Ramping Up the Vert and the Views – Snoqualmie Pass to Stevens Pass

The Cascades are North America’s youngest mountain range. The bulk of the mountain building in the Cascade Range occurred about 10 million years ago. They are the new kids on the continent compared to the 70 million year old Rockies and 250 million year old Appalachian Mountains. The nascent character is unmistakable in the striking, rugged nature of these peaks, especially in the northern extent of the range.

Day 150 – 14 miles/2408 (8/25/22)

It was a yet another slow morning for us in the hotel room. We wandered over to the pancake house attached to the hotel for breakfast. Two of everything for me, another veggie omelet for Maggie, and pancakes for both of us.

We organized and packed up back in the room right up to the 11 am check out. We topped off our resupply at the Chevron, and finally got moving at 1pm. The PCT crossed under I-90 and we headed up the hill from Snoqualmie Pass. We ascended up through the forest, the roar of the intestate filling the air. There were plenty of day hikers heading down for the afternoon, while we hiked onwards and upwards, back into our outdoor home. The 2,000 foot climb wasn’t too bad. Up top, we finally saw the majesty of Washington’s peaks up close.

On Kendall Catwalk, we got a 360° view of the rugged mountains all around. Soon after, we crossed the 2,400 mile mark. We are counting down the miles the Canadian border at this point, only 253 to go, more than 90% complete!

The trail continued up near the ridge through alpine terrain and talus. It felt as though all the days of green tunnel were finally being rewarded with overwhelming scenery. The steep, prominent mountains with blue alpine lakes below begged us to take pictures. Mt. Rainier even made an appearance again, floating like a vast ice cream cone amongst the clouds.

All this scenery caused an unexpected slow down, and it was starting to look like we would be hiking till sundown. Maggie and I hiked with more gusto for the final miles, the golden hour approaching. We rounded a corner and saw another hiker sitting on the ground. He looked to be uncomfortable, his arm clutched across his belly. I inquired, and he said he had been throwing up and couldn’t keep anything down. Norovirus. We offered help, but he declined, and said he was making his way back to Snoqualmie Pass. We wished him luck and continued on. In the last two miles of our hike, we caught up to our friend Sourpatch. She was walking a bit slow, and once we could see ahead, it became obvious why. A mountain goat was section hiking the PCT with us. Unsure of goat etiquette, we tried to give it space, but continued moving slowly behind it.

We herded the goat northbound for a few minutes until another hiker ahead was stopped taking pictures. The goat was in a pickle now, so it scurried up a steep slope to the left. We thanked him for the photo op and for not bucking us off the mountain. We grabbed water for the night and began looking for a place to camp.

Eight pm was fast approaching. The first tent site was pretty much full. We kept going until we spotted an open flat spot, which appeared to be a dry mud puddle in a drainage. It was flat and secluded, so we took it. We got to bed around 9:30, surprised to have such a jam packed 14 mile day.

Day 151 – 22 miles/2430 (8/26/22)

We woke up in our dry mud puddle, hearing a handful of hikers walk by in the early morning hours. We got moving at 7:40 am, which seems to be the routine lately. We got our day going with a small climb up to another epic viewpoint.

Dramatic fins and spires lined the horizon, while alpine lakes filled the valleys (quite fitting as we were in the “Alpine Lakes Wilderness”). The trail took us down dozens of switchbacks, descending 2,500 feet. The slope was gentle, and my knees were thankful for it.

It was back through the forest, then another little burn scar, before returning to some tall trees by the creek below. Here we saw the biggest Nootka Cypress yet, easily 6 feet across, and I was stoked!

We hopped across yet another log bridge and headed into the next climb, right back up 2,400 feet. Again, the switchbacks were almost excessive, so while it felt long, it didn’t feel too hard. We stopped halfway up so I could eat lunch, then we cruised up the rest. Maggie couldn’t help but pick berries on the way. We got to the top, where a small alpine pond was awaiting us. Maggie ate lunch while I fetched water, then we went for a quick dip. The water was cool and quite clear, just what we needed as the heat of the day was picking up. Onward, we hiked along the ridge line for a bit. I can’t even describe the views, you honestly need to see it for yourself to understand.

The time had come to undo our vertical effort again, so we went back down 2,400 feet. Now the knees were feeling it, and Maggie’s new shoes were a bit too small on the downhill. We pushed on to the Waptus River for a short evening break. The clouds had been rolling in since we started our descent, and now it was pretty much overcast. We continued towards Waptus Lake, where we found a quiet spot to camp just above the lake shore. The wind was picking up, and by the time we were done with dinner, a steady drizzle had begun. We cozied up in the tent for an hour of relaxing before bed, listening to the pitter patter of rain drops on our nylon house.

Day 152 – 24 miles/2454 (8/27/22)

It was a cloudy morning with light drizzle. We were surprisingly dry in the tent, with no condensation thankfully. We walked along Waptus Lake for a little while, then had a long, easy climb to start the day.

The sun peeked out and we got some views of Mt. Daniel and Cathedral Rock. Day hikers and weekend backpackers ambled by, looking clean and fresh compared to us weathered thru hikers.

The trail meandered back down through the trees, with the occasional talus field spilling down from the mountain tops. The clouds came back in full force, but thankfully it didn’t rain, just a cool mild day. We had an interesting creek crossing with a soggy log for a bridge, but we both got across safely.

We cruised on to the next climb, and then down to Glacier Lake. The mist was creeping in and embracing the peaks around us. The terrain and boulder fields continued to deliver magnificent views.

The trail provided one more climb and descent late in the day, making for 6,000 feet of vertical and 4,500 feet of descent on the day. As we were making our way to camp, the trail passed through a prodigious blueberry patch.

I asked Maggie, “Should we pick blueberries for our oatmeal tomorrow?” She didn’t hesitate to say, “Yes!”, so we collected berries for 10-15 minutes.

We found a little spot next to a little creek around 7:30 pm. It was a chilly night, probably only in the mid-40s, but it felt quite cold being acclimated to summer weather.

Day 153 – 11 miles/2465 (8/28/22)

Maggie and I made oatmeal for breakfast with our fresh blueberries. On trail and moving at 8 am, we started cruising on the last 11 miles to Stevens Pass. My mom had gotten in contact with an old friend, Wendy, who agreed to meet us at Stevens Pass and give us a ride to Leavenworth, so we had no time to waste. As we hiked, the clouds slowly cleared up throughout the morning, and sunbeams were pouring in through the trees.

We only took one break atop Stevens Pass ski hill after 9 miles of hiking. Wendy was waiting at the bottom for us. We invited another couple, Merman and ID, to ride into town with us. We hadn’t met them before, but we got to know each other a little bit on the last two miles. At the parking lot we were graced with trail magic! To save Wendy from waiting much longer, we each took a grilled cheese and sprite to-go and thanked the trail angels. The four of us found Wendy, sitting on her truck bed with a smile on her face. We drove into Leavenworth, which is a Bavarian style village. Wendy filled us in on the history – after years of boom and bust with extractive industries, the town decided to pivot to tourism. The terrain reminded many of the Swiss Alps, so some Seattle business men thought they would turn it into a theme town, changing the building code to only allow German-alpine style architecture.

It’s a total tourist trap, but I like the unique look and feel in Leavenworth. We dropped off Merman and ID, then got lunch with Wendy. She left us with some Washington state goodies – chocolate, apples, and smoked salmon! We took care of our chores: groceries, hotel check in, and laundry in the shower. After chilling hard, we went out for Mexican food for dinner in the Bavarian village (I know, I know…).