It was a cold night. I wore two layers of clothing but was not uncomfortable in the sleeping bag and tent. Just really really really did not want to get out of the sleeping bag in the morning. I did manage to get started by about 6:40am. I get back on the trail and immediately see the 2600 mile marker someone made as shown in the picture below. Not exactly 2600 miles this year but really close enough an it was fun to see. The exact mileage of things changes each year because of changes in the trail. That piece of work looks pretty recent to me however.
The morning is cold and I remain in two layers of shirts and the miracle Patagonia jacket and gloves to start the hike. By the time I reach Methow Pass about 8am I am warm enough to remove all extra layers.
About 40 minutes into the day I decide to take a little video of my surroundings. Beautiful. I was told by one of the locals that this area is pretty but the area north of Harts Pass to the border is even more stunning. The boulders in the picture below are just before getting to Methow Pass.
From Methow Pass it is a steep descent to Golden Creek and the Methow River. This descent was very hard on my back but at least my hip seems to be able to handle it now. However, I will stopping pretty soon as the back gets more and more tender. It will be an early day. I did stop at Golden Creek and ate some macaroni and cheese. It went down pretty good and I was happy about that. Speaking of Methow, the name of the river and the pass comes from the Methow Native Americans. For more info see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methow_River
So I ended up stopping at Brush Creek at about 2pm. Very early but my back is sore and the next possible site is too far away and from Brush Creek there is a steep ascent to Grasshopper Pass.
When we ate at the Pastime Brewery in Oroville the waiter gave me a painted rock and asked me to place it somewhere on the PCT for someone to find. Decided to plant the rock here at the Brush Creek campsite.
The video below shows my campsite and surrounding area. While I was making the video another hiker arrived and waited for me to complete. She is actually in the video. She would not proceed until I got off the bridge. So I backed off the bridge and got off the trail a bit and then she put on her mask and crossed the bridge and went past me. I had another meal here of oatmeal and fruit. 2 meals in one day is a record. I knew I would need fuel for the next day because after Brush Creek a rather long and steep ascent looms.
- Miles: 9
- Steps: 21334
- PCT Mile: 2610
- Elevation: 4307
- Location: https://w3w.co/vindicated.pulp.serving
Some wildflowers seen along this part of the trail
