heather hikes
  • LIfe on the trail
  • Home
  • About
  • Cool Causes
  • Where I am now
  • Milage

Snoqualmie Pass to Stevens Pass

10/2/2016

1 Comment

 
After my awesome double zero adventure, getting back on the trail was hard. Bed = warm. Shower = nice. But after getting up and indulging in a big breakfast at the hotel restaurant, I strapped on my pack and headed to the trail.

This next section, I had been told, was the most difficult section in Washington. It started with a 3000 foot climb from the pass, with lots of views, lots of ups and downs, and lots of loose rocks. I am not a fan of loose rocks, but when you are hiking at 5000-6000 feet, it just comes with the territory, I guess. It was a beautiful day, once the initial fog burned off, and since it was Sunday, there were lots of weekenders and day hikers out and about. Lots of people to talk to and share views with. The climb up also included the famous "cat walk", a section of trail with sheer drop-off on one side and a spectacular view. (Don't worry, the catwalk was very wide, virtually no chance of plunging over the drop off). I stopped for lunch at a lovely lake, and continued over the high ridge and rocks. 

I soon learned that this section of trail was, indeed, more challenging than past sections. In addition to the rocks I encountered day one, there were lots of blow-downs, steep sections, and long climbs followed by long descents. It was tiring. It was hard. It was glorious!

Again, I leapfrogged through this section with Digger and Frost, and various other hikers I had been keeping pace with for the last few sections. The atmosphere on the trail became quite AT-like, with the majority of the bubble stopping for lunch at the same spot, and oftentimes stopping for the night at the same spot, as well. We lamented to one another over how much slower we had to go in this section with all its obstacles. We joked about how much more we seemed to be eating. 

I ended up camping at Mig Lake, 7 miles out from Stevens Pass the night before. I had originally thought I'd camp three miles further up at Lake Susan Jane, for a really easy morning into Stevens. But, in keeping with the spirit of this section, I was exhausted when I got to Mig, and knew there was no way I could push out another 3 miles. I camped with about 10 other hikers that night who had the same planned day and the same result. 

In the morning, we were racing the rain. It was foggy, then misting, then drizzly, then raining. I had put on full rain gear, since it was also a bit cold. And by the time I hit the pass, I was chilly and a little wet, despite my rain gear. It was a cool walk in; I wished it had been clearer so I could've seen the view on our descent. We hiked up to the top of the chair lift, and descended on a side trail that paralleled the ski slopes. I was looking for the ski-run that I almost killed myself on, skiing Stevens Pass 15 years ago, but its kind of hard to pick out those kind of things while hiking in a rainstorm. I just decided to be satisfied with the fact that I stayed upright this time around.

The lodge at Stevens Pass was open and I went inside and warmed up with a hot chocolate and a panini. There were lots of other hikers inside, my trail family for the past few days, also warming up and some picking up packages. So many hikers were doing a quick resupply right at the pass and hitting the trail right away in the afternoon. 

I, on the other hand, was going into Skykomish for a proper town rest-and-resupply. I bid farewell to those hikers moving on, and headed out to find a ride to town.
Picture
Climbing out of Snoqualmie Pass
Picture
The Catwalk
Picture
Picture
Sunny, steep, and spectacular
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Peace, Love, and Trail Magic!
1 Comment
bill and eileen
10/3/2016 05:18:37 am

We love the pictures and stories, be safe and have fun.It reminds me of our adventure just we went by water you probably went faster.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Heather

    Hi, I'm Heather, AKA "Pink Lady". Welcome to my blog.  I'm so excited to share my adventures as I embark on a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail.  
    While you're here, be sure to check out  the charity I'm hiking for: Devoted2Children a  great organization which funds a home for orphaned children in Haiti. 

    Archives

    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    November 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013

    Categories

    All
    Adaptive Sport
    Hiking Recap
    Preparation
    Rock Stars
    Trail Peeps
    Training

    RSS Feed

    Where I am
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photo used under Creative Commons from symphony of love