Washington started to deliver the goods! Mount Adams and the Goat Rocks Wilderness were some definite high points in this gorgeous state.
Day 142 – 24 miles/2255 (8/17/22)
With the big bubble around, we realized sleeping in and rolling into camp at 7 pm wasn’t gonna work much longer. The tent sites were typically getting crowded by 5 or 6 pm. We got up at 6 am and we were on trail at 7:40, a little better than the 8 am starts lately. We hiked up through a few miles of forest, then found ourselves in an old burn scar. Through the dead trees, the outline of Mt. Adams loomed ahead.
We would not be climbing this glaciated volcano, just skirting its flanks for the day. We slowly worked our way up 2,000 feet and got just below treeline at 6,000 feet of elevation. As we circumnavigated the west side of the mountain, new views were revealed. We got to feast our eyes on the Adams glacier, pocked with crevasses and bergschrunds we could easily see from two miles away.
Mt. Rainier made another appearance, dominating the Washington horizon, and growing larger as we closed the gap. Water was more plentiful around snowy Mt. Adams, and so we sampled each creek and spring every 5 miles or so. A torrent was flowing from the glacier, and we had a fun river crossing, linking precarious rocks and logs to get safely to the north bank.
The last flowers of the season were blooming, some lupines and asters adding a splash of color to the forest. We eventually turned away from the peak on our journey north and continued through hemlocks and firs. There were however abundant huckleberries! I stopped to look back for Maggie, but she was no where in sight. Half a minute later, she came up behind, beaming with glee over the berries. I joined the fun and found a handful of ripe berries to snack on for the last few miles of the day.
We cruised on to camp by a sandy meadow, ending the day at 6:15 pm. We hardly saw any NOBOs all day, but at the tent site, ten people were already set up. Such is life in the bubble, but there was plenty of room for us. We ate dinner and watched the clouds roll in from the southwest, leading us to believe some inclement weather was on the way…
Day 143 – 22 miles/2277 (8/18/22)
We awoke in the meadow to the commotion of a dozen hikers packing up. The sky was overcast, and while we ate breakfast, a light drizzle started. We got going around 7:30am, and the drizzle let up, but it was oddly warm and rather humid. We hiked through the woods, passing by several small lakes and ponds. The mosquitoes were with us again, nothing compared to Oregon, but just enough to be annoying. I got stung by a bee at some point, just above my right ankle. I don’t think I had been stung by a bee in the last decade, and holy crap did it hurt! The bugs successfully got me into full rage hiking mode. While my morning was ruined, it did get us to cover the first 7 miles in a little over 2 hours, which flew by. We hiked on, slowly ascending towards Goat Rocks.
***NEW CONIFER ALERT***
Nootka Cypress (Cupressus nootkatensis). I love cypresses, and I had been eagerly waiting to see this species up here in Washington. Its pendulous foliage is very distinct amongst the rigid, upright firs, and the flaky bark stands out as well. The drooping foliage is likely an adaptation for shedding the heavy snowfall in this part of the world. I found some of the small cypress cones on the ground, not much larger than peas.
A little after lunch, we saw dozens of tiny frogs hopping across the trail, quite an interesting sight. We stepped carefully to avoid crushing our little amphibious friends.
At last, we emerged from the trees where we got an awesome view of Goat Rocks and Gilbert Peak. This is what we were promised in the north. We climbed over Cispus Pass and gazed upon the open alpine landscape all around.
Down the other side of the pass, we saw another group camped out by the river, and they had four llamas grazing on the grass. We wanted to get closer, but they were a little ways off trail.. We learned from other hikers that the llama group helps people with disabilities go trekking, using the llamas as pack animals. Super cool!
After a short water and snack break, we cruised on the last four miles to camp below Old Snowy Mountain. This has got to be one of the top five camp sites along the entire PCT – there are absolutely epic views of Adams, Ranier, and St. Helens. We picked a secluded spot down low with an open view.
The clouds obscured the peaks a bit, but it did offer up a spectacular sunset. The sun emerged for about 10 minutes between the clouds and the horizon, an orange fire ball capped by a purple ceiling. We curled up in our sleeping bags just after 8pm, reading and writing for the last dusky hour of the day.
Day 144 – 19(-2) miles/2296 (8/19/22)
We woke up to another cloudy morning. Some of our peers got up early to catch sunrise on Old Snowy Mountain, but I’m glad we didn’t lose sleep following them since the sunrise was barely visible behind the clouds. Maggie and I got moving up the hill at 7:40 am. We were faced with an obstacle we thought was long behind us: snow. Perhaps we should have expected it being on the aptly named “Old Snowy Mountain.” It was only one brief snow field, although it did require careful attention as we crossed it. The recent drizzle had frozen solid in the bootpack, and the side angle wasn’t exactly confidence inspiring.
We channeled our experience from the Sierras and got across safely. Then it was a short, steep climb up the mountain, mostly over flakey slate, which sounds like clanking dinner plates as you step. We dropped our packs at the side trail split and pushed for the summit, just a few hundred feet more up the ridge. It was easy Class 3, which made for an exciting morning. We reached the summit block, only a few tens of square feet, where we found 5 other hikers, Dusty, Runaway, Starboy, BigBear, and (one more)? We last saw these folks on top of South Sister – seems we both like summit side trips!
From this airy perch, we got an awesome 360° view. The prominent Cascade volcanoes all caught our eyes, with the endless dark green rain forest blanketing all the land in between. Some sun would have made the peaks more striking, but the clouds really matched the PNW vibe. We sat on the summit for a good half hour, chatting with the hikers, then made our way back to the PCT. The rain started just as we got back to our packs, so we quickly threw on rain gear and pack covers. We boogied down the narrow northwest ridge off of Old Snowy. After days spent in the green tunnel, this knife edge really put the “crest” back into the Pacific Crest Trail.
The thin white line of a waterfall across the valley caught my eye, spanning nearly the entire height of the mountain next door. We descended down back towards tree line, and the rain relented, though it never was all that bad. Across a few miles of alpine tundra, then down into the forest. We stopped for lunch at the bottom of the hill. While we were eating, Maggie noticed our destination, White Pass Cracker Barrel (just a coincidence, no affiliation with the restaurant chain) closed at 6 pm. It was getting close to 1 pm and we had 12 trail miles to go with a 2,000 foot climb ahead of us. It would be tight, and we considered alternate trails, but decided to hike as fast as possible on the PCT, then take a small shortcut down White Pass Ski Resort. And so we hiked as fast as possible. We didn’t talk much, our breathing was too heavy, especially as we climbed. We passed all the hikers who walked by us at lunch as we pushed close to 3.5 mph. We stopped at shoe lake for water. We were sweating profusely now that the sun had come out, but the humidity remained high.
We cruised on to the ski area, where we cut down the cat track, then a steep ski run, shaving 2 miles off the PCT, and taking us on more direct route to the Cracker Barrel.
Naturally, we imbibed in some beer. The small kitchen offered pizza and fried food, which wasn’t all that appetizing in the moment, but we settled for small burritos and pizza pockets. Honestly, the fact that this little gas station is able to cater to so many hikers is impressive, and it saves a side trip to town. Our friends Sourpatch and Hotdish showed up, and we all ate dinner together at a picnic table outside. We got our resupply boxes, and set up camp out behind the Cracker Barrel with about 20 other hikers.
Distance Over Time 