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Hiking, PCT2020

Aug 4, 2020 PCT Mile 2153 to 2165

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So last night was a little rough. I could not sleep at first and my shoulders were just aching. I am attempting to carry a 60 pound pack with 14 days worth of food. After taking some Aleve, I did get some good sleep.

I’m starting the day at 800 feet, ascending to about 3500 feet, and then descending to about 1800 feet. I am just so very very slow both on the ups and the downs. Doing less than 1 mile per hour and the downhill really got my right hip screaming at me. Shoulders continue to hurt.

I started the day at 6:40 and by 12:40 I reached the high point of the day at about 3500 feet and PCT mile 2159.5. So about 6 miles in 6 hours. Then I head down to 1890 feet elevation at PCT mile 2164.8 and get there at about 6:50pm. So about 5 miles in 6 hours!! The result of my hip hurting and having to stop so often on the descent.

The trail goes past Table Mountain and there are signs for a side trail to go to the top. I have no idea why anyone would want to do that! There are all sorts of messages scrawled on the sign indicating that the hike to Table Mountain in brutal and don’t even attempt it with a full pack.

PCT 2153 to 2165 Just some Table Mountain info

The trail is rocky at this point and even goes though a lava field or two but there are beautiful views including looking down to the Columbia River Gorge.

PCT 2153 to 2165 Yea… lava fields
PCT 2153 to 2165 View of Columbian George
PCT 2153 to 2165 Just pretty I guess

So I end up stopping 2 miles short of my goal but at a little creek that has a very slight trickle of water. There has not been any water on the trail for 11 miles and I always try to camp by a water source. This will have to do. A trick I learned on the PCT to gather water is to find a large slender leaf and place the leaf at a spot where the water is trickling over rock in the creek. The leaf will gather the water at the top and flow off the leaf at the bottom creating a little stream that you can put a cup under and gather. Should have taken a picture….

Saw/met 5 other hikers today. One was heading back to Bridge of the Gods because his feet gave out. One started at White Pass and was heading south and told me there was very little snow ahead. Again with the very little. A couple that just blew by me and didn’t say anything. And a PCT hiker named ASH who was headed for Canada to complete this through hike. The next day I would meet ASH’s walking partner PIERRE (I did not ask either hiker how they got their name) and PIERRE told me they went through waist high snow in the Sierras this year. I’m just not sure how that is possible but people do it. So very fortunate that my hike through the Sierras in 2015 involved no snow.

This is not really a camping site but I did find an area that was relatively level. The slight slope was enough to cause problems sleeping, I did have to push myself up a couple times during the night. More Aleve.

Some wild flowers seen along the way.

  • PCT 2153 to 2165 Common St. John’s Wort
  • PCT 2153 to 2165 Spearleaf stonecrop
Hiking, PCT2020

Aug 3, 2020 PCT Mile 2147 to 2153

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So here we are starting out on the 2020 hike. We had to drive about 7 hours from Oroville to Bridge of the Gods to get this thing started. It was not with a little trepidation that I begin the journey. Have no idea what type of hiker I will be.

PCT 2147-2153 Bridge of the Gods
PCT 2147-2153 Bridge of the Gods

Sign at the start of let me know just how far away Canada is. 500 miles. How hard can it be.

PCT 2147-2153 Canada 506 miles away

This part of the trail goes through the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area which is the largest national scenic area in the United States. As we were driving to Bridge of the Gods along Hwy 84 which parallels the Columbia River we were amazed at the beauty. More information here: http://www.columbiarivergorge.info .

The picture below is pretty much how I remember Washington. Nice soft forest floor trail. As you can probably imagine not all of the PCT in Washington is this way. In fact, Washington will get downright rugged later.

PCT 2147-2153 Like the looks of this trail. But this nice look was just a setup

The trail did get a lot rockier as I went along but the scenery was beautiful. I took this picture because of the very tip of a snowy peak in the distance. Not sure what peak it is but pretty sure it is over yonder in Oregon.

PCT 2147-2153 Snow peak way in the distance

The picture below is of Lake Gillette and is about 3 miles into the hike. It is very popular place for the locals to hike as I passed many hikers coming back for there and many hikers passed me going to there. All the hikers were young and they all put on masks to pass me on the trail.

PCT 2147-2153 Lake Gillette. Popular hiking spot for locals

I met a south bound PCT hiker whose plan was to a complete hike. He said he was very tired of Washington and could not wait to get to Bridge of the Gods and get a hot shower and a good burger. He indicated he was use to hiking the Appalachian Trail and it was always a big deal to get into a new state. On the PCT he will only get that experience 2 times. I asked him about snow on the PCT up north and he said there was very little. Now if only his very little is the same as my very little!!

So I set up camp after about 6 miles of hiking. I text Lenora and Martha on the InReach and immediately wish we would have tested it before we started to just to make sure everything was right. But after a little while I received a reply and was relieved that everything worked.

Some of the wildflowers seen along the way

  • PCT 2147-2153 Perennial pea
  • PCT 2147-2153 Smooth hawksbeard
  • PCT 2147-2153 Wild carrot