A Real Pacific Northwest Experience

We stayed in Stehekin, WA until sunday the 24th when we took the ferry to civilization and met a good friend David who agreed to shuttle us a little further south in the hopes of finding less threatening conditions.  After talking with a "Trail Angel" (a person who volunteers their time taking care of hikers on the PCT and a great resource for current trail conditions) we decided to try and start at Snoqualmie Pass.  Tuesday came quickly and we were dropped off at the pass, the weather was a bone chilling 40 degrees and rainy at 2 in the afternoon.  The clouds were swirling around the craggy mountains and visibility was minimal, the night would be freezing for sure.  I sat there studying my map, looked up at the foreboding scene before us, and realized I was in over my head.  There was just no way for us to do this and not be dancing with very real danger.  With our heads hung low with disappointment we checked into an Inn that is at the pass and emotion was running wild.  We had come so far with determination and excitement while mother nature has other plans.  A few sunny days have shone upon us but as a whole, the Pacific Northwest has been a true test.  This weather is notoriously high risk for hypothermia, which is notorious for causing a person to become disoriented and unaware of the eminent danger upon them.  Not an ideal situation for a solo hiker

Summer doesn't really start here until the beginning of july but this spring has been particularly cold and damp as well.  I had certainly anticipated the Pacific Northwest to be true to it's reputation but also had hopes of maybe getting lucky and summer starting a little early, this has not been the case.

In contrast, the High Sierra Mountains in the southern part of the trail have had record low snowfalls and warm spring so the northbounders are making excellent time and are weeks ahead of most years.  It turns out this is an ideal year for northbounders while the few crazies attempting a southbound have not even been able to start as yet.  As awesome as it would be to complete the entire trail in one year, it is increasingly obvious that this is simply not feasible for us.  Some years the weather works out and some years it doesn't, and we happen to draw the short straw.  There is simply not enough time to make it all the way south before the snow flies in the High Sierras. So we have planned to skip a bit here in Washington in the hopes of returning at a more ideal time next year, perhaps even catch the landscape in full bloom and all its grandeur.  When the window of opportunity opens for us to continue our trek south, our goal is to give ourselves enough time to reasonably make it through to Mexico so that we only have one chunk to return to.

Meanwhile, while in Stehekin I had the pleasure of getting to know a Wildlife Biologist who works for the National Park Service and was there working on Barred Owls at the time, Roger.  He had given me his number if I needed any help in WA.  Little did he know I'd be calling him 2 days after parting ways looking for a place to hold up for a week and wait for this supposed summer weather to arrive.  A day of hitch-hiking into Seattle and onward north brought us to our secret hide-away, ironically near to the start of our adventure 15 days ago.

So far it has been a long story with not a whole lot of hiking to speak of, at the moment mother nature has other ideas and the best we can do is be thankful for the time we have together and the incredible friends we've made so far.  We have been truly blessed in many ways, other than the weather, and in the end it is all part of the adventure.

"Nothing big ever happens if you don't plan big"

Peace and Love,
"Beads" & "Roxstar"