Hello Washington, Farewell Oregon

Day 97

When I ate breakfast in only my base layer, I knew it was going to be a hot day. From camp, the trail stuck to a ridge line, first on the sunny side and then in the shade. At a tiny trickle of water, I met Fargo and her dog Chloe. The three of us hiked together for several miles and I enjoyed the company.

Rather than take the official PCT, I took the alternate into Cascade Locks. The initial two miles on the Indian Creek trail were steep with a small amount of blowdowns; much better than suggested by fear-mongering FarOut comments. Then I got on the Eagle Creek trail and found lots of ripe thimbleberries. Yum! I ate quite a few. At one point, I startled several Guinea fowl.

Eventually I reached the waterfalls, the reason the alternate ranks amongst the most popular on the PCT. First came Twister Falls, a fun crossover of two water streams that plunged 150 ft., basically underneath the narrow ledge of the trail. Next came Tunnel Falls, a man-made tunnel, on the back side of a 175 ft. fall. I loved the excellent views offered by the long, curving approach and the verdant coolness of the tunnel. Then there was the double drop of Skoonichuck Falls and Punch Bowl Falls, which spouted out of a rocky hole into a deep, rock-walled pool of water.

Good thing there were all those falls because it really was a hot day, mid 90s. When I reached Cascade Locks, all I wanted for dinner was ice cream. The town was really cute and had its own small PCT monument. I stayed at the Marine Park campground with maybe a dozen other thru hikers. For only $5, I got space on a grassy lawn and a hot shower. It felt luxurious to clean up after getting very sweaty.

Day 98

Woohoo, I finally finished a PCT state, goodbye Oregon! Early in the morning, I crossed the Bridge of the Gods into Washington. Under a thick canopy of trees, I found plentiful ferns and moss-covered trunks. It felt familiar; I spent several months exploring nearby areas while pet-sitting in Vancouver.

Though I spent much of the day ascending, a total of 6,800 ft. gain, it did not feel onerous. There was a pleasant breeze and the shade of the trees. At the flower-covered top of Table Mountain, I got great views. Except for the end of my very last climb, I felt energized.

My breaks were spent chatting with others. First a Canadian thru-hiker, Bliss, who was also ahead of her crew. Then two women on the second day of a section hike across the state. Finally a friendly local couple out for an overnight trip with their two black labs. The guy had hiked a portion of the Washington PCT and asked me many questions. He pointed out a pinky-sized salamander in the creek. It was adorable!

Four miles prior to Trout Creek, I found Miles (the Bozeman kid) cowboy camped on the dirt road. I said hello, but was on a mission to reach the creek. I stopped a little later for a quick dinner of cold-soaked cowboy caviar and chips. It was after 9:00 p.m. as I did the last mile. The trail was a faint ribbon in the quickly darkening evening. I made it and set up my tent, all without the help of my headlamp, which I forgot to charge. It was a 29.5-mile day.

Day 99

Another day with significant ascent, 6,700 ft. total. The first four miles were a gentle, flat-ish warmup. At Panther Creek, I stopped for coffee and filled my water bottles for the coming dry stretch. I ended up chatting for a long time with Miles. He’s the first hiker from Montana that I’ve met on the PCT; it was fun to reminisce over trails in the Bridgers, Crazies, and along the Gallatin.

The day was mostly overcast with three brief, very light rain sessions. The first directly after I took down my tent, much appreciated. The weather was perfect for the gently switch-backed, nearly 11-mile climb. I listened to Dresden Files novel Battle Ground, quite entertaining. At the top, I had lunch with four hikers from previous years, three back to finish Washington. The couple, Drip & Drop, were deterred by fires while the woman got injured.

Miles reached the top as I departed. It felt good to beat the 20 year old up the climb, though climbing is my strong suit and possibly not his. Plus, it’s all relative. Sandbag is 62 and can knock out a day same as me. This day ended up being a 30.6 mile one. I found a lovely campsite beside Deer Lake, after passing picturesque Blue Lake.

Day 100

It was a rare 5:20 a.m. start for me. I had 21.5 miles to do in order to reach FSR 23 and catch the 4:30 p.m. shuttle to Trout Lake. It had been a chilly night and my sleeping bag was slightly damp from moisture and sleeping without my tent fly. I ate a bar to get moving. When I found a sunny spot in five-ish miles, I sat down to eat my cold-soaked oats. A cloud of mosquitos converged on my location, so I slowly hiked as I ate.

After 16 miles of hiking, I found a paved parking area beside a road. I sat in the shade and spread my two tents pieces and sleeping bag out to dry. It didn’t take long in the hot sun and in the meantime I ate lunch. On the final climb, I finished my book. It was shortly after 3:00 p.m., when I reached FSR 23. It’s fabulous that the Trout Lake trail angels are so organized and offer three daily shuttles during peak season. I joined the group of waiting hikers and chatted with a couple hiking south.

In Trout Lake, I waited on the benches in front of the grocery store. My friend Sandra drove from Vancouver WA to pick me up, very kind of her! She enjoyed the drive and I could see why, there were many scenic views of the Columbia River gorge. In Vancouver, we went to a cute, revitalized district on the waterfront and enjoyed a fabulous dinner. The next morning, I began a four-day pet sit. I was excited for R&R combined with animal cuddles!