Pacific Crest Trail Hike: OR & WA Section J – Mile 2395 – 2466
Pacific Crest Trail Hike: OR & WA Section J – Mile 2395 – 2466
Hello all – for the last few posts about the trail, things get a little chaotic, so I’ve outlined more below.
The remainder of the trail is split up out of mileage order so I will be posting things out of chronological order. Surprise (and not to ruin the ending for anyone) but I ended up completing the trail!
There were a few things working against us relating to timing and were the reasons for our pivot out of order.
There was a fire near the Canadian border on the Canada side that grew quickly. We heard about this at White Pass and this was the plan we came up with to ensure we could touch the border.
PCT Trail days, an annual outdoor expo, was being held at Cascade Locks, Oregon within this 10 day period. Several friends from throughout my time on trail would be going, so we wanted to make sure we went to this. This even including friends flying there from Southern California!
A 150 mile section, Oregon & Washington Section K and Section L, were fully closed or at least partially closed which shortened our time in Washington anyway.
With these items in mind, Prick, Bags, and I flipped around our schedule for the remaining time on trail. Here is the outline below:
Day 145: Section L
Day 146: Section L
Day 147: Section L
Day 148: PCT Trail Days
Day 149: PCT Trail Days
Day 150: Section J
Day 151: Section J
Day 152: Section J
Day 153: Section J
Day 154: Section J
I will be keeping Section L, aka the finish, for the last blog post even though I officially finished at a different point (Steven’s Pass).
PCT OR & WA Section J Summary
Statistics:
Days: 5
Full hiking days: 3
Zeroes: 0
Neros: 2
Total Trail Miles Hiked: 70.9
Total Miles Hiked: 72.5
Trail Elevation Gain: 17,164 ft
Trail Elevation Loss: 16,183 ft
Highlights:
Wrapping up my last section on trail!
Time with Prick and Bags along with other wonderful people that I had been hiking near for months.
The views were amazing.
Lowlights:
Wrapping up my last section on trail! 🙁
The rainy weather a few days in a row was uncomfortable.
A mouse party.
PCT OR & WA Section J Detailed Version
Day 150: Mile 2395.8 – 2402.8
Trail Daily Miles: 7.0
Total Daily Miles: 7.5
Total Trail Mileage: 2402.8
Elevation Gain: 2875 ft
Elevation Loss: 610 ft
Weather: Sun, Clouds
Overall Day Sentiment: Last section bummers
After being dropped off by Broncé and Rosa on the north side of I-90 at Snoqualmie Pass, we sat at the trailhead for a while we sorted through our things. Bags and I had new shoes, that were previously delayed arriving to Broncé and Rosa’s house, but now we got them the last section of our hike! We had made shoelace charm bracelets with our trail names on them at Trail Days and I will henceforth hike with them on my shoes (picture below).
There were several families and people at this trailhead because it is popular and accessible from the main highway that goes to Seattle. One particular group stood out to me. It was a father and two sons packing their bags while the mom/wife was there dropping them off. It was an interesting dynamic as it was clear that the dad was excited to take his two boys out on a weeklong trip, while the mother was concerned. They were also heading to Stevens Pass, just over the 70 miles. The mom was in tears nervous about sending these three men out into the world and it was quite the juxtaposition position with how the 3 of us felt. We felt that this was a short section at 70 miles and we’d be able to do it very slow over the course of five days total with three full hiking days and two nero days. They were planning to do this over the course of 7 days and felt that it was still strenuous. This was just an example of how much I had actually grown while going into my last section because before the trail, 70 miles would’ve felt very overwhelming as my longest backpacking trip before this was 30 miles.
We start this section and only plan to go about seven 7.5 miles for the day because we were starting later in the day. Though only 7.5 miles, it was quite vertical with it having nearly 3000 feet of gain. Our target was a beautiful lake that they looked to be several campsites around. This also crossed what is called the Kendall Katwalk, which Bags informed us was one of the most expensive trail projects in Washington history due of the nature of the ridge that it was carved out of.
I was first to arrive in our campsite and picked an area for the 3 of us. I’m glad that I arrived when I did because this area around these lakes filled up with both thru-hikers, section hikers, and weekend hikers. Bags and Prick showed up we all got settled in. We were monitoring the clouds because it looked like the skies could open up at any point, but all we got was a tiny drizzle. For this we were thankful for because our campsites were truly in a small riverbed, which could have lead to disaster.
Over dinner that night it got began to get cold and we realized that this was the start of the changing of the seasons in Northern Washington and we were thankful for the layers of clothes that we did have.
We planed on the later start time the next day because we had only planned to go 20 miles. Again in this section you’ll notice that we cover less miles. We start out later, we get into camp relatively early, and we’re just enjoying each other‘s company and the company of others around us.
Day 151: Mile 2403.8 – 2422.3
Trail Daily Miles: 19.5
Total Daily Miles: 20.0
Total Trail Mileage: 2422.3
Elevation Gain: 5160 ft
Elevation Loss: 4937 ft
Weather: Sun, Rain, Cloud
Overall Day Sentiment: Am I in a movie?
The day began slowly and we didn’t end up leaving camp until around 9:00am. This was such a shift from other sections of the trail; Sierra departure time was 3:00/4:00am and NorCal was 5:00/6:00am. Leaving camp at 9:00am felt almost naughty? This schedule would continue for the next several days. As I departed camp, it was a pika symphony. Their chorus would persist all day (and beyond) and it felt like having tiny cheerleaders amongst the rocks.
This hiking day was near equal parts ascent and descent; with the first half of the day descending and the second half almost completely up hill (up mountain?). While nearing the bottom of the valley, I ran into a couple that was out for a weeklong section hike going the opposite direction. They happened to be from the Midwest and had moved to Washington over 20 years prior. They must have been in their mid-sixties and were absolutely kicking butt going up the steep ascent that I was descending. We chatted for nearly half an hour and it was a sincere boost to my day.
There were a lot of waterfalls and rivers at the bottom of this valley for which I was thankful for all of the bridges. We walked through an old burn scar with a lot of beautiful undergrowth that provided more flowers for our viewing pleasure.
As mentioned, the second half of the day was a long climb. I had been listening to a wonderful audiobook, so these miles flew by. The ascent was more gradual than expected and provided incredible views from every switchback. There was a distinct peak, Chimney Rock, that had me enraptured with every turn. It was creating its own cloud system that changed every 5 minutes and offered different perspectives. At one point, the sun had begun to set and set the clouds aflame.
Because the day had been primarily ridge walking or switchbacks, camping and campsites were limited. By the time we got to the spot we had chosen for the day, the ideal/primary tent sites had been taken. All 3 of us tucked our tents on less than ideal/flat spots and made the best of it. This particular campsite was next to a large pond that backed up against a rock wall and I have never seen water so still. It looked like a vision from a fantasy movie with the level of detailed reflection it provided.
We all ate dinner in the rapidly dropping temperatures and were thankful for a shorter hiking day that our usual. Bags had been listening to some very funny podcasts and she regaled us with the tales which triggered an unknown amount of giggle fits for me. What a perfectly sweet ending to an evening.
Day 152: Mile 2422.3 – 2442.2
Trail Daily Miles: 19.9
Total Daily Miles: 20.3
Total Trail Mileage: 2442.2
Elevation Gain: 3306 ft
Elevation Loss: 4249 ft
Weather: Rain, Cloud
Overall Day Sentiment: Embrace the suck
The day started out with slightly drizzling rain with heavier downpours in the forecast. I once again got going later than normal, but with this easier mileage schedule – I felt no rush. Prick and Bags had left much before me, but I was sure I would eventually catch up.
The majority of the morning was spent with a sincere amount of rain. This was the most rain or any precipitation that I had encountered yet on the trail. Donning my rain gear, I hiked through what dense brush that emulated walking through a carwash. I will go into more detail about what rain gear I ended up with but for now, an emergency convenient store poncho was my favorite and most effective piece of gear.
I bumped back into Prick and Bags at a beautiful river and for a moment they didn’t recognize me with the absurd outfit I had on – picture below. My sun umbrella remains one of my best purchases, I swear by it especially in the rain. We attempted to dry ourselves out at lunch and though it had stopped raining, the humidity and clouds persisted which lead to little improvement. Sometimes you just have to be uncomfortable and embrace the challenge.
The rest of the day flew by and I eventually found myself at our predetermined campsite. I arrived first and there were several spots available for which I was thankful for. Prick and Bags arrived shortly thereafter and set up their tents. This campsite was overrun with pikas, a cute pest to have.
While eating dinner, a group of 5 camp through and also set up camp. Though we had been seeing them on trail a bit, they never introduced themselves to us. They were a ‘tramily’ (trail family) and had a solid bond amongst them therefore they didn’t want other folks joining. I had a sincere issue with folks who use the term tramily as an exclusionary tactic to prevent other hikers from joining. It feels very high school and the definition of a clique. I’m thankful that Bags and I were aligned on this because we kept our hiking groups fluid – even though we so enjoyed hiking with each other. We always invited others to have dinner with us and enjoyed conversation with people outside of our main hiking group.
Day 153: Mile 2442.2 – 2462.3
Trail Daily Miles: 20.1
Total Daily Miles: 20.3
Total Trail Mileage: 2462.3
Elevation Gain: 5106 ft
Elevation Loss: 5119 ft
Weather: Cloudy, Cold
Overall Day Sentiment: Will I ever hike 20 miles in a day again?
My last full hiking day on the trail. What a surreal thought. I left camp at the later start time and on this day, Prick and Bags decided to pack up slow. I knew we would eventually run back into one another, even if it was at camp that night.
Pretty immediately there was a robust river to cross. This took my by surprise as Washington had been so bridge happy up until now. But the trail spirits knew I needed one more river crossing as a rite of passage before I completed it. Luckily, Poppins/Little Mermaid was there and helped me sort my way across the boulders. It is never particularly fun to have wet shoes and socks within the first 3 miles of day, alas, those there the cards I had been dealt.
Throughout this section, FlipFlop, Bones, and Phantom along with Poppins/Little Mermaid had been leapfrogging us. We had been hiking around them since NorCal so it was always a treat to see familiar faces along the way. Poppins/Little Mermaid and Phantom stopped at the top of a climb where I had set up for a lunch spot and we chatted about everything and nothing all at once – it was absolutely lovely. Eventually Prick and Bags arrived and we had an expedited lunch because clouds were rolling in at the top of the climb and the temperature dropped precipitously.
We continued on hiking and were all looking forward to a steep section of the trail that had delicately been named “The Dump Truck Challenge”. It was named this as this section required your glute muscles to be working… hard. There was a junction that you started at and then timed yourself to get to the top. I took the time to create a HYPE playlist for my estimated time. People had been posting their times on FarOut (the mapping application) so I had an idea of how long it could potentially take me.
I started out and discovered it was actually not much steeper than other sections I had been on, it just felt like it was longer than those. My playlist did the trick and I made it around my desired time; 16:30. When I arrived at the top, I was greeted with a round of applause because FlipFlop, Phantom, Bones, and Poppins/Little Mermaid had also just finished! We then applauded for Prick and Bags upon their arrival. It was a fun challenge and was a great way to break up the day.
The remainder of the day was beautiful switchbacks and ridge walks up and down more mountains. There was one section near the end of the day that was actually much more steep than the Dump Truck challenge segment that absolutely took me out. I was chatting with Poppins/Little Mermaid at the time and we were both huffing and puffing. Knowing this was my last full day gave me the motivation to not only do this hard part – but to do it while smiling.
Prick had gotten ahead of Bags and I and chose our spot for the night near a beautiful small lake. He wrote a message for us in the dirt to find him off trail which was very helpful. As this was our last night camping and having dinner together, we reminisced about the trail as a whole. One of my favorite activities we did was we all chose and shared; our top 3 highlights, top 3 lowlights, and the funniest person we met on trail. We had some similar moments but it was interesting to remember highlights/lowlights through the lens of other people. Far and away, talking about the characters we met on trail was the funniest exercise.
I did get a bit melancholy because this had been the most transformative experience of my life and it was about to end. Would I ever hike over 20 miles again? Would I ever feel the freedom that I had for the past several months? More on this later, but it was an evening also full of internal philosophical dialogue.
As we were wrapping up dinner, mice descended into the camp. I hadn’t had many rodent issues in camp (other than the cute pikas) so this caught me off guard. This must have been one of their nightly routines because they were too comfortable around us. I eventually made my way into my tent only to be bullied by the mice for hours. they were crawling under my rain fly and up the mesh of my tent. Seeing their silhouettes directly over me on the mesh was ick inducing. I was diligent about getting food out of my tent and hung properly but still was worried that I would have visitors chew through the fabric. At some point, I put in earplugs and tucked myself in my quilt and hoped for the best.
Day 154: Mile 2462.3 – 2466.7
Trail Daily Miles: 4.4
Total Daily Miles: 4.4
Total Trail Mileage: 2466.7
Elevation Gain: 717 ft
Elevation Loss: 1268 ft
Weather: Sun
Overall Day Sentiment: Sad, Proud, Surreal
For last morning, we woke up slow and got moving slow. We only had about four or 4.5 miles until we get to Stevens Pass and this was where our time on the would come to an end – so we were in no rush. Prick and I had flights that weekend back to our respective homes out of Seattle. While Bags was going to go re-tap the border and then walk across the border so she was taking a bus to Leavenworth, WA.
It was a small climb from where we camped to the Stevens Pass ski lift area, so there was only climbing for the first 2 miles and then the last 2 miles was all downhill into the ski resort area. This was a strange place to end because we had already touched the Canadian border so it felt like we were hiking bonus miles.
This was also a strange place to stop for me because I had been here almost exactly a year before. I had brought trail magic to the trailhead because I so desperately wanted to help a thru-hiker. While here, I had taken a picture with the sign at Stevens Pass and with it almost been exactly a year later to know the changes that happened in my life in that year it was partially overwhelming. My life, my family structure, and my future was completely different than what I had thought my life would look like when I reach this point on the trail – ideally in 2024.
There’s a before and after photo at the bottom and you’ll notice a few things. Primarily, the most obvious difference is that I have lost 30lbs, which came pretty easily when you walk that many miles per day. But the biggest change is probably one that you cannot see in the picture. They were the internal changes that I made. I look back at my before and after photos from when I had visited the trail at Barlow Pass, Snoqualmie Pass, and now Stevens Pass with compassion for the person that I was. This person did not know how much their life would change between all of these photos. I’m thankful for the internal growth that happened that allowed me to persevere through the difficulties that would come to the former me.
Once Prick and Bags arrived we all went into the ski area and got ice cream or coffee to celebrate. We are waiting for the bus for Bags and there was some confusion about the bus time as it was delayed. Prick and I had plans to hitch to Seattle, but we waited with Bags until she was on the bus. That was a very sad moment for us to part ways as this person had been in and out of my PCT experience now nearing 1500 miles which is too large to even think about.
Prick and I made a Seattle sign and waited on the side of Highway 2. This is a proper highway that was moving very fast so we were not particularly hopeful in finding a hitch all the way to Seattle. After about a half an hour, a truck with 2 kind guys pulled up and offered us the over hour long hitch! They had hiked parts of the PCT, including one that had hiked all of the Washington section.
They ended up being so unbelievably kind, that one offered for us to come back to his house to do laundry and shower as we couldn’t get into our hotel yet. So here I am with Prick, someone I also hiked ~ 1500 miles with, in a strangers house, in Seattle, in loaner clothes after a shower, while my clothes are washing. It was a surreal experience that I could not have dreamed up 6 months prior.
Prick and I went out to dinner and grabbed some luggage that we could check as some of our backpacking items are not allowed as carry-ons on flights. We eventually make our way to the airport area to go to the hotel as I have an early flight the next day.
And just like that… the trail is done.
More to come… the finale is coming next!
xoxo Kanga/Leeann
