Mt Adams & Ascending into Eternity – PCT 2017: A Hiking Story [45]
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Part 44 ‘Preparations for the Final Month in Washington’
Day 135 (23/08) – Back in the Forest
After a routine pack-up and setting off hiking at 5am, I thought to myself… ‘Why am I still leaving so early?‘. It wasn’t cooler in the morning for some reason here, which is the main reason I did it before. The only other major benefit was getting to camp grounds earlier to claim a site. I had noticed there were definitely more hikers in this section now due to the closures, so perhaps I’d keep getting up early.
Like the day before, it was another day of mostly up, up, up!
I camped at the first available water after the giant uphill. There was an older guy called Turbo, and a younger Swedish girl (living in Australia) who I ate dinner with. Then two other hikers arrived – Viking and Strider. We talked for several hours before calling it a night right before 9pm.
Distance hiked: 24.5 miles
Total PCT hiked: 2190.5 miles
Day 136 (24/08) – Chenamus Lake
I left a bit later than usual this morning at 6:30am, and set off (still before anyone else at camp!). It was noticeably cooler this morning compared to the last! As I ascended above 5000 feet, I was suddenly amongst the clouds. You could see the moisture in the air, and the moisture accumulating on the pine needles before forming water droplets, and falling as if it were raining.
It was kind of weird being amongst the ‘herd’ (main group) of the northbound (NOBO) PCT hikers. The whole time before the break I had for the 4th July, I was always ahead of the main group, and only saw a few new people every stretch. Now, I’m seeing 10 new people every day, it seems – mostly in established groups. It’s almost overwhelming to introduce myself to so many people. Usually now I just talk to those I camp with.
I passed several lakes along the way and had lunch at Chenamus Lake. There were some brief views of the upcoming Mt Adams looming closer. This also meant Mt St Helens was off to the west not far away, but I couldn’t see it today due to the clouds earlier and the amount of trees in the way – maybe tomorrow!
I was looking for a campsite, when Viking and Strider caught up. They were planning to camp at a lake 2 miles ahead, and I half-heartily said I might join them – but not even half a mile ahead I decided to just camp off to the side. My ankle tendinitis still kept me from doing big miles. Sometimes camping alone is nicer too, I definitely like the variety I’ve realised!
Distance hiked: 27.5 miles
Total PCT hiked: 2218 miles
Day 137 (25/08) – Mt Adams Wilderness
Damn… was it cold! What happened to the weather over the last few days – from 25℃ to 5℃ in a single day? I left camp at 6:30am again, although intended to leave earlier. It was hard getting out of bed this morning.
Thankfully, it warmed up after about an hour of hiking. Viking and Strider caught up to me, as well as a girl that was in a group of six named Snakebite. It turns out she has been hiking with her two other sisters this whole time (I just thought it was a coincidence they all looked similar). They were hitching into the small town of Trout Lake, but I was continuing on.
I had planned for a 6.5 days stretch to White Pass. It seemed to be ongoing as planned so far. I didn’t want to do big miles with this tendinitis in my ankle, so I kept days to 22-28 miles – not too big by PCT hiker standards.
The forest suddenly opened up into a burn when I hiked closer to Mt Adams – this was great for views, as normally the foliage blocks everything. Not even a few miles later, I could see Mt St Helens too – the famous volcano whose top blew off to one side in 1980.
The day was very scenic, and I ended up camping early due to a gorgeous view of Adam’s Glacier on Mt Adams. I could hear it crunching away, and it reminded me of being back in Patagonia. On the other side of camp, a short walk away, was a good view of Mt Rainier.
I ate spaghetti for dinner and played around with some photos before Noodle, Pitstop and Coffee all arrived and camp. I’d originally met all three of them the second time I arrived at Bishop when in The Sierras.
Distance hiked: 22.5 miles
Total PCT hiked: 2239 miles
Next Post:
Part 46 ‘Amazing Goat Rocks Wilderness & Resting in Packwood’
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