July 31 - August 11 - Washington, a beautiful state!

DISCLAIMER: It's been a great start
so my journal is really long. I'll try to keep the blog brief but no promises!

7/31 Here we go!

Steve dropped us off in Cascade Locks and we took off hoping to score a few miles on this nero day. Cascade Locks is the lowest point on the PCT at 230'. We crossed the Bridge of the Gods--how often does one walk across a big bridge? Almost immediately after getting off the bridge we saw a deer. A good sign! We ended up hiking 10 miles and climbing 2100 feet on this nero day. By doing so we were able to lower our daily mileage for the next few days.

I'm still nervous about keeping my spirits up but if things continue like this it'll be a good trip.

While in Cascade Locks I met Goldfinger and his friend who needed a ride to Portland. Since Steve was going that way he took them.

The thimbleberries are ripening and I have been eating them--happy to get to them before the birds do! Washington is so green. I understand why its called the Evergreen state.

POSITIVES:
Apple pie for dinner
Early start
Site when we needed
Devotional book
Good beginnings
Thimbleberries

PCT mile 2155 - 2164.77=9.77
Elevation:2459

8/1 Warm and Wet!

Long day. It was mostly up -- so slow The fog and warm mist kept us sticky sweaty and effectively eliminated any views--if there were any. We even got out our raincoats and brush gaiters! There were plenty of small streams so it appears water won't be a problem. We're still getting back into the swing of hiking and feeling every used muscle. It's only the first day and we've already got the stink on. Only 9 days until a shower! We ended up camping on a bare spot almost on the trail in fact I think our stakes were on the trail! It started raining shortly after making camp and rained all night. At least we weren't hiking in it. I'm hoping this isn't going to continue for days like it often does. I don't think I can cope with being wet for days on end. Call me a wimp if you want! I'm trying very hard to stay positive and make it emotionally. I really want this hike to be sucessful.

Positives:
Gators/gear
Man made sites
Bridges
Drinking water
Yummy food

PCT miles: 2164.77 - 2178.02
Elevation:2451


8/2 Getting in the groove

After last night's rain everything is wet and naturally the trail has been overgrown/brushy. We are in good spirits though. Met some SOBOs that encouraged us that it was better weather as we climb. Yuck. I don't like climbing. But if it means better weather it'll be worth it. Met some neat folks today Nicole and her guy from Seattle. Cute young couple. They asked if I'd recommend thru hiking. Me, of all people. It made me think, would I? It still amazes me how social the trail is.

We got water at Panther Creek - and decided to camp there too. It's a little early to stop but there's a lot of climbing the next few miles and we feared finding a good site. We'll get up early to make up for it. We only saw one critter today. We think maybe a mink? Pine Marten? Long and skinny along the river.

Before we went to sleep we had another hiker join us and shortly afterwards one more. Apparently we aren't the only ones looking for a good site!

We have developed a bad habit of sleeping in. Gonna have to change that! Bummer - I kinda like it!

Positives:
KOKOs hair (guess who likes it...not KOKO)
Drying out
People
Camera battery
Positive weather change

PCT miles: 2178.02 - 2190.62
Elevation: 904

8/3 Bring on the views!

Long day. We did get up early! True to the map the trail did go up! It was a steady climb through heavy forests. We were still damp from the rain and sweat so we were a bit chilled. We found a sunny open spot for a nice break and dried a bit and warmed up. Of course the added bonus was a view of Mt. Hood.

Didn't see many people but did get some photos if a baby bird. Got some icy cold water from a spring--I even "washed" my hair---brrrr yet it felt so good to rinse some sweat and dirt out. It's the little things that count, right?

We camped at Crest Horse camp but we're not sure why its called that--no sign of even being horse friendly.
We got our first glimpse of Mt. Adams. It was cloudy so it was literally a glimpse but at least it's a view! Here's a quote from TBG "Every mountain has its top."

Positives:
Massages
Pit toilets (complete w/paper)
Pretty trail through a lava flow
Sunshine
Less bugs
Sunny breaks
Dry socks

PCT miles: 2190.02 - 2206.55
Elevation: 3410

8/4 Old friends and New friends.

A good day. It was long - but good. I don't know why we can't seem to get any serious mileage. We're both just tuckered. I hope we'll be able to work up to a little better!

There were more ups today than we expected but we seemed to take them in stride. It helps that we were rewarded with multiple views of Mts. Adams, St. Helens and Rainier. We also flushed a grouse, saw a frog and of course many birds which we didn't see as much as heard. Saw lots of people most notable was a PCT trail crew working near Blue Lake that we briefly chatted with. Thanks you guys for all your work. At Blue Lake we visited with a dad who was camping with 2 other dads and 4 kids ages 5-7. They had to hike in a couple miles. Way to go dads & kids! The guy also shared he'd just seen some mt goats on the hills but they disappeared just before we got there so we missed them. Darn.

We made our mileage goal but had to go a squeak farther to find a site. We had just settled in when ? and Juice, two NOBOs went by. Shortly after we were pleasantly surprised when Breeze stopped to visit. We actually met her on the summit of Baden-Powell so we were super excited to visit with her. She has to get back for her job and is feeling some pressure to get done. She's doing 30-40 mile days.Go girl! After Breeze left, Lorax cruised by. He's doing 40+miles a day but took a few minutes to chat. Cute & friendly young man. We wonder if we'll see anyone else we know.

Water supply is ok but the mosquitoes are hungry. I'm really looking forward to seeing my sister Becky in a couple days. I'm also looking forward to Goat Rocks. Two SOBOs separately told us that the best is yet to come so we are encouraged to keep good spirits and continue. A shower is going to feel soooooo good!

We've had reports of goat sightings so we are really watching. Its kinda dangerous to walk and gawk though.

Positives:
Great views
Friendly people
My wonderful hubby
Dedicated trail crews
Seeing Breeze

PCT miles: 2206.55 - 2222.14
Elevation: 4563

8/5 Cheerleaders and a Critter.

Great day. Since we knew tomorrow was a nero day as Becky delivers our resupply we were excited. We are happy with how things are going. Its even been fun!

We met two delightful Asian women today that we call our cheerleaders. The elder is 83 and started hiking sections beginning at Campo in 98. They are doing 200 miles this year leaving her with just a little left to finish it up next year. Imagine, 83 and still going strong. Her pack was as big as she was. I salute you my new friend!
We got to our rondevous with time to spare so we rigged a shower curtain and TBG had a good time dumping cold water on me for a refreshing shower. As payment he got to swish our clothes in the creek. We hung them on a line to dry but don't hold much hope they'll actually get dry.

Looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow. If we can hike a few miles tomorrow we can make shorter days in the next stretch. I know, 16 miles isn't a lot but anything less makes it more pleasurable.

We had a Pine Martin near our site. He just posed for some photos and didn't bother us. Sure looking forward to seeing Becky and eating whatever food she brings!
Caught a few more glimpses of St. Helens and Adams. Wow mountains are beautiful.

I'm feeling good mentally and more excited about hiking. I'm realizing no matter how good things go there will always be some kind of pain.

Positives:
Baths
Pine martin
Warm creek
Made good time
Sleep in tomorrow

PCT miles: 2222.14 - 2237.66
Elevation: 3791

8/6 Resupply? 

Well, we didn't sleep in nor did we sleep good. Bummer. At least we could have a relaxed morning. As suspected things did not get dry overnight. Becky was due to arrive between 10 and noon - so we made sure we were ready by 10. There wasn't much traffic on road 23 and were very glad we don't have to count on a hitch here! Noon came and went. We're getting worried. A ranger stopped and asked if we needed help. We agreed that if we were still there when she came by later we'd go into town with her. Sigh of relief when Al arrived a little later with shakes, burgers, fries and pie. He'd gotten turned around but wasn't too proud to ask directions and made it! Becky had stayed home to babysit that new granddaughter. Go figure! Al stayed around while we ate and packed our resupply and sent us off with love and bottles of water and a couple pounds of chocolate. What a wonderful, sweet and thoughtful guy. Thanks Al!

With full packs and tummies we were off again. We climbed 2000 feet in the next couple of miles. We passed our cheerleaders and met a few others. We came to a spring where the water gushed out of the rocks and you had to use a bucket to fetch it. Its the one and only time we drank untreated water. It was so cold and refreshing.

Starting to get more mountain views. It's absolutely gorgeous. We passed through an area burned only last year. These areas are so depressing. The one positive is that you get views you wouldn't otherwise. We stopped for a break and I saw all these creepy things on the ground and when we looked closer we saw they were hundreds of baby frogs!

We spent the night in a field of fragrant lupine...ummmmm good.
Positives:
Lupine
Ice cold water
Family
Mountains
Rest
Wildlife

PCT Miles: 2237.66 - 2245.01
Elevation: 5996

8/7 Challenges

What a day! It was filled with beautiful views of all the mountains. Especially Mount Adams - of course Mount Rainier and babbling brooks and wildflowers in abundance. Smell was intoxicating. The trail was okay with ups and down in equal moderation. There were several stream crossings mostly bridged but some rock hopping. There was one hum dinger that was pretty rough. We spent a long time trying to figure out how to cross before deciding to just wade. It wasn't as deep as we thought but it was swift and we were glad to be done with it.

The bugs have been veracious - even the flies bite. We've been seeing a lot of cougar track but no cougar. It would be cool to see one from a safe distance.

Positives:
Campsite where we thought it would be.
Water for a sponge bath.
Anticipation of tomorrow's hike.
Good communication at the water crossing.
Brave husband who cares enough to help me when I was in tears.
Still upbeat and positive!

PCT miles: 2245. 01 - 2259. 49
Elevation: 4728


8/8 Bugs and Rewards.

What a great day! It was unexpected for sure. I was so tired and sore when I got up that I worried I'd be grouchy all day. TBG was very patient though and we set off for a good day. It was mostly forest trails so not too many views to distract us. The mosquitoes were ravenous so we only broke long enough to put on bug protection. We didn't find our goal site where we expected it so we continued on a few more miles until we reached Walupt Creek. There was an added bonus here in nice creek with a deep pool just perfect for bathing. We are now in the Goat Rocks area and have a lot of new and exciting things ahead. Because we did extra miles today we can cut down to 13 miles the next two days. Yippee! Tomorrow is glacier walking and the famous ridge walk.

Positives:
Babbling Creek that's not too noisy or buggy.
Extra miles without extra pain!
M and M's.
Unexpected pleasures.
Shorter miles for tomorrow.

PCT miles: 2259. 49 - 2276. 96
Elevation: 5550

8/9 This is hiking!

One heck of a day! We got up a little late but felt good after yesterday's hike. But then the trail had to prove who was boss. It was up hill and rugged as we climbed to Cispus Pass. There was a little snow, a lot of loose rock and it was steep. There were lots of short term hikers including families and Boy Scouts. But the views were fantastic. Then we reached the ridge walk. There were two routes, the upper hiker route, with no snow or the lower stock route, with Packwood glacier. We opted for the upper route due to concerns about the glaciers safety. What we didn't know was the upper route also had the infamous razors edge. To make a long story short it was 1 very difficult trail. I suppose there are some out there who would not see the challenge in this 2 mile section. But we were challenged and are happy to say we survived.

We met serval people as I mentioned but one more notable couple was a PCT crew leader and his lady. It just so happened that he was one of the crew members we met at Blue Lake so it was cool to see him again and visit.

In spite of the rough trail we made our goal site and we were just settling in when 3 more hikers joined us. One of those 3 was Lint that we had met in southern California. Shortly after they arrived so did thunder and lightning storm. Did you know thunder is really loud in the mountains? Fortunately it didn't rain hard and only lasted a few hours. Tomorrow night we will be at White Pass and a motel.

PCT miles: 2276. 96 - 2290.18
Elevation: 5008

8/10 How cool is that?

Well, we made it to White Pass. It is another time we are grateful for a planned low mileage day. There were a lot of ups and downs but it wasn't a bad trail but we didn't take breaks. We stopped early for lunch in order to enjoy a fantastic view of Rainier. The afternoon was relatively uneventful until thunder and lightning started which was okay. But then it started to shower which was still okay. Then it started to hail. And we put on raincoats and walked faster. We were wet but happy when we reached the trailhead where incidently, it wasn't raining. We were fortunate to meet Jim and Pat who gave us a ride 2 our motel. Thanks Jim and Pat. I forgot to mention that yesterday we met a familiar couple that also recognized us. It was Bark Eater and Eileen whom we'd met at McDonalds in Cajon. How cool is that?!

PCT miles: 2290.18 - 2303

8/11 ZERO DAY!

After a day of rest and chores, we will be hitting the trail again tomorrow and heading for Snoqualmie. Sorry no photos on this blog. It's taking all our time just to upload the 1000 photos!

Until next time!

We love hiking!

KOKO and The Bald Guy!