After pushing through 31 miles to get to Snoqualmie Pass, I was faced with an interesting situation: I got into town on Thursday night. I had plans with my friend Adam, on Saturday. Which meant I had absolutely NOTHING to do on Friday. Combined with my pre-planned off day Saturday, I had two full days with no hiking. A Double Zero! 

Double Zeros are not unheard of. I know hikers who have indulged in triple or even quadruple zeros. But in general, when you have lots of miles and limited time, you tend to limit your rest time. So, I fully intended to enjoy my double zero to the max!

Unfortunately, the hotel manager nixed my plans to hang out in the hot tub. (The clerk the night before assured me that it would be no problem to use the hot tub and sauna after check out) I ended up hanging in the lobby and restaurant; going across the street to the brew pub for lunch; and checking out a nordic ski museum. 
My friend, Adam, arrived around 4:30 and we headed off to Seattle. 

This was also a bit unusual for me. Generally, I spend zero days laying around, watching TV and catching up on email, bills, and blogging. But this time, I was going to actually DO something! Adam and I spent Friday night at his friends, Mark and Kay's house. We had pizza and beer, talked about the trail, and hit the hay for an early morning.

Saturday, we had breakfast, and then took the "Sailgate" boat across Lake Union for the Huskies season opener. It started out as a drizzly, overcast day, but then cleared up for a sunny afternoon. Just what I wanted from the weather! Even better, UW steamrolled over Rutgers for a big win on the first game of the season. 

After the game, Adam and I drove back up to Snoqualmie Pass (with a stop at REI on the way to replace some failing equipment). I indulged in another night in the hotel to let the remaining drizzle clear. (it had not yet cleared on the mountain) 

And THAT is what you call a great double zero!!
​

The short but relaxing stay at White Pass made it hard to get back on the trail. I hung around the general store with many other hikers until 12:30, eating and talking. Then I figured I could hold off no more so I headed back down the road to the trail head.

I found myself once again back in the trees with gentle, soft, rock free trail ahead- it all added up to fast miles. Do that even though I stopped to talk to many equestrians along the trail and took a few leisurely breaks, I had done a respectable 16 miles in a half day. I ended up at a campsite by a river with 4 other hikers- Digger, Frosty, Wildflower, and Speed who moved over to make room for me. They had carried out sausages, veggies, and wine in a Gatorade bottle which put my pasta side with tuna to shame.

The next day we entered Rainier National Park and got trail magic at Chinook Pass, in the form of brownies, pears, soda, and chocolate milk. Digger and the others heard a rumor that somebody was coming to the pass with hamburgers and hotdogs and opted to stay a while while I headed off with Smooch and 3 other hikers.

We we passed the beautiful Sheep Lake, where there were lots of day hikers and continued to climb throughout the afternoon. I stopped at a site with a section hiker, Len, while the others continued for a couple more miles.

The he next day, we all reconvened at the Mike Urich Cabin for lunch (a rare shelter on the PCT) and leap frogged past each other all day. It got a big foggy and wet at the top of a big climb, and I stopped to layer up a bit on the descent. We all ended up camping near a dirt road with lots of flat spaces.

I I had planned on taking 2 days to do the remaining 31 miles into the pass, but the weather started to go downhill. It was foggy, then misty, then drizzly. When I reached the campsite I had planned to stay at, it was only 5 and I noticed the temperature had dropped significantly. So I decided to just do the last 6 into Snoqualmie and have a shower and a warm bed.

Sheep Lake

After a wonderful stay at Trout Lake came a wonderful stretch of trail. Between Trout Lake and White Pass, the trail started to CLIMB! I've mentioned my love/hate relationship with the trail in California when we'd spend days at virtually the same elevation, walking along a ridge line that never went up or down. In Washington, the trail actually gets steep sometimes. And that makes me happy. Sure, it's harder. But it feels like you're doing something, working for something. It's a fun challenge.

After a a day of going between lakes and ponds and creeks, I spent the night at Lava Springs with a large number of other hikers. Lots of flat tent sites, and really good, cold spring water.

The next day, we did lots of ups and downs and in the late afternoon, climbed up and over Cispus Pass. The day was starting to cloud up, and I was a bit nervous about crossing over the pass as bad weather settled in. Quite a few south bounders were going by, drenched and reporting rain at the top of the peak. I stopped and put on my pack cover and jacket. Which ensured that the clouds dispersed and the sun poked through. (Works every time!) So I got to enjoy beautiful views all the way up and down the pass.

The next day was by far my favorite day on trail. The trail climbed up steeply and then I took the alternate route over Old Snowy Trail- going up and the peak on a narrow, rocky edge. It was cold and windy and downright scary, but exhilarating. The trail then went over knife edge, which involved careful slow steps as you pick your way down.

The rest of the day offered warmer temperatures and beautiful views of Rainier before another fairly steep descent to White Pass for food, shower, and laundry.

clouds rolling in wn route to Cispus Pass

Old Snowy

Views of Mt Rainier

Peace, Love, and Trail Magic

originally, I had not planned on going into Trout Lake. I had planned on going straight through to Whites Pass. But after my 8 day trek into Cascade locks without a proper break, I figured I'd break up the next section to give my feet ample recovery time.

Several wondwrful things happened on this section. First, as the mile crunchers pulled ahead, I found myself in with a bubble of hikers who were slowing down. Seeing how close to the end they were getting, they wanted to extend the journey. And as I was getting my trail legs and able to handle 25 per day, we met in the middle.

Much of of the day I was hiking alone, as they could go at auch faster pace than me and my hobbit legs. But we ended up camping together at night. So I had a nice trail family with Baby and her dog, Luna, Proton and Dream Catcher, Youngblood, and others.

Also- plentiful water. It's nice to only have to carry a liter and a half at a time.

Best of all- HUCKLEBERRIES! Ripe huckleberries we're everywhere and I walked along, picking them off the bushes and popping them in my mouth. What a wonderful treat than just kept appearing.

And speaking of treats, when I reached the road crossing to Trout Lake, two trail Angels were there, Coppertone and Gary, serving up root beer floats. Fresh fruit, and other goodies.

I got a ride into town very quickly and found Trout Lake to be a wonderful little town. I guess lots of other hikers did, too, since all the lodging was full. But I found a nice lady, Jean, who rented out the spare bedroom in her house with an attached bathroom and laundry room. Jean is 80 and still cross country skis in the winter.

​So showered, laundry done, resupplied, and belly full of huckleberry shake, I hit the trail once again the next morning.

trail angel Gary

Coppertone

peace, love, and trail Magic!

The Bridge of the Gods marks the transition into the last state on the trail, Washington. It's one of the big iconic landmarks on the PCT.

I have looked forward to walking across it for so long!

I looked at at that bridge during my zero day in Cascade Locks and psyched myself up.

So on Monday morning, after a big town breakfast, I walked up to the bridge with Dreamer, Stretch, and Brandon.

I did not love walking across the bridge.

There is no sidewalk, you walk essentially on the road with the cars. It is a metal bridge; you look down through the grid to the water. And the wind blows straight up from the water. It blew my hat and sunglasses off, which fortunately did not fall through the grids to the water. But then I was paranoid that I would drop something- my phone, my poles, my sunglasses- and held everything in a death grip.

The bridge has a lot of flex and it bounced and vibrated as the cars drove past.

The bridge was much scarier than I had anticipated.

But cross it, I did and thus began to hike the last state. Washington, here I come!

peace, love, and trail Magic!

I am not a thru hiker.

Not technically. Not this time around. This time, I'm actually a section hiker. Which seems kind of ridiculous, since my first section was 1800 miles and my second section is 800. Isn't that enough to be considered "thru"?

No. It's not.

On the way to Cascade Locks I became very aware of the many ways that I am no longer in thru hiker mode.

Last year, I remember the feeling when I crossed into Oregon. After 1700 miles in that long, long, - at times breath takingly beautiful, at times mindnumbingly monotonous state - I felt the excitement of being 2/3 done. I wanted to just blast out the last 1/3 of the trail and be done.

I don't have that feeling now.

I I can see it in the thru hikers eyes, though. The desire to just be done. I want to enjoy Oregon. I want to take side trails and look at waterfalls and jump in lakes, not push big miles. I'm thinking like a section hiker.

I was hiking with a bunch of people who decided we needed to do a minimum of 27 miles in order to get to the breakfast buffet at the lodge. I don't care about the breakfast buffet. ( a thru hiker would never say that) But when the temperature is in the 90's and my choices are to swim multiple times a day or go to the breakfast buffet, I pick swimming.

Besides, there was a lunch buffet.

Then, there was the mad rush to get to Trail Days. I don't care about Trail Days. Even when people doing back to back to back 40 mile days tell me it's the best party on the trail. If I want a good party, I'll go to Burning Man.

So I hiked into Cascade Locks like a section hiker. I took all the alternate trails to look at wildflowers

and waterfalls

and to commemorate milestones

To take pictures of sunrises

and to jump into swimming holes when the temperature reached 100 degrees

Then, when the herd was sprinting out of Cascade Locks on Sunday, as if they were going to set some kind of speed record, I was horizontal in the air conditioning, watching Usain Bolt and Mo Farrah show the world how it's done.

​Acting like a me a section hiker.

in the midst of the Mt Hood Wilderness, the PCT passes the Timberline Lodge, which is a welcome stop for food and rest and resupply.

Most at people know the lodge as the hotel from the movie The Shining. The winding mountain road, the foreboding stone facade and complex roofline- all the aerial shots of the fictional Overlook Hotel Are, in fact Timberline Lodge. And yes, as I hiked up in the late morning, popping up over an incline, the initial view of that roofline made my heart skip. "That's where all those crazy spirits are! That's where Jack Torrence lost his mind!"

Inside, it's nothing like the movie (the inside scenes were filmed in a different- and not nearly as nice- hotel) This place is spectacular! All stonework and exposed beams, gigantic fireplaces and wrought iron light fixtures.

it was very warm this day. I opted to spend the afternoon at the lodge, enjoying the lunch buffet, charging electronics, and resting until the heat of the day dissipated a bit

Peace, love, and trail Magic!

Oregon is awesome!

Last year, I alternated between loving and hating the PCT in California. On the one hand, I loved the wide open vistas, the diversity, the amazingly well maintained trail (PCTA volunteers are so dedicated!). On the other hand, I grew weary of the monotony, the long water carries, the totally exposed stretches, and long stretches of head scratching terrain (a dirt road next to an aqueduct, 100 miles of wind turbines, 80 miles of sand dunes).

This year, I am utterly and completely in love with Oregon. Oregon has the sweeping views, the striking mountain peaks, diversity in the form of alpine meadows full of wildflowers, countless lakes, volcanic rock, and -of course- the tall, tall trees.

I love over being in the trees. Some hikers lament about "the green tunnel", where all you see is trees. I love it. There is a very different energy in the trees. It's soothing, calming. And the silence is so thick and heavy and complete- like wet cotton. The silence feels alive. Sometimes I would stop hiking in my tracks and hold my breath to really experience that silence. It's strangely invigorating.

Oregon on also had some unexpected exposed stretches- over the past few years, there have been a number of forest fires. So there are large stretches of burned out areas, where you walk through the blackened remains of tree trunks, gradually becoming bleached out in the sun.

And theres swimming. On hot afternoons, it's so nice to jump in cold lakes or rivers and cool off.

Seriously, what's not to love about Oregon?

volcanic rock
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burn area
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alpine meadow
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mt Jefferson

lakeside campsite

LittleCrater Lake (temp 34 degrees) Did I jump in? You bet I did!

Mt Hood

Peace, love, and trail Magic!

Sisters was to be the site of my first zero. I had been battling a mild quad strain for a couple days, so it was well needed.

Mackenzie Pass takes you into Sisters, but many hikers opt to hitch 22 miles further into Bend, a larger, hipper town with more services. I chose ease and convenience.

Sisters is very small, and has this western, cowboy theme going on- covered wagons on street corners, raised wooden sidewalks, building facades. The Sisters Inn came highly recommended on the PCT Facebook group, but they were full when I arrived in town. Fortunately, the Best Western across the street matched the price and had a room. (Plus a pool and hot tub which I made good use of)

My friend from last year, Fainting Goat, came into town ms picked me up. We drove to Bend for breakfast and a trip to REI. It was good to catch up and talk about future plans!

Originally, I had been irritated at my late start, waiting for my backpack to arrive. Now, I was very happy with the timing, since it put me in town to watch the Gymnastics all around competition. Wow! That Simone Biles is something else! And like my previous thoughts on hiking, I'm sure Aly Raismen feels that the second time around was way better, too.

Good friends, good food, pool, hot tub, women's gymnastics, and Michael Phelps' 1000th gold medal- that's what I call a good zero day!

Sometimes things are better the second time around.

Last year, there were record numbers of fires along the PCT- along the entire west coast. For the last few hundred miles of trail before I exited at Crater Lake, I had no views. From high up on the ridge lines, I looked down into valleys filled with smoke. Always smelling smoke, often tearing up from smoke (depending on which way the wind was blowing), always wondering if we were hiking right into a fire or away. I didn't realize how stressed out I was.

This is year is a completely different story.

The skies have been clear and blue, the sun shining, the views spectacular and smoke free. I spent a few days leap frogging with a group who had been on trail since Campo: Butterfly, Turbo, Sweetpea, Juice, and Spreadsheet. We often camped together at night , like at Elk Cove Resort, where we stopped for dinner.

Ultimately, I got off trail 20 miles before they did at Mackenzie Pass, where they were pushing on to Santorium Pass- both leading to Sisters and Bend.

​I would see see them again, though.

campsite between to lakes

early morning lakeside

​Peace, Love, and Trail Magic!