Travel - 2016 USA - PNW (pt 2)

Despite being awoken at 430am when a room mate at the hostel decided to pack to leave I had a pretty good sleep in a warm bed. Most considerate travellers, when they know that they need to leave early, have everything ready so all they need to do is grab their bag and go. 

This guy though had everything spread out and even at one point turned the room light on! One of his last acts in the room was to drop his water bottle onto the hard floor... twice.  

After recovering from the abrupt awaking I made my way over to the Museum of the Rockies.  It was definitely cool to see the enormous size of creatures that once roamed the earth. The massive Triceratops skulls were probably my favourite exibit, even when pitted against the mighty T-Rex.



After wondering around for a bit it was time to get back on the road. Yellowstone wasn't too far away and soon I was going under the magnificent North Entrance archway. Not 100 meters  into the park I saw my first Elk ever. The first of many today. 

I kept going onto the Mammoth hot springs area that was littered with geysers. Lots of steam rising up from the ground and cool terraced pools brimming with boiling water. The smell was pretty potent as well...



The bigger and more picturesque ones with richer colours are further south.  As it stands due to snow last night the roads are currently only open to vehicles with appropriate snow tyres... which I don't have... 

Luckily there is plenty to keep myself busy with in the northern section of the park and the prediction is for some warmer weather the next few days which should allow me free movement.



Travelled along the northern road in the morning and saw heaps of Bison doing their thing... which is exactly the same as a cow. Eating grass. Exciting stuff. This amazing feat seemed to have many other tourists enthralled, enough to make them hit the brakes for an abrupt stop in the middle of a 45 mph single lane road with traffic behind them... 

Note to future Yellowstone tourists; Unless a Bison is being EATEN by a Grizzly bear there's no need to stop on the road for one. There will be a pull out in less than 500m where you can safely stop instead. 

There was also lots more thermal pools and gysers but the highlight today was a steamy river canyon and big falls.





After a full day of playing tourist it was time to fund a camp. Most areas are already shut down for the season, despite he still heavy traffic. When I made it to the Maddison camp I was right behind the person that got the last tent spot. Luckily the camp host was really nice and allowed me to park my car and 'hike' into the hiker/bike only area. A whole 50m away from the car. 

Now it was time to visit the main touristy sections of the park. Yellowstone seems to be very much a feature park. Drive from A to B do a 10 min boardwalk loop, drive to C, repeat. Lots of people but also lots of beautiful things to see. With the colder air the steam did make photography more difficult but it really was worth waiting for a parking spots.







After a lot of short walks and one semi decent one off to some distant falls (mainly to escape the crowds) it was time to visit Old Faithful.  When  I arrived it was about a 45min wait so I was able to grab some lunch and hit the souvineer store. At the viewing area there was at least a thousand people, probably more. 



Another quick boardwalk in the area before heading off to find camp. Near the south entrance by a lake. I was here a little early so still plenty of spaces and self registering too so I grabbed a spot. A short stroll on the lake side before returning to camp to get warm.

Saying goodbye to Yellowstone I headed south to the Grand Teton NP. It's a smaller park but has some pretty mountains! There wasn't many medium walk options, just little jaunts from parking lots or long overnight ones up into the mountains.  I still managed to join a few together to get a decent day in. Though the best views were from the road side viewing areas. 





Camped just inside the southern boarder of the park. I haven't figured out the pricing shedual of National Parks. Some are cheap others, like tonight, are almost double some others. Though that might have something to do with the fact that some grounds are privately run, even though they're inside a NP.   

The grounds had nice autumn leaved trees though and a pretty decent view of the Teton range so I was able to see the sun set behind it. 

Frost coated tent in the morning but packed up anyway as it was going to be a decent day of driving. To get to Portland is about the same as driving Brisbane to Canberra. Despite easily being able to do a drive like that in one day I took my time and stayed off the Interstate (with its 130kph speed limit) and dropped into various brown tourist signs.

The USA has a lot of small museums. Some with pretty cool buildings even if the subject matter is boring... like a museum for fabric....

Found a nice free camp spot just outside the town of Boise. Was up a rather bumpy dirt road but what's a Grattan road trip without some corrugations? Given its proximity to town and great view of the town lights I'm glad I'm not here on the weekend... I think this spot would be rather busy, if only for early on in the night, on Fri/Sat/Sun.



Drive into Portland was pretty uninspiring as I mostly stayed on the Interstate.  130kph does tent to get you there fast though... and most cars were overtaking me!  

Portland is very similar to Melbourne, very similar feel to me at least. Lots of people that look like it took them over an hour to paint on/squeeze into their jeans. With the beard I almost fitted right in. 
City itself was like many others. Lots of bridges crossing the river, including a double decker one! I wonder if it cost more than a tunnel... 

One of the things I liked most was he food trucks. You didn't have to walk 2 blocks before coming across another patch of them, and from what I tried all deliciously filling.



In town there was also a protests so I got to see the police in full riot gear. It wasn't too big when I hot there, just a few people preventing public transport from getting by. That's a great way to get all those commuters to care about you/your cause. .. 

I also was able to catch up with some Portland hikers for dinner. Was jive to see them again and find out how post trail life was going.



Time to get the car back to Seattle. Not a great day to be driving heavy rain and lots of ponding, even on the highway. Apparently expecting the highest winds they've had in 50 years... So the drive took a little longer than expected... but made it safely.

Back in Seattle and got to meet up with some friends again before having a day off. Relaxed at the Hostel and had some good chats with other travellers. 



Train to San Francisco was already booked out and plane was a lot more expensive and troublesome (getting to the airport, 2 bags, etc etc) so I decided to get my first ever long distance bus ride.

Do. Not. Do. It.

I don't know how but the seats are even more uncomfortable than a planes. At least there is power though... So I could watch movies on my lapop for the very long journey. Loved my noise cancelling headphones to drown out the person across from me reading their book, out loud. 

Still it is cheap and it definitely reflects that. I'll be on here overnight and reach the beautiful city of San Fran early tomorrow, after a change over. A day or 2 for the city and then time to try get back to the woods.

Travel - 2016 USA - PNW (pt 1)

First stop on the road trip was Olympic National Park. I choose to rake the road route (as apposed to ferry) as that would avoid city driving my first time in the wron side of the road. On the hwy I definitely felt that I was a little too close to the right had side of the land a few times. No driving fouls and no one honking at me so I must have done ok.

The road to the park was just a boring hwy at first but then began to curve along the coast a little and get to a more rural hwy state. I made it to the park late arvo too late for walking so I set up camp for the first time in a week and had a good night's sleep.

The next morning I went up to Hurricane Ridge. It retain lt lived up to its name with the wind howling past me making it hard to walk against. I made it to a lookout hill up a short trail but with the clouds I could see some mountain rains but not to the coast.. 



I then headed off in search of the Rainforest on the other side of the park. It's a big park with no through roads so to go around took 2 hours. On the way a came across some hunters (just outside park boindaries) loading a huge elk into their ute. First elk I've seen and it was taking 4 men to barely drag/lift it into a ute tray. 

Beyond them I reentered the park to check out some Temperate rainforest. Similar kind of tall trees but a noticeable lack of hi-jack/hitchhiker plants. No stag horns, no stranger vines. Just big trees and lots of moss. Was pretty cool as there were also some trees scattered in some Meadows shedding golden brown leaves. 



The distance/time signs are a little off for me in the more touristy sections of National Parks. The 2 walks I did at the Hoh rainforest had a combined length of 2.5 hours. I was back at the car in under 30 min... So with the extra time I figured I might as well get a drop on the next days driving.

Heading east I got to a built up area about when it was time to stop. Not wanting the fuss of finding a camp I opted for a cheap hotel so I could get moving the next day. When looking at rates I forgot about State tax,  city tax, etc etc so the room was a bit more than 'advertised' So glad we don't have to deal with that in Aus... 

Next morning I made full use of the breakfast... including enough for lunch... and got moving. After driving a while saw a tourist sign to a petrified forest just off the hwy. Stopped in for a gander and I'm glad I did. Ancient trees petrified to stone. They had cages up around all.of them, I guess a few people took parts as souvenirs



Hwy driving in the states is about as exciting as it is back home. I do find I'm missing a few things too. Like my fridge. I'm eating food like I'm hiking again. I also miss a long range fuel tank and TripleJ. There seems to be too many country radio stations here... but it's definitely the religious sermons that have the strongest signal...

For my next break I stopped off in a botanic garden to stretch my legs. They had roses, huge playgrounds, a few fish ponds and a Japanese garden all together. Lots of people out enjoying it too.



I only went just over an hour past the gardens to a free camp near a lake. A few fishermen returning with their boat just after dusk but otherwise I had the place to myself. Will try to hit up a few more on the way to make up for all those extra taxes...

More of the same driving the next day. Another difference over here is the speed. Often it's posted as 75 miles (120km) and if you sit on the limit a lot of people will sail past. The only people I had to overtake were either trucks or large RVS. I've also noticed that a lot of ranch/farm land us even more cleared than Australia. Most farmers at least leave the creek line green and a few scattered trees for shade, here there is barely anything left standing.  

Eventually I made it into Glacier National Park. They have all but shut down as winter is coming. Most campgrounds are either closed or 'primitive' (they lock toilets and shut off water) and they also stopped the park shuttle (which limits the day hikes I had planned.) It's still really beautiful though... and cold. I can see why people.would shut down for the cold... and it's not even winter yet!



Stayed in my warm bag for a while in the morning before setting off onto the 'Going to the Sun road.' It's a really beautiful road that cuts a cross section through the park. There are heaps of places to pull over and stop to admire the beautiful views. 



I stopped off at a trail head to do a hike up to Swiftcurrent lookout atop a hill. The lookout itself was hugged by clouds but the views on the way up more than sufficed. It was good to get a decent length hike in too. I considered doing a little more on the hidden ridge trail but as I made my way down from the lookout to the junction it began to snow lightly so I headed for the car instead. 

Another good thing about walking up to a lookout is the return journey is all downhill and fast! Given that it's past season I also didn't see one other person in the 4 hours of hiking so I set the phone with a time to snap this one.



Back to the road and it seems most people had risen from their hibernation. I wouldn't say the road was busy but certainly more than there was this morning. Plenty of vantage points to stop along the road for photo ops, it really is a beautiful park. All either on the road or a very short distance for those that don't want to stroll too far from the comfort of their RV.



I stopped off to do another shorter hike to some falls. There was many signs warning about recent Grizzly bear activity (eating as much as hey can before the winter.) Unfortunately I didn't see any, though luckily I guess none saw me... One campground was closed due to the increased activity, but it was a fair way away. 



Swung around to the eastern side of the park to one of the main camping sites that had been placed into primitive mode. More warning signs and as I was setting up a ranger came by to ensure I was doing the correct thing with food storage. She also informed me that one of the walks (up to a man made tunnel through a mountain) had been closed. There was 3 hikes I wanted to do with probably only time for 2 so it made my decision easy.

Snowed on me last night, only about an inch but enough to make it cold in the morning. Surprisingly though last night I was pretty warm, I wonder if all the snow made an iglo type situation before it melted off in the morning. 

It took a while to pack up and eat breakfast but soon I was off on another hike. Grinell glacier is one of 35 glaciers that existed in the park. All today are far smallet than they were... some are all but gone. Perhaps all those renewable energies are melting them? Just like solar and wind power apparently melted those high tension power line towers in South Australia recently...



Hike didn't seem very strenuous but as I breezed past a few other hikers it was clear those 152 ish days of training were still paying off... Views going up of the mountains covered in fresh snow was almost as good as the glacier.





On the way back down I ran into a 60 strong group of grade 6 students on a field trip. They stopped off at one of the lower lakes and luckily I only caught up to them less than 5 min from the car park. The teachers playing tail end Charlie knew about the PCT and were happy for trail tails and very excited that I rated Glacier NP, their local, as amongst the best things I have seen so far in the States.

After another short hike I started off on the next adventure. Some of the I5 interstate has 80 mph speed limit... so I was getting here at a fairly decent pace... I stopped for the night in a town called Bozeman. Plan to check out a dinosaur museum in the morning before continuing onto Yellowstone NP.

Travel - 2016 North America - Vancouver/Seattle

After finishing the trail and resting up at Manning Park for the night it was time to get back too it. Rusty and Lisa were able to get me part of the way to Vancouver and then I had to get public transport for the rest.

When you've basically spend 152 days being g able to go to the bathroom pretty much anywhere anytime 2.5 hours on a bus/train seems like a very... very long time..

On the bus I could see a few people give sideways glances. Hiker or Hobo game in a city had most people putting me squarely on the hobo list I think... if only they knew what I finished just 1 day prior...

When I finally arrived in Vancouver a very kind friend, Justin, met me and gave me keys to his house and put me on the right bus to get straight there. A bed, ensuit, space... All to myself!

I was expecting to rest up for a day or 2 but Justin had another idea. One of his friends was going out for some downhill mountain biking for his birthday. Quite a mixed group was going so despite having zero experience I was offered an invite. Jo was pregnant and couldn't use her bike/gear so it worked nicely.

It was a really awesome time. After a quick warm up on some green runs we headed off for the black ones... Canadian black runs... The first one through seemed ok and I was able to ride most of is. Some narley 2 m roll overs and some small drops but it was fun.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1920"] No Chicken run for this guy.[/caption]



The second black run proved to be a bit more difficult causing me to walk the bike down a good chunk (40%) of it. Lots of steep tight turns and drops. I also managed to get a pinch flat on the very last drop... and when Justin put a new tube on the rim something none of them (the very experience included) had ever seen before happened...



The next 2 days were spent exploring the city a bit more. Yup, looked like a city. I also had probably the most expensive clothes shop in my entire life... not that it was a hard to beat record. .. I headed into their big chain camping store (like I need more gear...) and ended up getting some seam sealer and a duffle bag for all the new clothes :p

Then it was onto Seattle. Had to get to the train station for customs at 520 am so Justin gave me a lift down before he headed to gym. Thanks again for your amazing hospitality! Really made a difference at the end of the trail!

Despite a long line they seemed to move fairly fast and they didn't seem to care much as soon as they saw my Australian passport. Didn't even ask to see my flight out or ask any questions about my stay...

Train rides aren't as smooth as a plane so the 5 hours took a while. Lots more leg room though! I watched a movie but was getting a little motion sick (which has never happened on a plane) so switched to the view out the window. The train cruised down the coast line so there was actually some pretty good views of the ocean.

In Seattle I dropped bags at the hostel and headed into the city. Yup, more tall buildings. I expected the Pike street market to be a little bigger... but I'm not sure why. Did see a few fish being thrown around and looked at a few nick-nacks... all far to heavy to carry :p

For dinner I met a friend from trail. The pub we picked was close to the hostel and a sports stadium... which happened to have a Soccer match that night... so it was a little crowded... Bfast the next morning with another friend and then wandered back through the city past the old gasworks and stopping off at a park known for its views of the city skyline.
Visited the EMP museum which was pretty cool and considered going up the needle but there was a crowd and it was getting late. I also think the underground tour might be good to do... maybe when I'm back in town.

I had enough of the concrete jungle though... time to get back to a real one. I hired a car to see more of Washington with the first destination to be Olympic Park!

Hiking - 2016 PCT - Day 143 to 152

Despite train noise and a street light right outside the inn window I got a pretty decent nights sleep. Morning was more chores (backing up photos etc) and then sending off my bounce bucket to Justin in Vancouver.

I got lucky and when I was in the PO sending my bucket the mother of a hiker was visiting and I was able to get an easy ride back to trail. Bumped into Zuke and Heman there who I hadn't seen since the Cali/Oregon border. 2 brothers hiking the entire PCT together... and sharing a tent! Can you imagine...

After a few more goodbyes and hellos to friends, and sneaking in some lunch at the lodge, I was finally back on trail. Only a 4.5 day food carry but because I'm eating a lot more now I'm pretty sure my pack is heavier than the 7-8 day food carry from Kennedy South!

Luckily it was only a short day out of town. Next morning woke up to a wet tent. It didn't rain but there was so much condensation it may as well have. We still are enjoying good weather though so at lunch I was able to lay it out and it was dry in under 10 min.

Had planned to go an hour or 2 more but came across another great lake and after sitting around and talking to other hikers for a while decided to be done for the day. Shorter than most full days but there is a lot more elevation change now so I could still feel it.



Had a perfect east facing view so got first light in the morning. Wind and the fact I was a little above the lake saved me from another wet pack up. Lots of great ridge walking today offering amazing views most of the day. Could still see Rainer far off in the distance but Mt Baker stood prominent.



It also happened to be the first day of hunting season so the trail was a little busier today. Less than an hour before I came across my first pair of hunters, very friendly guys and keen to chat about the PCT. Others were perched with binoculars looking for deer. Pretty funny as I didn't see one today compared to heaps the last few days, maybe they knew it was hunting season too...

Didn't hear one shot during the day either, but up and down some deep valleys and over ridges that would have drowned out sound. One valley lead us down alongside a creek for a few miles which was pretty awesome.

Last quarter of the day was climbing again. Unmaintained section  of trail (hunters use a side trail) with quite a few trees down but only 1 that was difficult to get around. Camped above a great creek with a rocky back drop which lit up a nice orange with the setting sun.
Rocky ridge also blocked he morning sun but it didn't seem too cold. After a short climb we wound down the side of the mouton past another beautiful mirror like lake. Then continuing down to the very bottom of a deep valley.

After going down for what seemed like ages it was once again time to head back up. Pretty steep section, about as steep as Peasents Ridge on Mt Barney and twice as long! Much deserved rest at a good snow melt creek short after the crest. The rest of the day was fairly gentle all the way to camp.
It was another hikers birthday so we had a small fire at camp as a candle but we're still all in bed by about 8. Woke to the sound of heavy rain at about 3am and it seemed to keep up until morning.  After poking my head out I saw it was mostly just misty with light rain so I packed and went on my way.



It wasn't long before the rain got more serious and the clouds became darker. I had planned a shorter day and then a Nero into Stehekin but with the rain didn't stop for breaks or lunch and made it to the road with time to spare for the shuttle to town.
This weather back home I probably would have had to stop every minute to pick of a leech. I haven't seen one the entire PCT so I do have that going for me, which is nice.

Every room (only 2 separate places) in town was booked, Saturday night... So I was setting up a wet tent in the rain in the overflow campground anyway. Problem with single wall tents if you can't dry them out, when you shove them in your bag the inside gets wet too.

Despite wet walls I managed to keep everything else pretty much dry. Rain stopped half way through the night and I awoke to blue skies and an already fairly dry tent.

Plenty of hikers about in town waiting for the PO to reopen on Monday. A few of us took a short shuttle (3 miles) to the bakery. No pie warmer or sausage rolls... so I can't bring myself to believe it's a real bakery but their pastries were amazing, hot chocolate too. Stayed here and played cards and stocked up on calories for the better half of a day before returning to town to hang out.



After a great dinner at the lodge it was time for bed. Slept in as I had no rush until the 10am post office opening. Collected my resupply box, last one!, and grabbed a few more snacks at the store before returning to trail. The return was via the bakery (the shuttle stops for 10 min to give people time) so got a nice BBQ chicken hot pocket and a ham and cheese crossiant for lunch.

Back on trail early afternoon planning for a short hike to first camp. Before we got there we crossed a cool little suspension bridge. Looked sturdy enough... except for that one broken plank I guess.

All the carabiner holding the wires had "Not for climbing" and no load limit printed on them which didn't inspire confidence. So I gave it a little bounce test to reassure everyone it was still safe...ish. After that no one was keen to walk across while I was still on it for some odd reason...



Camp was a little bit off trail but next to a nice river. Cold night with quite a bit of condensation in the morning. Got a late start trying to give things time to warm up, which didn't work. At about 1030am I was still walking past frost in the shady parts and just before 1pm at higher elevation there was still snow...



Still I had clear skies above despite some grey ones off in the distance and didn't need a jacket to hike in. Lots of beautiful mountains today as well when we hiked through mountain passes.



Got to a camp around 5:40 and stood around for 15 min trying to decide if I should push on to the next. It involved a decent climb and here was the last water so it meant lugging dinner and breakfast water up hill...
Luckily I decided to stop as not 2 minutes after getting my tent up those distant grey clouds from earlier today were suddenly on top of me and it started raining again. Managed to quickly throw everything in the tent before it got too wet and cooked inside.

Awoke to beautiful blue skies. I was camped in a valley so no chance of sun to warm me up though. Stuffing a wet tent into your pack is never fun but I knew at the top of the pass I could get it out to dry. It was cold sitting by it, some fresh snow in the shady sections of the mountain, but it did manage to dry fairly quickly.



By lunch I had made it to Hearts Pass. Last road access for the trail before Canada, 30 miles from the boarder. Some hikers, unable to cross, we're heading back to the road and were able to give some trail conditions for the remainder of the trip. Little bit of snow, nothing we can't handle by now.
Camp was busy with at least 17 hikers arriving before the cold drove me into my tent. 14.5 miles shy of the Monument, might be a line tomorrow to take pictures!

A busy camp meant a busy morning... some must not have realised that it was their last chance of an on trail sleep in! With some making noise before 6am I was awake so started to stir by at least 7. Making decent time I got to the Monument by lunch.

CANADA!!
All in all it took 151 days, 05 hours, 36 minutes and 06 seconds. With 20 town zer0s, 1 trail zer0s and 14 ner0s I probably could have finished a little sooner, but I think it all went pretty smoothly.

The remaining miles to Manning Park felt longer than any other on trail. They seemed to drag on. Eventually though I made it to the lodge, had a nice long shower and by the time you read this will have enjoyed my first beer!

Hope you have enjoyed reading my adventure. I'm sure there will be many more!

Hiking - 2016 PCT - Day 135 to 142

Stayed at the inn right next to the store and shared with 6 other hikers. I was very excited as I found some Vegemite in a hiker box and bought some butter and a loaf of bread so I could make everyone toast for breakfast. It went down about as well as expected.



After having quite a few pieces for myself it was time to pack up and head out. Packing took a while so I was able to fit in a little snack at the store and a can of coke before eturning to trail. I also picked up a warmer pair of gloves as I've had cold hands while hiking the last few days.

I went a little further than I thought I would but that meant setting up camp in the fading light. I was able to mostly get without the head torch, but needed it for cooking. Definitely feeling these shorter days. Today felt quite a bit warmer but there is likely rain again tonight so that might change quickly.

The rain started at about 3am and was still going when it ca me time to pack down the tent. Still not as cold as the other day but stuffing a wet tent away is never fun. I stayed in my sleeping bag for at least an extra hour this morning but knew I had to get on the move eventually.



Met up with some other hikers for smoko and discussed plans for the day. There was a hut/shelter a good distance from where I camped so I said I'd be heading for there. One guy said something like "Yeah, you can say that now but might not if it starts raining." Another that I hadn't really hiked with before but met quite a few times said;

Nah man, if Garfield says he's going to do something; It'll happen.

So that made me feel pretty good. It's nice to know others can recognise something I've always tried to live up to. When your only making plans for a day or 2 ahead it's not hard to stick with them but some people still have trouble with it, even when the only variable is 'how far.'

Was a great section on the way to the hut. Soured only by the fact that I was stung by a bee... I've had a few ant bites but this was the first bite/sting that really hurt. Started to swell so I took some anti-histimine and by the time I reached the hut I could barely feel it.

Not long after I was settled a Trail Angle opened a 1.75 lt bottle of bourbom for the hut, threw away the lid and proceeded to pass it around... Might not be a quiet night out of the rain...



Despite the ample supply of liquid warmth most hikers were in bed or asleep by 930. This was fine by me as I hopped into my sleeping bag around 9. Work to some eager hikers packing away at 6am, the joys of sharing living space...

Some early morning drizzle though the rest was a pretty good day. Sun shone through by 11 ish and it didn't rain again until after I was warm in my tent. Camped near a weather station. Once manned, and abandoned buildings left behind, it's now all automated. And has a phone tower, so great reception.

Rain got a little heavy during the night and continued as light rain through some of the morning. One of the good things about all the rain though is all the little mossy falls right near the trail.

Made it to the next town late afternoon to enjoy pizza and beer. Got a message from Double Check, her and Missguyver were some hikers I spent some miles with way back before mile 500. They finished a week ago and were out doing magic. I was a little too fast for the magic but they were able to swing by town and grab a beer. It was great catching up and swapping stories and also hearing all the news about other hikers I haven't seen in a long time.

Room for the night and decent wifi so I was able to Skype home. I thought Cascade Locks may have been the last chance before Canada so it was nice to have a good connection. Another win was the weather. It was as of someone had flicked a switch. Clear blue skies and a decent temp.

Hiked out late morning after taking the time to enjoy a long bath in the room. I was waiting on a package anyway that went to the Post Office proper rather than the 'Rural Branch' of the same. It arrived about 5 min before I went to check on it, lucky timing.

Instantly started up a huge climb the moment I hopped back on trail. With the clear blue sky I was able to see amazing views that stretched on for ages. Such an absolutely beautiful day both weather and view wise today. Amazing. The reports have us enjoying another 8-9 days of this good weather and hiker stories pitch this as the prettiest section.



Stopped for arvo tea by a small lake with another Aussie hiker I've met a few times. His partner is over to join him on this section, so they were planning to stop there. Another trio arrived with an Aussie I'd never met.
With the 4 of us there we got into a pretty good conversation using words that thoroughly confused the Americans. Reminiscing about Australian food goods also played a big role in the conversation.

After finally setting off again we started up another decent climb. I saw my first mountain goat run up a cliff I think I would have a hard time climbing. Their call is pretty weird though, like a high pitched whistle.

The next morning I awoke to beautiful 360 views of mountains. Lots of up and down today and lots and lots of amazing views. It might be as we've hit it with good weather but I'm really loving this section. Really happy to be able to see all the mountain ridges and not just white cloud.



While the sky was still blue someone had switched it back to bitterly cold mornings. I eventually crawled out of my nice warm bag to begun the day. Despite being fine now there is still plenty of evidence that Washington is a wet state. Seeping creeks, moss covered trees and rocks and plenty of beautiful lakes.



After pushing up yet another steep climb and coasting down the other side I made camp near a lake. Another new group of thru-hikers. People I've only been days apart from since the start but never met. It's pretty cool sharing stories and working out mutual friends.

It was an easy day into Stevens Pass where Copper Tone, the trail angel following the heard all season, was at his final spot.for the year. His offers of Creaming Soda/Icecream spiders went quite as tempting as they were in the heat of the desert... so I took a hot.chocolate instead.

Made my way down to Skycomish to grab my bounce bucket, 2nd package from home and do laundry. Decided to stay the night as I'm ahead of shedual and a few beers sounded like a good idea. Will have to wait for the post office to open tomorrow (1130am) before heading out so I get to sleep in and have a nice breakfast!

Next time you'll hear from me I'll be posting from Canada!!

Hiking - 2016 PCT - Day 128 to 134

After an impromptu bday party for another hiker I went to sleep in the hammock and had a fairly nice nights sleep. Now we're firmly around trees more hikers have switched to hammock setups. I'm still happiest in a tent though.

Before I could get back to the woods I had to cross the famous 'Bridge of the Gods' no pedestrian space, cars going over both ways avoiding hikers. It was a pretty cool bridge though. It isn't the highest but a bridge climb would give some good views.



Second day in Washington and it lived up to reputation. Lots of climbing but with a nice cool change. Light mist most of the morning that condensed on leaves and dropped onto hikers.



For lunch I found an awesome cliff edge to sit on. There were also some awesome views back to Mt Hood and forward to Mt Adams throughout the day.



Wound back down a bit to a nice spring for camp. As I took longer enjoying the views I rolled in a little late but was still able to set up in the fading light. Days are already notably shorter.

The next day started with a sleep in and later departure from camp. Stopping off at a beautiful blue lake for lunch and winding around a few more in the afternoon.  Got to my planed campsite described as 'large' to find another 13 people already setup. Still a bit of light so I pushed on and found a nice quiet solo spot to bed down.



The next day was an easy 6 or so miles to the road for Trout Lake. Well if you exclude the steep 1500 ft climb over 2 of those... Trout Lake was a really friendly town with lots of places at the cafe and store to charge batteries. Made it just in time for late breakfast and by the time I got my resupply box and waited for charging had a late lunch too.

It took a while to get a hitch but eventually a really friendly and happy monk from the local Abby was on his way to leave some trail magic at the trail head and took us up. He thought the PCT would be an amazing spiritual journey, obviously for the 15 min car ride I refrained from sharing my exact stance on religious matters.

Back on trail by about 1630, meaning it was a quick 7 hour turn around in town, time gets away when there's hot food and plenty of hikers to chat with. Got a few miles in before camping near a meadow. Luckily got to eat dinner outside, finishing up just as the sky opened. Only a drizzle but looks set in and might mean a wet pack up.

Rain throughout the night and plenty of Puddles around camp. Little bit on the floor of the tent, must have some small holes by now. Was a small break in the rain to allow me to pack up and get moving.  Rained most of the morning and drizzled the rest of he day, T.Gratts would love hiking in this... Did see a glimpse of blue sky that lasted 15 min before clouds closed in again. Still managed to see Mt Adams ocaisonally and the forest was still beautiful.



Another lucky break in he rain allowed me to setup camp. I know why people slow down in WA, the elevation isn't bad but with early camps because it's cold and late starts because of rain you lose a lot of hiking hours. Glad to camp early though, as soon as I got in my tent it started raining again. According to the weather man it should ease off tomorrow.

Another rainy night leading to another late pack up.  This time though there was just enough light to cast a shadow. No rain this morning but the canopy dripping was enough to keep everything wet. Shoes were under the awning of the tent but still soaked from yesterday. Nothing quite like the feeling of putting on sopping wet shoes to start the day...



Even if they were dry it would have only lasted a few hundred meters. The undergrowth was holding water and as soon as you brushed by would unload onto your legs. Very cold and wet. Some was waist high so shorts get wet too.

Clouds parted at lunch giving a good window to mostly dry everything. Closed back in by the time I was ready to move on. Over knifes edge with some awesome views through breaks in the clouds. I was expecting a little more height/thinner ridge but it was still pretty cool.



It was a cold night with frost forming on the tent, I hope this was a weather event and not to be expected for the rest of Washington! It was a pretty short run down to White Pass made even shorter by a trip down a ski field. Just as I turned a corner there was a really spectacular view of Mt Rainier.



Kracker Barrel Store was friendly and a good place to hang out. It was also fairly clear skies so I was able to lay out gear and get it all dry. Still on the fence about staying at the inn tonight or hiking on but with every passing moment staying the night seems more likely...

Hiking - 2016 PCT - Day 121 to 127

Early morning trip to the post office. Unfortunately package 2/2 from home either got lost in the mail or hasn't arrived yet... I was still able to retrieve my bounce bucket and also managed to ship off all remaining resupply packages for the rest of the trip.



Hitch seemed to take a long while, but in reality only took 20 min.  It's a busy hwy where lots and lots of cars passed by before someone camping at a lake near the trail crossing stopped to give me a ride.
Just a few miles from the road I reached the 3,220 kilometer mark (that's 2000 miles for the folks over here!) After the milestone I wound around the back of a beautiful mountain with red rock veins through it before finally finding a spot on a protected ridge with a great view of Mt Jefferson.



Woke up to a brisk morning but got going fairly quickly. Another beautiful for rested section even if it was a little cold most of the morning. I stopped for lunch by a great creek fed by the snow melt of Mt Jefferson.

Strolled into Ollalie Lake for a 'quick' stop. Mad Dog, an Oregon native who had planned to hike the trail but had to hop off due to injury, had an esky full of beer ready to share. So the quick stop before another mile or two turned into 3 hours and camping by the lake, setting up after dark...

Had an amazing nights sleep and pumped out the miles for the day. By mid arvo last nights activities did seem to catch up but I still managed just over 30 miles for the day. Filled water from an awesome flowing spring coming straight from a rock and found a good site to camp soon after.

Had a shorter day to make it to Timberline Lodge to relax and wait until the following morning for their famous breakfast buffet. Lot of steady but easy elevation gain as we approached Mt Hood.

The last 2 miles on Hood itself were on glacier crushed rock that was basically sand. Uphill on sand with all the gear in my pack crainy worked the calf muscles.



After setting up camp just shy of the lodge I went in for a late lunch and a few beers with some other hikers. It was well and truly dark by the time I went back to camp but a half moon and clear sky made it easy. Only a few sparse trees to cast a shadow as we were basically at the tree line.

There was a 200 mile relay race starting from the lodge... so the an announcements for the starting times got me up nice and early.for the breakfast.  Well 5am... 2.5 hours before breakfast was served. Gave me plenty of time to pack up and enjoy the free cofree in the lodge.

Breakfast exceeded already high expectations with everyone getting more than their fill. Most hikers were pretty lathargic after the feast, raking the opertunity to sit on comfy couches and use the available phone service. I took the time to find my second package and arrange to have it sent on.

By that time it was time for the lunch buffet but only one other hiker and I partook. Didn't get as much value as I did at breakfast but with roast pork, beef and the desserts I certainly got my money worth.

After a short recovery I hiked out for a 'mostly downhill' day. Don't believe that, ever, when a hiker describe the next section. Up and down the valleys carved into Mt Hood saw us climbin almost as much as descending. Along the way there were some beautiful views and near the bottom of one valley Ramona falls was a great reward.

We followed the Eagle creek trail down some very steep sections and beautiful forest. There was also 15 falls/creeks in a 12 mile stretch. Highlight was Tunnel Falls where there was a shot 10m cave you could walk behind the falls.



Made it into Cascase Locks late afternoon and joined a few hikers at the Ale house.  Tracking on my new shoes was still saying that they were in transit but thankfully they had arrives.  Stayed at Shreks house, a trail angle in town.
Will hang about for the day as it's probably the last descent town I'll be close to on trail. For now hanging around in a hammock and having a nice cold beer is a good way to pass time.