“Deep down, at the molecular heart of life, the trees and we are essentially identical”.
– Carl Sagan
The Twenty-First Week – Two States Down. One To Go!
For once we had a border crossing to remember! As a significant landmark, reaching the ‘Bridge of the Gods’ that spans the Columbia River between Cascade Locks, Oregon, and Washington state was a real high point for us on our PCT journey.
After last week’s incredible scenery and extremely good fortune with trail magic, Oregon had very much rekindled our love for the trail, even in spite of the rain. Now well past the 2,000 mile marker we were more determined than ever to make it all the way to Canada, taking whichever route was open to us, because as yet the final outcome of whether we could finish the trail or not due to the continuing Holman Fire Closure was still undetermined. We had a ‘Plan B’ ready to put into action should we need it, so it was time to focus on the here and now instead of dwelling on ‘what ifs’ further down the line.
It promised to be a wonderful week ahead, not least because we would be stepping into Washington, our final state on the PCT! Although not as high as California’s Sierra, Washington would by no means be lacking in grandeur with its remote trails, spectacular mountainscapes and picturesque wilderness areas, including the Goat Rocks Wilderness and the Knife’s Edge – an infamous section of the PCT that we had heard lots about and were very much looking forward to tackling along with seeing the beauty of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Glacier Peak Wilderness, and North Cascades National Park first-hand, as it would be our first time visiting the Evergreen State.
Day 141 – Tuesday, 28th August 2018, Wild Camp by Timberline Lodge at Mile 2,097 to Wild Camp by Wahtum Lake at Mile 2,131, 34 miles
It was finally the day that had been highlighted in our itinerary since we’d finished planning the rest of our thru-hike back in Ashland, so we had been looking forward to it for a while! Of course we were eager to look upon the grandiose spectacle of Mount Hood in the full light of day this morning, but when we awoke to the hustle and bustle of other hikers chatting and packing up camp, we were more excited by the prospect of indulging in Timberline Lodge’s ‘all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast’, which would set us up for the day, particularly as it is renowned for being the best breakfast stop on the entire PCT.
Our camp spot in the trees close to Timberline Lodge. The area is designated for hikers and is free to camp overnight.
We were awake at first light in anticipation of what is regarded as the best breakfast on the PCT. Heading down to Timberline Lodge from the camp area we could see Mount Jefferson on the distant skyline. It seemed unbelievable that we had walked around it just a few days ago!
Having sampled several breakfasts in various trail towns over the past 2,000+ miles as well as some wonderful breakfast trail magic, the Timberline Lodge breakfast would have a lot to live up to if we were to agree with that statement. Particular favourites that stand out for us are the fantastic omelettes and hash brown potatoes we enjoyed in Warner Springs, Big Bear Lake and Seiad Valley, and not forgetting the giant 2 lb burritos we just about managed to eat in their entirety in Sierra City. (Put avocado on top of anything and I’m happy!) So we would reserve judgement for now.
To help you comprehend how important this breakfast stop-off is to thru-hikers I need to tell you about two fellow Brits, coincidentally from Nottingham, our closest city back home. Just a few hours ago, they along with their trail family had completed a self-induced ‘Challenge Day’ of hiking 50 miles from Olallie Lake to Timberline Lodge – just so that they could arrive here in time for breakfast this morning! There was no doubt that this was a mission and a half, which would see them hiking well into the night, yet their determination all for the promise of a good, hearty breakfast was unwavering! They were revelling in their personal achievement when they headed over to the lodge from the camp area with the rest of us and were on a complete natural high, largely because they’d only had 3 hours of sleep!
These crazy personal walking challenges such as the ’50-Mile Challenge’ or the ‘24-Hour Challenge’ seem to be commonplace amongst thru-hikers at the moment, particularly as Oregon’s gentler terrain makes success more feasible and because having another focus helps to stave off boredom. Hikers are also setting themselves a personal challenge at this stage of their thru-hike to serve as a motivational boost or to lift morale. (This can be especially beneficial when hiking within a trail family where if one person becomes negative, it can rub off on everyone else.) Accomplishing a mini-goal such as this can only serve to strengthen determination for the end-game.
As a species, humans have an immense capability to walk great distances and our early history living as nomadic people, covering huge areas on foot as ‘hunter gatherers’ demonstrates this. I always remember PCT thru-hiker of 2013, Carrot Quinn, talking about how her body quickly adapted to the requirements of the trail despite her not being what she considered ‘particularly athletic’. In an interesting article in The Guardian she emphasised that “…Walking is a uniquely human skill. Walking for 12 hours a day, day after day for months at a time, is too much for a dog or even a horse – but humans can do it endlessly, as demonstrated by the hundreds of people, many of them also not particularly athletic, who thru-hike the trail each year”. (Paraphrased from 2,660 miles across the wilderness: long-distance hiking is nature’s great equalizer )
We had not even contemplated ever being able to hike 50 miles in one day, but it’s amazing what your body can do when you put your mind to it and you’re immensely trail fit. With the incredible feat of our fellow Brits spurring us on, we then in fact completed our own 50-mile challenge in the ensuing 27 hours! In an effort to reach the trail town of Cascade Locks as soon as was physically possible as we had made an advance motel booking for the next day, (which unfortunately for us was exactly 50 miles north of our current location), following our breakfast and whilst feeling very full, we hiked out from Timberline Lodge destined for what was to be our final stop in Oregon.
But let’s get back to breakfast! With the ‘All-you-can-eat Breakfast Buffet’ at Timberline Lodge costing $18 per person, we were expecting a lot more than just your run of the mill motel line-up. With hikers queuing up for tables from 7:30am, you’d have thought that no one had eaten in a month by the way that we all dived in there and started filling our plates! Along with what we have got used to as the ‘standard’ American fayre, such as scrambled eggs, sausage links, O’Brien potatoes (roast potatoes mixed with onion and red and green peppers), biscuits with gravy, as well as batter to make your own waffles by pouring it into a ‘waffle making machine’ (I need to get one of those, although they’re not very good for the waistline), there were a few other delightful treats on offer. This included fruit smoothies, a selection of small pastries, mini quiches, French toast and the thickest cut bacon we have ever seen! (Usually it’s just streaky over here!)
Stopping off at Timberline Lodge for breakfast is considered a ‘must-do’ on the PCT!
A plateful of carbs and protein – what more could a hiker want to set them up for the day!
Thumbs up for Timberline Lodge’s all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast!
I would say that the words ‘all-you-can-eat’ to a thru-hiker comes a very close second to a lottery win! Hikers can eat a huge amount and when you’re on a tight budget, it’s all about value for money. Two enormous platefuls of food later, I certainly lived up to my namesake, even out doing myself with a third plate (well, we had paid for it) when I couldn’t resist a freshly made waffle drizzled in honey, topped with berries and clotted cream. It was a good breakfast selection, although in our opinion it was missing baked beans and tomatoes, two firm English staples on a cooked breakfast! Also, there wasn’t anything that we could fill our pockets with! In true hiker style, we were expecting to make some sandwiches and take some fruit to pack out for later, but the lodge has obviously cottoned on to hiker tactics as the fruit was already peeled and chopped and there wasn’t any kind of bread to make sandwiches with. (Not that we needed any extra food for later as we left feeling extremely full having consumed enough calories that no doubt would have fuelled us for the entire week!)
Going for a third plate! I couldn’t resist a freshly made waffle with all the trimmings!
Constructed from 1936 to 1938 by the Works Progress Administration, Timberline Lodge was built and furnished by local artisans during the Great Depression. Standing on the south slope of Mount Hood at an elevation of 6,000 feet, it was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977 and is now one of Oregon’s most popular tourist attractions, drawing nearly two million visitors every year. It seems that the lodge however is most recognised for the exterior shots of the ‘Overlook Hotel’ in Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 movie adaptation of the Stephen King novel entitled The Shining starring Jack Nicholson. We wondered what the actual overnight guests (who had no doubt paid a hefty sum of money to stay in the lodge) thought about us all. From a stranger’s perspective who knows nothing of a long-distance hiking route passing by the lodge, let alone what the PCT even is, we must have looked (and most likely smelt) like a huge influx of homeless people taking over the dining area! Thankfully we didn’t hear of any complaints.
Timberline Lodge features an axe from ‘The Shining’ film set emblazoned with the phrase: “Here’s Johnny!”
What surprised us the most when sitting down to eat was how many thru-hikers we actually knew! Dining with us was Kiwi female thru-hiker Blue, whilst at the table opposite was Whoopie, Spell Check, Splifford and Moses, whom we hadn’t now seen for a week or so. Then there was Fern and Tommy Pickles sitting on the other side of the room, with friends who had come to visit them on trail. Monster and Cheese-It, whom we had met when crossing the lava fields just a few days ago were sitting on a table in the corner. On another table was Milkshake and Loner, along with Czechoslovakian Jan, all tucking into second plates as well. Also across the room was another British couple, Pete and Emily, whom we had met recently at Shelter Cove. Even Co-Pilot suddenly walked into the dining area, which was the biggest surprise of all as we thought he was miles ahead of us! (The only hiker we were expecting who hadn’t made it in time for breakfast that day was Night Crawler! We didn’t know why as he seemed just as determined as us to get here, so we assumed he had fallen a day behind.)
After being utterly gluttonous, we were so stuffed that we had to go for a sit down (thankfully there is a large sofa area situated next to the restaurant) and it wasn’t until 11:30am that we felt like we could even get moving again. It was a ridiculously late start in the day to cover 34 miles, which would take us to Wahtum Lake, where we had planned on camping, but we were still determined to make it there as Cascade Locks was calling us, and come hell or high water we would get there tomorrow!
Looking towards Mount Hood. We got back on the trail just before midday with the intention of hiking 34 miles to Wahtum Lake.
After finally setting off, we enjoyed some beautiful scenery, which helped to take our minds off the mammoth task ahead. Literally the entire day consisted of walking around Mount Hood, Oregon’s tallest peak at 11,239 feet, so we had plenty of different perspectives of the wild and wonderful mountain as it dominated our view from every angle. In fact, we enjoyed this particular section of the PCT so much that we said we’d like to come back and hike the Timberline Trail someday and splurge a little by staying overnight in the lodge!
Looking onto Mount Hood’s glaciated peak from the top of the ridge.
The landscape looked stunning under a vivid sky of pure blue.
Magnificent Mount Hood dominates this panoramic view.
After steadily making our way to the valley bottom we had to cross Sandy River, which was currently both large and powerful as it was draining from both the Reid and Sandy Glaciers above on Mount Hood. As a stable-looking route across didn’t present itself (the rock hops looked way too far apart and ominous because of the fast flowing water) we had to contend with wading through and getting our trail shoes wet, yet again. We assumed that a giant cairn (which was as tall as Wayne) had been built to signal the best place for crossing, but we didn’t like the look of the logs or rate our success with them either! So wet feet it was.
A giant cairn signals the best place to cross Sandy River but we were still sceptical of our success, so we took the safest option and waded straight through the fast-flowing water.
Wayne uses his trekking poles to steady himself against the strong flow.
After crossing the main river channel, we then had to rock hop over a couple of streams branching off before rejoining the trail on the other side.
The next section was broken up by stopping to chat with ‘Papa Rich’, a PCT section hiker completing this particular stage through Oregon. He was an experienced hiker and very amiable, and was now whiling out his retirement days on the trail. He caught up with us again later when we stopped at the trailhead at Lolo Pass where we utilised the one and only picnic bench and sat with One Liner, whom we had hitched into Sisters with, to have dinner. There were some tent sites in the immediate vicinity so Papa Rich and One Liner had finished for the day and were setting up camp. We on the other hand still had around 14 miles to go before we would call it a day.
Out of the mountains and into the woods and how green and grand it was.
Walking amidst the tremendously tall trees in the Mount Hood National Forest.
As we looked back, the setting sun was casting a striking pink glow on Mount Hood. It was just a shame that we were walking underneath power lines at the time.
Because we had started walking so late in the day with the intention of covering such a vast distance, we ended up night hiking until 1:45am, so it was completely dark when we finally crested the highest point of the day at Indian Mountain. Supposedly the views from along the ridge here are amazing as it is possible to see Mount Adams, Mount St Helens, and also look down onto the Columbia River Gorge. All we could see however was a smattering of stars across the black sky above. With our head torches illuminating the trail, we pushed on, almost treading on a cowboy camper who had been fast asleep right in the middle of the pathway as it was the only flat spot around. He was clearly not expecting anyone to be hiking through this late. But he wasn’t the only one to get a surprise by our presence! A little further on someone was camped at the side of the trail, who seemed to get the shock of their life as we went past thundering along the trail. There were a few expletives as the guy awoke in a panic thinking that a bear was charging through! We couldn’t help it, but his startled reaction made us burst out into fits of laughter, which lightened the mood as we covered the final mile to Wahtum Lake.
We had heard that Wahtum Lake was a popular camp spot, not just with PCTers but with day hikers and overnight campers too, so we thought it might be busy by the time we arrived. However we weren’t expecting it to be quite so crowded, which made it really difficult locating a camp spot. This was not only because it was dark, but because we were trying to do it as quietly as possible, hoping not to wake anyone. After our eyes attuned to the darkness, we went into stealth mode setting up camp, just about managing to squeeze our condo into a vacant corner underneath part of a fallen tree that was bent in the middle and resting on another. By now it was past 2am and having completed our first stint of 34 miles out of 50, we weren’t too concerned as we just wanted to sleep. So we set up with minimal stuff, leaving off the tent fly and set the alarm for 6:30am in readiness to get back on trail in a few hours to hike the remaining 16 miles into Cascade Locks. We had debated continuing on without the sleep break, but we were thoroughly exhausted, so we felt that even a few hours of sleep would be beneficial to our success the following day. I say the ‘following day’, but the day had already begun and we would be up again before long!
Day 142 – Wednesday, 29th August 2018, Wild Camp by Wahtum Lake at Mile 2,131 to Mile 2,147, Cascade Locks, Columbia Gorge Inn, 16 miles
After a little less than four and a half very quick hours of sleep, we were awake, had packed up and were off again by 7am with the help of a very strong coffee! What we thought would be a relatively easy final 16 miles leading off the mountains and down to the community of Cascade Locks however, was not to be the case. The trail was nothing like the smooth, gentle pathway that had been characteristic of Oregon for the majority of our time hiking through the Beaver State. Instead, the long descent into the valley was over such rocky terrain that we just couldn’t make good time. It was both jarring on our feet and tedious on the mind having hiked until almost 2am and restarted again after such little sleep. It got to a point that we were so frustrated with the condition of the trail and our limited progress that we downed our packs and stopped for a break, questioning if we were ever going to get there after all of our efforts.
Fighting off fatigue, we were up at 6:30am and preparing for ‘Round 2’ after managing to squeeze into this camp spot just before 2am!
Early morning reflections on Wahtum Lake.
The sun peaks over the trees as we get ready to set off and walk the remaining 16 miles to Cascade Locks.
Panorama of Wahtum Lake with its stunning mirror-like waters.
Setting off in the direction of Benson Plateau. We had missed the views from Indian Mountain last night as we had hiked through under the cover of darkness.
Having struggled to find a camp spot in the dark as there were several tents already pitched in the designated camp area, in the morning we discovered many more lakeside camp spots further along the lake.
From up on the ridge we had impressive views across the valley of the volcanic mountains covered in coniferous forest.
In stark contrast to the lush, green forests of the last couple of days, this burn area made us sad for all that had been lost and destroyed in terms of vegetation and habitats.
As we meandered around yet another steep, rocky ridge before starting a lengthy set of switchbacks that would lead us to civilisation, the only thing keeping us slightly sane by this point was that we had some good views looking onto the Columbia River where the forest opened out. Forming the natural border between the two states of Oregon and Washington, the Columbia River at 1,243 miles long is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Cutting through the Cascade Range, it has formed the dramatic Columbia River Gorge, a canyon up to 4,000 feet deep and stretching for over 80 miles. The River People inhabited the Columbia Gorge at least 11,000 years ago and are the ancestors of today’s North West Indian tribes.
Looking onto Mount Adams in the distance located 30 miles north of the Columbia River, and 55 miles north of Mount Hood in Oregon. It was hard to believe that we’d be traversing its western flank in just a few days!
Looking onto the enormous Columbia River and somewhere down there we were heading to the small community of Cascade Locks, which still looked very far away.
Thru-hikers on the PCT used to have a choice of routes going down to the Columbia River. However on September 2nd, 2017, a fire started along the Eagle Creek Trail in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Fuelled by vegetation that had not experienced rain in 83 days, the fire quickly took hold and spread to over 48,000 acres—jumping the Columbia River and scorching healthy forests in both Washington and Oregon. Almost a year later, and whilst the PCT route down to the Gorge has reopened, the Eagle Creek Trail and other trails west of the PCT remain closed. Therefore we had no alternative but to take the official route descending via a forested ridge to Benson Plateau, before making the final steep descent into Cascade Locks.
As we made it down to the valley bottom, which is incidentally the lowest point on the PCT at 150 feet above sea level, the PCT passes under Interstate 84 that leads directly to the community of Cascade Locks.
Cascade Locks is one of the oldest towns on the Columbia River. It sits on a section of the river that Lewis and Clark described in their journals as the “…Great rapids of the Cascades,” a stretch of raging water more than two miles long that was formed by a massive, ancient landslide. Because of the dangerous rapids, pioneers moving west had to stop here. A small settlement therefore grew up on the banks of the river in the early 1850s to help travellers portage around the rapids, first by foot, then by mule-drawn rail cars, steam engines, and finally riverboats. Plans to build a set of locks to improve the navigation through the Cascade Rapids were underway by 1878 and the locks were completed in 1896 providing safe passage around the rapids and enabling ships to travel safely up river. For the next 40 years, riverboat whistles echoed in the Gorge each day as the boats made their way up river to the ports of eastern Oregon and Idaho and down river to the Pacific. However after the completion of Bonneville Dam in 1938, which turned the river fronting Cascade Locks into a magnificent reservoir, the great rapids were tamed forever. Despite both the cascades and the old lock structure being submerged by the Bonneville Reservoir, (also known as Lake Bonneville), Cascade Locks remains a vital community in the heart of the Gorge – not least for PCTers passing through en route to Washington.
Set in the heart of the Columbia River Gorge, originating in 1853, Cascade Locks is one of the oldest towns on the Columbia River.
Cascade Locks is another wonderful trail town that welcomes hikers with open arms!
Having had our usual 3-mile an hour pace severely hindered by what felt like the worst trail descent so far, we finally arrived in Cascade Locks at 2:30pm where we headed straight to the Bridgeside Diner for a late lunch. We were ravenous after running out of rations a few miles back, wrongly assuming that we would have easily made it to town by midday. After ordering two celebratory beers, we got a good window seat overlooking the Columbia River with views straight out to the ‘Bridge of The Gods’. The bridge is a significant landmark for all PCTers, and especially for us as NOBOs as it leads directly to Washington – the final state on our PCT journey!
Ecstatic after finally setting foot in Cascade Locks where we headed straight to the Bridgeside Diner for lunch.
With tired eyes and celebratory beers after completing our personal 50 mile challenge!
From our window seat we looked directly onto the ‘Bridge of the Gods’, a 1,858-foot-long steel-truss bridge spanning the Columbia River at Cascade Locks, connecting the I-84 in Oregon to the SR-14 in Washington.
Having already hiked over 2,000 miles across the USA, soon we would be embarking on the last leg through Washington that would lead us straight to the Canadian border. But right now, all that we were concerned with was stuffing our faces with burgers and fries, and today I was going ‘posh’ as my burger bun contained a salmon patty instead of the standard beef! (And I must say it tasted mighty fine!)
Our late lunch of ‘burgers and fries’ – standard hiker fayre along the PCT – except that my burger bun had a salmon patty inside, which was a real novelty!
Thoroughly exhausted but still smiling! In the pursuit of a ‘proper’ meal and a bed, thru-hikers will go to great lengths – such as hiking 50 miles in 27 hours!
After stuffing our faces yet again, our next job (as it was on the way to the motel) was a visit to the Post Office where we had 6 boxes waiting for us! Two of them (one with Wayne’s tripod and the other with our rations for the last three days on trail, including our celebratory mini bottles of prosecco) were bounced straight to Stehekin – the final Post Office on the trail. But that still meant we had to carry 4 boxes to the motel, which is no easy task when you’re already laden with a backpack. Admittedly, it wasn’t as heavy as usual as it was currently minus any food rations but it was still cumbersome with arms filled with boxes too.
Then came the nicest part of the day. When we checked into the motel for two nights we were given a free upgrade to a king-sized room which looked newly renovated and was absolutely lovely, and was even more so when we discovered that the TV had free HBO movies! It’s the little things in life that bring us the most pleasures. Now we could relax for a whole 24 hours and binge watch movies from the comfort of a bed! Coining a phrase from one of our very good travelling friends – it would be pure ‘bubble gum for the mind’.
We were thrilled with our free room upgrade at the Columbia Gorge Inn and Wayne loved that he could sit on a rocking chair to watch TV!
But before we could get too settled (we could have literally laid our heads down and been asleep within seconds), we also had to make a visit to the nearby supermarket. We were hoping to buy some more ‘fresh’ food such as cheese so that we could top up our resupplies sent from Ashland. We also needed some more fuel for our stove and as everywhere along the trail was now running low on gas cannisters, we thought it prudent to make that a priority before the rest of the herd hit town.
An hour or so later with our town tasks completed (all but laundry – that would have to wait until tomorrow) we were back in the comfort of our deluxe room. Completely exhausted, but just as our fellow Brits had been feeling after their personal challenge, we were on a natural high at having hiked 50 miles in 27 hours! It somehow didn’t seem real that we were at Timberline Lodge only yesterday morning. We were proud of our success but both agreed that we never wanted to repeat the experience. Our challenge days were done! It would be a challenge in itself now to make it to Canada on our deadline day – 23rd September, which was less than a month away. Having enjoyed a long, hot shower we then stayed in for the rest of the evening doing something that we haven’t done a lot of lately – relaxing! With the added bonus of being able to watch movies all night, it was sheer luxury!
Day 143 – Thursday, 30th August 2018, Cascade Locks, Columbia Gorge Inn, zero miles
Having such a comfortable room and no alarm wake-up call today meant that we didn’t venture out of the motel until almost midday! It’s so easy for us to get distracted by the TV having lived without one for such a long time, and it was a real novelty having HBO.
This was a ‘zero’ day in more ways than one as we only took two photographs! The wonderful messages on this bench along the Main Street in Cascade Locks caught our attention and were worthy of a shot!
When we finally did make the effort to go out, our first task was getting our laundry done, which was just down the road at the RV Park & Hotel. (As Cascade Locks does not have a laundromat, hikers are able to use the laundry facilities at the RV Park, which we were very grateful of.) Maximising our time, we then went for lunch at the Cascade Locks Ale House, whilst our dirty gear was undergoing an intensive wash cycle.
The Ale House is a favourite with PCTers, so the place filled up quickly as more hungry hikers rolled into town. At one point I counted 15 backpacks lined up outside the front as everyone eagerly tucked into pizzas and splashed out on beer. Sitting in the corner having just made it to town were Whoopie, Spell Check, Splifford and Moses, and not long after we had got a table, Milkshake walked in too. They couldn’t believe we had actually made it to town yesterday after not leaving Timberline Lodge until almost midday the day before. I think they were beginning to regard us as ‘bad ass’ to coin an American phrase. We’ll take that, being slightly older than the average PCT thru-hikers we’ve met!
We couldn’t return to the motel without sampling an ice-cream from ‘Locks of Dogs & Treats’ right next door to the Post Office. I had a ‘2-scoop’, which turned out to be two scoops of two different flavours – so I sampled ‘Lemon Meringue Pie’ and ‘Raspberry Cream’.
After another Post Office run to send forward our bounce box and a couple of ‘extra’ food resupply boxes, the rest of the day was then spent working on the blog and trying to catch up with writing our trail diaries. I’ve been really struggling to find time for writing on big mile days as our breaks during the day are short and by the time we get sorted at camp late at night I’m falling asleep with phone in hand.
Before returning to the motel and having to get back to business, we had the BEST news… The PCTA had announced via their website that the fire closure in the Pasayten Wilderness Area was being reduced in size and that an alternate route to the Northern Terminus of the PCT was now in place! The PCT was still closed for 17.5 miles from near the Slate Peak Look-Out at PCT Mile 2,623.6 to near Woody Pass at PCT Mile 2,641, but for NOBOs still trying to get to Canada there was now a 21.5 mile detour around this section. We didn’t care about a few extra miles with the detour. We were simply thrilled at the prospect of still being able to access Monument 78 and get to the Canadian border on foot so that we could maintain our continuous footpath. It felt like the trail gods had been watching over us again, working their magic, and we couldn’t be happier.
Day 144 – Friday, 31st August 2018, Cascade Locks, Columbia Gorge Inn, PCT Mile 2,147 to Washington Wild Camp at Mile 2,160, 13 miles
Making the most of the hotel room and free HBO movies, we left it right until the clock was about to strike midday before checking out, and even then we weren’t in a hurry to leave Cascade Locks as we knew we had a huge climb out of the Colombia River Valley to come as soon as we crossed the ‘Bridge of The Gods’. So taking it slow, we ventured to the other end of town, returning to the Bridgeside Diner for lunch for what we regarded as a ‘last supper’ of sorts as we knew they’d be much less chance of accessing proper food close to the trail once we hit Washington. (Our itinerary didn’t allow for any further zero days and we had planned in just one nearo for when we finally reached Stehekin, which all going well, would be a few days prior to the finish!)
After sampling my first ‘chilli dog’, which was quite possibly the biggest hot dog sausage I’ve ever seen, we stayed a while longer in the restaurant so that we could use the free internet to finish and upload our latest blog post, which meant we didn’t end up leaving town until around 3:30pm – another late start for us getting back on trail.
Having reached the lowest point on the PCT yesterday, it was not an elevation we could get used to. With the mountains of Washington looming above on the other side of the Columbia River, today we would be heading straight back to 3,000 feet, which after a day off, would feel tough. Therefore we had only set ourselves a target of hiking 13 miles out of town, which would seem nothing in the grand scheme of things after our previous 50-miler! We hoped so anyway. But first, we had to tackle crossing the bridge, which without a pedestrian walkway was one of the scariest things we’ve done on the entire PCT!
Heading out of the valley and straight up to 3,000 feet over in Washington was going to be a bit of a shock to the system after a day off. The biggest shock however was walking across the bridge itself!
According to scientific history, the first, natural ‘Bridge of the Gods’ was created by an enormous landslide between the lava cliffs of Table Mountain and the North wall of the Columbia Gorge, somewhere between 1100 and 1250 A.D. The bridge dammed the river, standing between 200 and 300 feet above sea level, high enough that Native Americans could safely cross the river. This natural dam created an inland sea in eastern Oregon, Washington, and into Idaho. The Bridge of the Gods collapsed around the 1690s — which coincides with the date of the last Great Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquakes — creating the rocky Cascade Rapids. Attaining its name from the historic geologic feature, the ‘Bridge of the Gods’ that we see today was first built in 1926. Owned and operated by the Port of Cascade Locks, the current length of the steel truss cantilever bridge is 1,856 feet. As a toll bridge, bicycles and pedestrians are allowed to cross the Bridge of the Gods on a daily basis for free, but are required to share the lanes with vehicles as there is not currently a separate walkway.
Looking back onto the bridge from the Washington side glad that we had made it across safely, and waving a fond farewell to Oregon.
Without a proper pedestrian walkway, we had to walk along the Bridge of the Gods facing the oncoming traffic in single file. We are used to walking like this whilst out hiking when there may be short segments of road between public footpaths. However as vehicles didn’t seem to slow down and as there was hardly any room when they passed each other, it was quite a nerve-wracking experience. Add that to the fact we could see the huge expanse of river raging directly beneath our feet through the gaps in the metalwork, and it was no wonder that we walked across as fast as we could! We were glad when the whole experience was over. I think crossing Forester Pass with its ice chute back in the Sierra had been less scary!
Finally entering Washington state, we were pleasantly surprised that the trail was a lot smoother than what we had suffered a couple of days ago when descending from Benson Plateau to Cascade Locks. Instead of it being rocky underfoot, the trail was a soft dirt track littered with pine needles as it gently wound uphill through a beautiful section of woodland. Our happiness was soon short-lived however as the trail then became more rocky as we went around a ridge and headed into a different valley, but that being said, we found it to be much more manageable, probably as our feet felt well rested after yesterday’s zero.
We were pleasantly surprised by the beautiful woodland trail that greeted us in Washington on the opposite side of the Colombia River.
The sun was already getting low in the sky as we set off with the intention of covering 13 miles before nightfall.
As we were so late leaving town, we found ourselves hiking into the dark to complete our miles, something we had said we were no longer going to do in Washington – an epic fail on Day 1! For ease more than anything else, we then ended up camping by a forestry road. We weren’t the only ones to have made the most of the flat, clear spot by the road however as there were already 5 tents pitched alongside it when we arrived. (Fellow PCTers clearly had similar ideas after also leaving town at a late hour!) We didn’t need to cook any dinner, having already had such a big lunch back in town, so we just ate a few snacks and got our heads down in readiness for what our second day in Washington would bring…
Day 145 – Saturday, 1st September 2018, Wild Camp at Mile 2,160 to Wild Camp by Panther Creek at Mile 2,182, 22 miles
After the luxury of having a motel room the last couple of nights, our return to the trail was a real shock to the system. With everything feeling cold and damp when we woke up in the tent, it was a stark reminder that the seasons were changing. Wrapped up well, when we ventured outside the forest was covered in low cloud so we found ourselves walking through a fine mist, which soon turned into a drizzle of rain after setting off.
Back to sleeping out in the woods and braving the cold first thing in the morning.
Beautiful fall foliage signals a change in the seasons.
Looking closely at the branch of an evergreen tree covered in droplets of rain.
After noticing large chalk arrows marked on the ground and several polka dot ribbons tied to trees, we discovered that this segment of the PCT was being used as an ultra marathon route today. So after 9am we were continually giving way to runners coming from the opposite direction and playing a game of ‘Runner Bingo’ as we hiked along. This involved us each choosing a number, then the first runner to go past wearing one of our chosen numbers gave us a ‘win’. When the final runner went by just before midday, we were on a draw with 3 numbers each, but the game had helped to pass the time in the drab weather.
We enjoyed cheering the runners on and seeing the huge mixture of ages taking part (ranging from what we would guess as late teens all the way to strong and fit people in their seventies), but for us the best bit about the marathon was that when the trail crossed over a forestry road there was a drink and snack station set up, which PCTers were invited to indulge in as well! We stopped and snacked on cookies and made peanut butter sandwiches for later, thanked the organisers for their hospitality and were quickly on our way again.
The next part of the day was a beautiful, scenic walk through what felt like an enchanted forest. With giant moss covered boulders and vivid green ferns cloaking the forest floor, fluttering maple leaves and long strands of sage-green moss hanging from branches gently swaying in the breeze, it was completely magical. Soaking up the silence and mystical atmosphere, we stopped at Rock Creek at PCT Mile 2,166 for a tea break where the water was clear as crystal. It would have been a perfect swimming hole, yet it was much too cold to take a dip! We had all of our extra layers on this morning having re-taken possession of them from our bounce box back in Cascade Locks, and it was a good decision despite carrying the extra grams as our gillets were making such a difference to our general warmth.
Walking through what felt like an enchanted forest surrounded by ferns with long, delicate fronds and giant-leaved plants.
The warm colours of autumn capture the eye through a cool rain shower.
Sunlight breaks through the clouds and filters through the tree canopy.
Vivid greens of every shade. The earlier rain shower seemed to make the foliage much more lush.
Stopping at Rock Creek for a tea break where the water was perfectly clear.
Just to get an idea of the scale of some of these trees – having been uprooted, this was a giant beast!
After two big climbs, the trail was then mostly downhill, which felt like a treat meandering through more thick forest. In fact, we didn’t seem to get out of the trees at all today but they appeared more tropical here in comparison with Oregon. Everything was growing extensively and intruding on the trail. Surrounded by large-fronded ferns and shrubs with giant leaves like those from a rhubarb plant, and with ancient trees cloaked in fluffy green moss towering above it seemed like a scene from ‘Jurassic Park’. All we kept thinking was that a velociraptor was going to come charging through the undergrowth any minute! I couldn’t resist running my hand through the bright green moss growing up the trunk of a tree – it was so curly and soft reminding me of someone’s hair.
Walking amongst ancient trees cloaked in fluffy, green moss, it felt like we were in a scene from ‘Jurassic Park’.
Someone had painstakingly counted these tree rings to tell us the age of this tree.
A rare moment today in which we came out of the trees.
As we were only hiking 22 miles, what we now consider a ‘short-ish day’, we reached Panther Creek around 6pm where we intended on wild camping. We discovered the quaintest little spot directly underneath a cluster of trees with dark green stands of wispy moss dangling from the branches above. There was a huge tree trunk, cloaked in bright green, curly moss that had long since fallen to the ground and now acted as a protective barrier for our camp spot. Where the wood had splintered and snapped from the remaining trunk it looked like five protective fingers of a giant’s hand holding everything else back. This really was an enchanted forest filled with wondrous examples of nature and it made us happy that we were once again outside sleeping in the woods.
After reaching Panther Creek we found the quaintest little wild camp spot so we decided to call it a day after 22 miles.
It had been our earliest finish time in such a long while, so we really appreciated cooking dinner and eating it beside the camp in the daylight, rather than hastily setting up in the dark, which has become the norm. We also properly introduced ourselves to fellow thru-hikers St Bernard and ‘Eleven’ who we’ve been seeing on trail a lot recently. We didn’t ask the provenance of Eleven’s trail name, but seeing as she had lovely, long slender legs, I’m guessing the bingo call ‘Legs Eleven’ is where the name comes from!
After what had seemed like a relatively easy day, we were warm and tucked up in our sleeping bags by 8:30pm. (Quite the contrast to just a few days ago!) Today had been a great introduction to Washington and we were looking forward to more epic scenery as we made our way through the Northern Cascades. Even better is that our Washington itinerary doesn’t include any further thirty mile (or more) days!
Day 146 – Sunday, 2nd September 2018, Wild Camp by Panther Creek at Mile 2,182 to Wild Camp by Bear Lake at Mile 2,208, 26 miles
Immediately after leaving camp this morning, we were faced with a steep series of switchbacks that would take us up 3,000 feet in elevation over a 9-mile climb. Known for its continuous ups and downs, Washington had already begun to put us through our paces. With the trail meandering along the boundary of the Wind River Experimental Forest, it soon led us to the highest point of the day – the saddle on Big Huckleberry Mountain at 4,050 feet. Now above the tree line, the saddle opened out into a large camp area, from which we had an excellent view back to Mount Hood. Enjoying being out of the tree canopy for a while, we stopped for a snack break in a heavenly pocket of sunshine.
Looking back to Mount Hood in Oregon that we had hiked around just a few days before.
Stretching towards the sun, the wildflowers were still thriving even through the onset of autumn.
Not allowing ourselves to linger too long, we were soon back on the trail and walking around a ridge following a series of undulations before a further uphill climb took us to another open area where we had our second proper glimpse of Mount Adams on the distant skyline. Already taking a break at the viewpoint and brewing coffee were Whoopie, Spell Check and Splifford who had also left Cascade Locks yesterday. They were talking to Snow White, a thru-hiker new to us, whom along with his tiny black rescue kitten, we were now introduced to. Looking to be no more than 2 weeks old, Snow White had found the kitten abandoned at Cascade Locks, so had bought some substitute milk and decided to take the kitten with him for the rest of the journey. He was literally carrying the tiny thing in his hands along the trail, nursing it and through his efforts so far, keeping the kitten alive. From what he had said, the kitten was in an awful state when he had found it but was already showing huge signs of improvement with some nurturing and food to build its strength. What an amazing guy! The kitten is yet unnamed, so we’re hoping to see Snow White again to check on the progress of the kitten and find out if he/she has a trail name yet!
Glimpsing Mount Adams through a break in the trees.
Meeting Snow White and his little rescue kitten who is yet unnamed.
Although the forested areas were lush and green and very pleasant to walk through with a soft trail underfoot, having seen Mount Adams teasing us with what was to come, it was frustrating to be enclosed by the trees when we were eager for open, mountainous views. We had been told by several people that Washington is the best state with the most impressive scenery – well we needed Washington to prove it. So far it seemed a continuation of Oregon, although very beautiful, we felt like we were walking through a sea of endless trees. I guess we just had to be patient – it was only our third day of hiking in Washington after all, so the best must be yet to come. We certainly had high expectations, and after the magnificence of the Sierra, the Northern Cascades had a lot to live up to.
We shouldn’t have really been complaining about the trees as soon after we had to traverse around what was noted on our map as ‘Big Lava Bed’. After our experience of the lava fields in Oregon, it was a prospect we were not looking forward to, so we were grateful when the trail meandered around the perimeter and we only had to cross a tiny section of the cumbersome lava rock.
With the prospect of being able to sit at a picnic bench, when we reached PCT Mile 2,198 at Crest Horse Camp we decided to take an early dinner break. (You know how much we love a picnic bench!) As we took out our cook gear, we were secretly hoping that the family on the opposite bench making sandwiches and having a picnic would invite us over for a bit of impromptu ‘Trail Magic’ but we had no such luck today! The highlight thereafter was then reaching the 2,200 mile marker! The miles were quickly clocking up now and as of today we had exactly 3 weeks left on the trail. It felt kind of bittersweet as we were desperate to get to the finish, but when the time actually came, we would also be sad that our adventure was over.
Hitting another major milestone – the 2,200 mile marker!
After another uphill climb my hamstrings were really aching today. So far, Washington’s trail might be ‘Oregon soft’ winding through woodland with soil and pine needles making it comfortable underfoot, but it’s certainly not ‘Oregon flat’ with all the climbs and descents, which in just 2 and a half days have totalled more than 9,000 feet! No wonder we were feeling sore and a lot more tired than usual despite the new, lower mileages.
At the high point we decided to stop and rest on a convenient log that happened to be a perfectly placed seat, when up strolled Emily and Pete, another British couple thru-hiking the PCT whom we had met at Shelter Cove a few weeks ago and seen again at Timberline Lodge. They asked us about our end-date and informed us that they were planning on getting to the Canadian border on the 23rd of September. How uncanny! That was exactly when we too were intending on reaching the monument and crossing into Canada. We were glad to have pre-booked a hotel room as Manning Park was going to be a busy place!
Reaching Bear Lake at PCT Mile 2,208 just before sunset, we camped on the beach peninsula that jutted out into the water, which was both silent and still reflecting the surrounding trees. We didn’t really get time to appreciate such an awesome wild camp spot however as arriving just before 8pm meant it was almost dark by the time we had pitched and got everything set up in the tent. We were lucky to have bagged the last vacant spot as the entire lake shore was extremely busy with families enjoying a weekend trip away as unbeknown to us, it was ‘Labour Weekend’ an American national holiday.
Reflections on Bear Lake just before sunset.
Setting up camp on the beach peninsula next to Bear Lake.
Day 147 – Monday, 3rd September 2018, Wild Camp by Bear Lake at Mile 2,208 to Wild Camp at Mile 2,234, 26 miles
After a peaceful evening camped beside Bear Lake, we were up and away by 7:30am. Much like yesterday we found ourselves hiking through swathes of giant pine trees, which after the first 6 miles was a little mundane. That was until we came to a dirt road at the Sawtooth PCT trailhead where we were presented with some unexpected but absolutely amazing ‘Trail Magic’! With it being an American holiday weekend and today being Labour Day, a group of people from ‘Northwest Meet Up’ had coordinated a get-together and brought with them a wonderful feast of fresh food for PCT hikers to indulge in. Their set-up was second to none, providing us with seats and paper plates, followed by all the best home-cooked food we could ever want!
After handing out sodas from a giant cool-box, we could help ourselves to what I would have considered a ‘wedding buffet’ array with dishes such as strawberry and walnut salad, artisan breads with butter, pastries, sweetcorn, Stromboli pizza, blueberry muffins (including ‘vegan’ option), blackberries, plus plenty of other fresh fruit, burgers, cookies, ice-cream and more. There was even a pan of fried rice and a barbeque with grilled chilli chicken on the go! It seemed all very upmarket for us hiker trash, and we were amazed at how generous these folks had been supplying us with such quality foods, so much so – they had stolen the mantle for BEST trail magic of 2018! We say it every time we have trail magic bestowed on us, but this really was outstanding!
What a sign to spot beside the trail! How could we resist FREE food, drinks and fun?!
The wonderful ‘Trail Magic’ crew from ‘Northwest Meet Up’ who gave up their Labour Day holiday weekend to feed a bunch of hungry hikers!
Eager to tuck into the wonderful strawberry and walnut salad that had been prepared!
As we sat and sampled just about everything that was on offer, more and more PCTers arrived, overwhelmed at the range and quality of the free food the trail angels were providing. Much of the baked goods were homemade and wonderfully delicious. It was so well thought out that they had even gone to the trouble of providing vegetarian Stromboli and gluten-free muffins. Butter to go with the artisan breads donated from a bakery in Portland was just the ‘pièce de résistance‘. I had to comment that their menu exceeded the excellent Oregon trail magic we had received recently and even upstaged the breakfast buffet at Timberline Lodge, and we couldn’t thank them enough for their kindness and generosity!
As news of the ‘Trail Magic’ spread like wildfire, more and more thru-hikers arrived eager to sample some magic of their own.
There were about 20 PCTers gathered around by the time we finally dragged ourselves away having enjoyed two hours of pure indulgence. We even got to take away with us for later some chilli coated chicken that was hot off the grill. The next section of trail wasn’t fun however as we were so stuffed that we could barely walk. All I really wanted to do was lay out in the woods and take a nap but we didn’t have the time. Having only completed 6 miles so far for the day, we still needed to cover 20 more, yet we were practically in a food coma for the next 3 hours of walking!
Two hours later, we finally got back on the trail with the intention of hiking a further 20 miles.
Returning to the wonders of the woods.
Taking it in from a new angle. Looking skywards at the towering trees.
It’s a blurry shot as the spider was moving so fast, but look at the size of it!
We were trying to stay on track even though we felt like napping after eating so much food.
As the trail wound downhill, we were able to pick up the pace and only stopped for a tea break after completing a 10 mile segment. Continuing on, it was the last 5 miles that really took it out of us as we had a 1,400 feet climb to contend with and two sections of it were particularly steep so it was very slow going. The trail finally seemed to level off somewhat giving us some slack when we entered an old burn area. Having been hiking towards Mount Adams for the past few days and seeing the glaciated peak on the distant skyline, it came as a surprise when we rounded a switchback only to see the face of Mount Adams up close and in full view as we were finally traversing its slopes. Having been meandering through the woods most of the day with limited views beyond the trees, we hadn’t realised how close the trail had taken us to Washington’s second highest peak.
Entering the Mount Adams Wilderness area.
Beautiful ‘fire followers’ give the old burn area a new lease of life.
Looking across the old burn area to the setting sun.
The setting sun casts a wonderful glow across the old burn area, where dead trees still stand with a mixture of bare and charred bark.
Walking through an old burn area towards the setting sun, we were enveloped in a gorgeous pink and yellow glow as the sun’s final rays lit up the charred and broken trees. Between them, first responders had taken hold and the forest floor was flourishing with vegetation. Looking particularly striking in the early evening light were the pinky purple ‘fire follower’ flowers that grow in abundance in burn areas bringing a new lease of life to what is essentially a tree graveyard.
Just out of the burn scar, we found a dry grassy meadow, where we and a handful of other hikers pitched our tents. As the camp spot was directly below the peak of Mount Adams we instantly felt the cold chill coming off the mountain but it was a beautiful camp spot nonetheless with the last rays of the sun coating the mountain in a golden rosy glow. Boiling some water to make ‘hot chocolates’ we were soon warmed up and having now built up an appetite since our earlier trail magic after hiking 20 miles, we feasted on our ‘carry out’ chicken along with cheese and salami sandwiches that we had saved over from lunch. It had turned out to be another good day on the trail in Washington and we went to bed feeling both full and happy.
Pitching in a small meadow area below the peak of Mount Adams.
After what had been a great introduction to Washington so far, we were very much looking forward to the week ahead, as not only would it include us getting closer to Mount Rainier, the highest mountain of the Cascade Range, but we would also be venturing into the Goat Rocks Wilderness – considered to have the best scenery of the northern half of the PCT. Offering endless views of iconic Cascade peaks and volcanoes, it would be a treat to get out of the trees and back into the mountains, which was a prospect we were very excited about!
10 Comments
Truly fantastic blog, both words and pictures. I know you have published an e-book guide, but I’m certain you would, as Keith Foskett has, have many readers for your adventures e-book format and not just freely available in your blogs.
Wow, what amazing feedback! Thank you so much Kevin 🙂
We worked in collaboration with Sandiberg Press for our 3 hiking guidebooks using their ‘Plan & Go’ format, as is standard throughout their growing collection. But our overall blog is more a labour of love to share our experiences as opposed to a way of making money.
I love Keith Foskett’s title ‘The Last Englishman’. Thank you so much for suggesting our writing and pictures are also good enough for a book! 😀
Danielle,
Another fun read! What a great story. I kind of wish Wayne would have kept going with video, but the fact that you are finishing this for us, while traveling abroad, feels like a gift. I’ve been looking forward to the Washington chapters (my home state) and having hiked much of the PCT here, I know how hard it is, and what you had to go through to finish. One of the pictures I took of Goat Rocks Knife edge with Rainier in the distance has been my screensaver for years – I never get tired of looking at it or remembering how awestruck we were at the never ending beauty. Those pictures of you and Wayne in the restaurant were great! I’m not sure I’ve seen a better example of true joy and pure exhaustion.
Anquan luxing,
“Bob”
Hey Bob, thanks once again for your lovely comments. 🙂
Just for your info Wayne is still working through the video footage and there are now videos to accompany the blog for part of the Oregon section. We didn’t shoot much in northern Washington because of the weather, but he will also get to the end of our adventure, much like myself in the next few weeks. (We are aiming to get it all online by the end of December in between taking some time off at the beach in Taiwan!)
The Knife’s Edge was incredible – one of my favourite days on the PCT by far!
Best regards, Danielle
Well, I was enjoying this read until I came to the picture of that spider!! I don’t think I’d have slept in a tent again 😀
Great stories and I can feel the end in sight
Thanks Andy!
Fortunately I don’t mind spiders. 🙂
Not too far to go now…
Another exceptional blog post and miles covered in sensational style. Congratulations on the 50 miler! Cascade Locks rewarded you well. So lovely to return to Oregon through your eyes.
Fantastic news re-completion.
As always, I find great joy in your photography.
Thank you Helen 😀
Oregon was certainly a memorable part of the trip!
You’ve been walking faster that I’ve been able to read your Blog but I’ve finally caught up with you to Day 147.
I’ve enjoyed taking every step of the way with you two so far and am really looking forward to seeing what happens after the 3rd of September!
What a fantastic adventure you two have had (or are having as I read this part!). Wow 50 miles in a day!! I was proud of myself when I finally cracked 15 miles!!
Hi John, thanks for continuing to follow along with our adventure and for your lovely comments 😀
The 50 miles seems to have happened in a blur! It’s amazing what your body is able to do when you are trail fit.
Like I said in the blog, I don’t think we ever want to repeat it however! (Although Wayne is now talking about a new challenge for 2019 – being able to run 100 miles. I told him he can count me out of that one!)
Best regards, Danielle