousands of dollars of products. As expected, we didn't get anything, but it was cool to watch. We were going to get dinner in town, but the lines were super long. We also checked out Thunder Island, in the middle of the river, where everyone was camping. Definitely a tent city, but not as bad as it could've been. We got a ride back to the house, picking up dinner on the way. I was definitely quite overwhelmed and sensory overload-ed from the festival so it was nice and quiet on the drive back. When I got back to the house, we said our good nights and planned to get back to the trail in the afternoon tomorrow.

Day 140: 2297.6-2295.5 (going SOBO)

I slept in this morning, then had a great pancake breakfast! We relaxed a bit more before packing up and heading back to the trail, having to skip over 150 miles due to fires :(( It was just under a three hour drive - I'm really thankful we didn't have to hitch for this. I'm also incredibly ready to get back on trail – I'm very peopled-out. I dropped off my resupply box at White Pass, then said goodbye and headed back to the trail. We're only doing about 2 miles today since there's a really big thunderstorm coming tonight and we don't want to be in an exposed section for it. We're hiking this section as an out-and-back, since the rest is closed due to fires. So we're doing just over 20 miles southbound to see the Goat Rocks Wilderness. This is supposed to be a really gorgeous section so we wanted to do anything we could to get to see it. It definitely feels weird to be going SOBO, but I'm really glad that we get to hit the section. We got to the lake early, and set up our tents to prepare for the big rainstorm tonight. We relaxed, had dinner, and it started to rain just as I got into my tent.

Day 141: 2295.5-2274.4 (going SOBO)

The thunderstorm last night was really intense! The rain was so loud, the lightning was so frequent, and you could hear the thunder rolling across the hills, a saying that I'd never quite understood until now. I would be just starting to fall asleep when lightning crashed and it felt like sparks going off in front of my eyes, then a massive boom that reverberated all around us. Luckily, there wasn't too much wind, so I wasn't worried about my tent coming down or anything. In the morning, we slept in a bit and headed out around 7:45, packing up all of our wet stuff. Cheers kept quietly repeating "I'm happy I'm out here, I don't want to be at a desk, I don't want to be at a desk" as we rolled up our soaking wet tents and sleeping bags. Good to remember why we're out here haha! We had an immediate uphill, and all the plants were soaked from last night, so my pants got drenched pretty fast. At the top of the hill, we had fantastic views of Rainier, though with lots of clouds near the top. We ran into Axeman going NOBO - he's getting off trail here, and is going straight up to Hart's Pass to tag the border tomorrow. It was really nice to get to see him and say a last goodbye, since we'd been hiking around each other since the Sierras. We then got a nice downhill for a bit, then some ups and downs in the forest. I listened to a Backpacking Radio episode interviewing this woman who did the PCT on horseback, which was really fascinating to learn about. We had a nice uphill and got water and had lunch a few miles in, with a nice flat spot to dry our tents and everything. We got some initial views of Goat Rocks here - really epic and snowy! Then we continued on up, getting more views of Rainier though it was quite cloudy. But we came around and saw Goat Rocks laid out in front of us – wow!! The peaks were so craggy and snowy, and the trail wound up and along the ridge line – it was absolutely spectacular. Lots of ups and downs, as a trail just went straight along the mountain ridge. We walked along Knife's Edge, where the trail was full of slate and small rocks as it wove along the crest. It was truly an amazing experience - I understand why so many people say this is their favorite part. We walked under Old Snowy Mountain and had three snow traverses – amazing to have this late in the year! It was a bit anxiety inducing without microspikes, but not too bad. The trail afterwards was composed of huge rocks, which made it slow going. On the other side, we continued down into a nice meadow area with good views of Mount Adams to the south. So many marmots and pikas! It was really cool to see them running around and hear their peeps. We got to our campsite and set up, then slackpacked another 1.5 or so up to Cispus Pass before turning around and getting water on our way back to camp. We got fantastic views of Mount Adams in Saint Helens on the way! I'm really happy to be here and get to do this section. We got back to camp, had dinner with a great view, then headed to bed.

Day 142: 2274.4-2292.3 (NOBO again)

Got up around 6:30 this morning and headed out by 7:30. It feels good to be going the right direction again! Though a little weird to be redoing what we did yesterday. I was feeling pretty sluggish, so took my time on the meadow area, and enjoyed the fantastic views of Mount Adams. I stopped to dig a cathole and had a snack, then continued on, seeing a couple more marmots and pikas. We got to the area above tree line, and I caught up to Cheers and Shade on the snow traverse, but took a long time since the traction my shoes is wearing down. At the base of old snowy, I decided to do the alternate to the top as Cheers and Shade continued down below. I lost the trail a couple times, but it wasn't too much of a scramble. Got some fantastic views at the top and took a short rest, spotting a large group of mountain goats down below, which felt very fitting for Goat Rocks. Going down was slower, since the trail was mostly shale here, with steep drop-offs on either side. I continued on, getting to Knife's Edge, which was even cooler than yesterday since the sky was clearer, plus I was going NOBO as god intended lol. I saw Cheers and Shade way ahead of me on the winding ridge, which was super cool. I took a break at the top of one section and just took in the views and enjoyed a snickers. I definitely see why this is such a top section for most hikers. Going around the corner back to the meadows, I got some great views of Mt Rainier, with a ring of clouds around the base. Then onwards, downhill for a bit. I caught up to Cheers at water, then chatted to another hiker, Bounty, as I filtered water. The trail went up again, then down a smidge, with one final glimpse of Goat Rocks behind me. I caught Shade and Cheers at lunch near Lutz Lake, and we relaxed a bit before heading uphill. I think I heard a bear crashing through the forest, because when I caught up to Shade, she said she saw one on the trail before it ran off. Still sour I haven't actually seen a bear on this trail! Doesn't seem fair considering how many Shade and Cheers have seen lol. One last big hill - I listened to the second half of my podcast about the PCT thru-rider, and went off trail a bit for water at Hidden Springs. Then finished up the hill and enjoyed a breathtaking view of Mt Rainier with no clouds whatsoever! Then got a lovely view of Shoe Lake coming around the corner, and did the last downhill to camp. We got in around 4:30 and relaxed for awhile before making dinner and heading to bed. It's gonna be another chilly night!

Day 143: 2292.3-2310

Headed out around 7:30 to do an easy 5 miles, all downhill, to White Pass. We passed Bilbo going SOBO and said hi. We got to the Cracker Barrel at the past, where we relaxed and I got my package. I also called Marissa, who can meet us at Snoqualmie pass in a couple days! I'm really excited to see her! We headed back to the trail at 11:30, we had a nice uphill, and I saw a bunch of frogs, some horses, and llamas (oh my!). The trail was really lovely here, and I enjoyed the hike. I listened to my history podcast on an episode about Leland Stanford, which was fascinating and a little rage-inducing. My feet were a little sore but we were doing a short day of only 17.5 miles so it wasn't too bad. We stopped at a fantastic campsite near a river - a really gorgeous site! We relaxed a while, had a good dinner, and headed to bed.

Day 144: 2310-2336.9

I had a great night's sleep, and it was very cloudy and overcast when I woke - at first I thought I'd set my alarm wrong! We had a brief downhill before an intense updill to the edge of Mt Rainier forest boundary. I took a brief rest at the top, then continued down. Then another couple ups and downs - I ran into Abby again too, which was cool. Tons of pikas on these exposed rock sections - it's very fun to catch them running back and forth. Then a nice downhill to Chinook Pass, where there was trail magic! Even more exciting, it was from Doug and his dog Buddy, who I camped with on the first night of the PCT! He hurt his foot and had to get off trail on his second day, so it was really cool to see him again. He had pizza, watermelon, and hot chocolate! We hung out there for a bit before heading on, with a great downhill Sheep Lake, where we filled up on water. Then a good uphill to Sourdough Gap, where I had a tiny bit of cell service to call REI and see if they had some shoes that I'm trying to replace - I'm happy that Marissa might be able to bring them to me. Then onwards, some more ups and downs, and then through a big burn zone. It was extremely foggy here, and really cool to walk through the thick haze. I filled up at a spring before camp, where I met up with Cheers and Shade and we set up, then were joined by a bunch more hikers. We had a good dinner and headed to bed!

Day 145: 2336.9-2363.7

We had it off around seven - it was shockingly quiet for how many people were camping nearby. Started with a solid uphill to Martinson Gap, then enjoyed the downhill and the lush forest. Mostly firs, cedars, larches, and hemlock – a very different tree ecology than California. Still some manzanita though – I'm convinced we have it all the way to Canada. Made it to the Mike Urich cabin around noon, though we didn't stop – it was the source of the 2022 norovirus outbreak, so no thanks. We carried on before seeing some cars at a dirt road crossing - trial magic! It was so special to get it twice in a row! Magic Man had a fantastic setup of hotdogs, doughnuts, chips, snickers, and snacks. We hung out for a bit and chatted - they lived on Vashon Island. Then we carried on, getting water at a spring. More nice hiking, then an absolutely killer uphill on Blowout Mountain. I listened to a podcast episode about PG&E which was really interesting and incredibly infuriating. We sat at the top of the climb and watched the fog roll in, and I had a smidge of service to confirm that my mom and Marissa could get me my shoes! Then on another 3 miles to a dirt road with plenty of camping, which was good since we seem to be in quite the bubble for this section. We set up and were just starting dinner when it started to mist, then drizzle, then pour. We gathered our stuff and hustled to our tents to eat inside. The rain continued as we fell asleep, but I stayed nice and cozy in my quilt.

Day 146: 2363.7-2387

I woke up to more rain this morning – it was just a drizzle by the time I packed up my tent, but was a steady downpour for most of the day. There was also a heavy fog over the landscape – we were in the woods a lot, but every view was just a solid white wall. It was also very cold, and I was glad that I had my gloves. We started the day with an intense downhill, which my knees did not enjoy in the cold, then had a few solid uphills where I got nice and overheated, but it was still raining intensely so anytime I unzipped my jacket or took off my hood, I got nice and soaked. I had lots of water, so didn't stop at the stream and passed a couple other hikers – it's a busy trail today! The trail was lots of ups and downs, often in the woods, but some sections were exposed. I passed Shade and chairs around noon and we decided it was just too cold and wet to stop for a sit down lunch, so we would carry on. But about 20 minutes later, we came to a dirt road and saw the big tent set up – trail magic! Paul and Anthony were set up making burritos and cocktails – what a thing to get on trail! Anthony had hiked the trail last year and they were really nice and generous. It was so fantastic to get under a tent and sit down, then have a warm meal in the cold in the rain. There were lots of us and we hung out for a bit before heading, ready to push out the last 9 miles or so. I listen to the second half of the episode on PG&E and went uphill to Mer Lake or set up camp and drier tents in a short break in the rain. I was very happy to have dry clothes to put on! I got nice and warm in my quilt, made dinner, and had a hot crème brûlée backpacker meal for dessert. The rain started up again right before I went to bed.

Day 147: 2387-2395.9

Woke up to heavy rain again and we slowly packed up - oh boy was it cold!! My fingers felt frozen through by the time I got my soaked and muddy tent away. We had 9 miles to Snoqualmie Pass, which felt very long in the cold and rain. And the trail was very up and down, with some quite steep sections. I didn't stop at all, just hiked through and went as fast as I could - a hot meal was calling me. We passed some day hikers picking huckleberries and a runner with a very cute dog. We got to the ski lifts above Snoqualmie and headed down - I tried to take some pictures in this section but my phone and fingers were so soaked that nothing was working. We got to Summit Inn around 10:30 and took all our wet clothes off outside before heading in. It was SO nice to be warm and a bit drier!! We were just checking into the inn when Marissa pulled up - it was so fantastic to see her! I took a lovely shower, laid out all my wet gear, and then Marissa and I relaxed together - it was incredibly peaceful and warm. We got lunch at the market and hung out there, then back to the inn to do laundry, then out again for a little walk together. It was really lovely to see my sister and get to catch up and relax together. She drove us to this great Thai place for dinner, which was fantastic, then back to the inn. I said goodbye and got my food resupply, then took a hot bath and went to bed. I'm so glad Marissa got to see me on trail, it really made my day!